Froome has to plot coup
GERAINT THOMAS will be tucking into his favourite Welsh cakes in Carcassonne today after a tumultuous fortnight that has put him in position to win the Tour de France.
Fifteen stages gone, six to go. Thomas has earned his day off and his favourite recovery treat from back home.
After the fireworks in the mountains last week, when he won two stages, Thomas maintained a firm grip on the Yellow Jersey over a soporific weekend as the race meandered slowly towards the Pyrenees. The calm before the storm.
Thomas’s biggest rival remains his Sky team leader and four-time champion Chris Froome, who trails by one minute and 39 seconds.
The team-mates were seen deep in conversation over the last kilometre yesterday as the peloton softpedalled to the finish 11 minutes behind stage winner Magnus Cort Nielsen.
But Thomas will not discount Tom Dumoulin, 11 seconds further back from Froome, given the Dutchman is riding with ominous strength and can strike if he senses any indecision in Sky ranks. Finessing how to play their hand will occupy the Sky think tank for much of today. “Team Sky have got two cards and if they play them right they should win – it’s just who,” said Bradley Wiggins, who rode in a similar position with Froome when he won the Tour in 2012. Speaking on ITV, Wiggins continued: “The pressure is on Chris – he wants to win the Giro-Tour double and a fifth Tour title – but they will know how Chris will hold up. The uncertainty is over Geraint. He has had bad days in the past after going very deep working for others. “The Pyrenees are probably harder than the Alps, which suited Geraint’s climbing style. “Having said that, Geraint is 32 now and has been riding at this level for 10 years. He’s a lot fitter than he has ever been before. His confidence is up there, he has won the Dauphine this year. If ever there is a time to do it this is it.”
The Tour will probably be decided on two stages – a quickfire but brutal 65km stage on Wednesday from Bagneres to Saint-Lary-Soulan and the 31km time trial from Saint-Pee-surNivelle to Espelette on Saturday. The other two mountain stages are not summit finishes and the descents should see only small time gaps.
Froome must gain time back on Thomas before the time trial, which means he must attack his own team’s Yellow Jersey, and Wednesday looks perfect. As team leader he will have permission, but it will not please the purists on the roadside.
To pull off a coup Froome may need his team to launch him by setting a blazing pace. That could deny Thomas supporting riders, again highly unusual for the race leader.
The time-trial is on a fast, hilly and technical course that suits all three contenders. Dumoulin is the world champion but it remains to be seen if he will have anything left in the tank. Froome is world class over such terrain and Thomas is a double Olympic gold medallist in the team pursuit on the track.
TEAM Sky domestique Gianni Moscon has been kicked off the Tour for hitting a rival during yesterday’s stage. He could now be sacked having committed a similar offence last year.