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Sky vs Sky: Froome says he’ll sacrifice his chance at glory for yellow jersey Thomas

Sky vs the French: Brailsford stokes the fires of animosity

July 23, 2018
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On the 2018 Tour de France’s final rest day in Carcassonne, four-time and reigning champion Chris Froome told the media he would sacrifice his chances at glory to aid teammate Geraint Thomas in his bid for a first-time win. Froome, 1:39 in arrears of Thomas and 11-seconds ahead of Tom Dumoulin, stands to join the exclusive Five Time Club of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinaut and Miguel Indurain and win the last four Grand Tours if he wears yellow in Paris.

“As long as there’s a Team Sky rider on the top step in Paris, I’m happy,” Froome told the assembled press in Carcassonne.

Going into the Tour de France the mighty Team Sky was riding a wave of redemption, as Chris Froome had the UCI clear his salbutamol case. But it found itself not only fielding the conundrum of Thomas vs Froome–Geraint having been ahead of Froome since the very first stage–but also facing a lot of hostility on the road, even though Vincenzo Nibali is the only GC rider to have come a cropper of fan interference.

Thomas has not only avoided the misfortune that has run rampant through the GC ranks, but he’s also looked the stronger of the two Sky aces. He has been claiming that Froome is the main man all throughout the race, but with only three stages of real GC consequence remaining, he is the more likely to win, barring some kind of horrific Yates/Chaves/Pinot-at-the-Giro meltdown.

On Monday, Sky team principal Dave Brailsford, who seemingly believes his team is only being booed by French fans, failed to quell the Gallic rancour by suggesting to the media that the intimidating antagonism of some fans is “a French cultural thing”. This comes a day after Sky’s Gianni Moscon was chucked out of the race for backhanding a French rider on a French wildcard team in the face.

Sky and everyone else will find their way on the road clearer now that the smoke flares that have been making the route perilous for the riders have been banned.