Geraint Thomas is in the perfect position to win a maiden Grand Tour title after claiming victory on Wednesday’s first mountain stage of the Tour de France, but the Briton said compatriot Chris Froome remains Team Sky’s leader.
Thomas, who won the week-long Criterium du Dauphine last month while Froome was resting after winning the Giro d’Italia, took the 11th stage of the Tour de France with an impressive attack in the final climb to snatch the yellow jersey.
The 32-year-old leads Froome by 1 minute, 25 seconds in the overall standings.
Photo: AFP
However, four-time champion Froome is the more experienced rider, having already won all three Grand Tours.
“Froomey is the leader. He’s won six Grand Tours, he knows how to ride a three-week race,” Thomas told a news conference. “I just had an opportunity. Froomey knows how to win a three-week race. For me it’s already a success. Froomey is still our best chance.”
With third-placed Tom Dumoulin 1 minute, 44 seconds off the pace, Sky have two cards to play in the Tour de France’s tactical battle.
Yet Thomas, a former Olympic track cycling champion like 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, has yet to prove he can handle the pressure of a Grand Tour.
His best overall Grand Tour result was 15th place in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the Tour de France. He turned professional on the road in 2007 and won the Olympic team pursuit titles in 2008 and 2012.
However, Sky’s position is a nightmare for their rivals, who in the past have struggled to unsettle the British outfit when Froome, who was cleared of a suspected doping offense in the week leading up to the Tour de France’s start, was the sole leader.
With two riders now able to win the race, the equation has got even more complicated for the opposition.
“Sky have a strong hold on the race, everyone is asphyxiated,” AG2R La Mondiale team manager Vincent Lavenu said.
His team leader, Romain Bardet, limited the damage on Wednesday, finishing 59 seconds behind Thomas along with Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana.
However, Frenchman Bardet was lagging 2 minutes, 58 seconds off the pace ahead of the 12th stage, which ends up the iconic Alpe d’Huez.
Sky’s rivals will now be pinning their hopes on potential leadership issues within the British team.
“Since the start of the race I’ve been saying that Thomas is the strongest at Sky, but he has no references in a three-week race so we can always speculate on that,” Lavenu said.
However, Thomas said there would be no problem.
“I saw a massive occasion to take the yellow jersey. I’m going to try to chill out and enjoy it,” Thomas said. “Then it will depend on the situation and what’s going on in the race. If I have to pull [for Froome] towards the end, I will. We’ll see.”
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