Thomas leading could cause issues: Wiggins
Chasing pack: Geraint Thomas is in second place BRADLEY Wiggins has claimed Team Sky will have a “real problem on their hands” if Geraint Thomas takes the yellow jersey in the Tour de France ahead of Chris Froome.
Thomas sits second to Greg van Avermaet in the general classification after nine stages, 43 seconds off yellow and 59 seconds ahead of Froome as the race heads towards the Alps.
Though Sky have insisted Froome remains the team leader, Thomas has been given licence to race for himself through the first part of the Tour, and 2012 winner Wiggins foresees trouble if he remains ahead.
“This is where it gets difficult, as we hit first mountain stage,” the ex-Sky rider said on Eurosport’s The Bradley Wiggins Show.
“If Geraint stays where he is and takes the yellow jersey they’ve got a real problem on their hands.”
Riding as his domestique, Froome finished second to Wiggins in 2012, and famously appeared to attack his team leader on La Toussuire on stage 11 before sitting up and waiting for him — a moment interpreted as Froome showing he was strong enough to win on his own.
Wiggins said that Sir Dave Brailsford would be “in the ears” of both riders telling them they can win the Tour in order to keep them motivated, suggesting the team principal can be “divisive” and “self-serving” at such times.
“Does Dave B come in and do his usual and be quite divisive and get in each other’s ear and kind of keep them both motivated for the same goal and there be a natural selection?
“Dave will certainly be in both of their ears and be telling them they can both win it, as a way of motivating them, as a way of playing these cards deep into the race and let the natural selections come in to play.”
Wiggins added of Brailsford: “He’s quite self-serving. For him, it’s about the team winning, it’s not about the individuals or the characters.”
By keeping Thomas close to the front, Sky are giving themselves a back-up option for Froome, who is attempting to become the first man to do the Giro-Tour double since 1998, and win a fourth consecutive Grand Tour.
Though some expect the Giro d’Italia to catch up with the 33-year-old in the mountains, Wiggins does not expect Froome to easily accept a supporting role given he is hunting what would be a record-equalling fifth Tour victory.
“If Chris is feeling really good, it’s going to be tough for him to sit there with that record on the horizon,” Wiggins said.
The Tour will head straight into the Alps after yesterday’s rest day, with today’s stage 10 taking the peloton over four categorised climbs in 158.5km of racing between Annecy and Le Grand-Bornand. IRELAND’S Under-18 boys are in danger of getting relegated after they lost their second of three pool games to France in the European championships in Santander yesterday afternoon.
But there were no such worries for the Under-18 girls, who beat Belarus 3-1 to follow up Sunday’s narrow 2-1 defeat by Germany.
It was Friends schoolboy Oliver Kidd who seemed to have set the boys on their way in the second half after Ewan Ramsey and Timothee Clement had swapped goals in the first period.
But Paul Piot levelled a second time and Clement put away his second penalty corner to claim a 3-2 success with just eight minutes left on the clock.
The boys complete their pool programme tomorrow when they face a strong Belgian side and now will have to do well in the crossover games against probably Poland and Spain later in the week.
The Under-16 boys are in action against England today (4pm) in their Six Nations tournament in Cork, having lost their opener 5-2 against Netherlands on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Banbridge Academy’s Nadia Benallal was among the scorers as the Under-18 girls came from behind to score a crucial 3-1 win over Belarus.
Benallal hit the equaliser from close range after Belarus had taken an early lead and Hannah Kelly made it 2-1 at the break in similar fashion.
Yasmin Pratt got the insurance goal near the end with a superb effort, rounding the keeper before slotting home.
Ireland’s win followed an opening 2-1 loss to Germany and gives them renewed hope of staying in the top flight for another term.
However, there was disappointment for Ireland’s Under-16 girls who lost 4-0 to England at the Six Nations tournament in Cork, while the Under-23s resume their campaign today when they face Canada in Antwerp having lost their opening games against India and Netherlands.