Fire in the Sky

Fire in the Sky The Story of Cycling’s Most Notorious Team

Tyler Castaneda

Fire in the Sky The story of cycling’s most notorious team

Fire in the Sky The story of cycling’s most notorious team Tyler Castaneda

FIRE IN THE SKY Copyright © text and design 2020 by Tyler Castaneda All rights reserved

Dedication To Mark.

Fair skies and tailwinds to wherever you are.

Until we meet again.

Contents The contents of this book are laid out in a year by year format. There are some events that span between multiple chapters, but in order to create a more structured work, this is the choice way of formatting.

Acknowledgements 10

Preface 11 Introduction 12

Chapter 1: The Early Years, 2010-2011 16 Chapter 2: Wiggo, 2012 22 Chapter 3: Rivalry, 2013 28 Chapter 4: Abandons, 2014 34 Chapter 5: The Return, 2015 42 Chapter 6: The Jiffy Bag, 2016 48 Chapter 7: Shrouded Success, 2017 56 Chapter 8: The Collapse, 2018 64 Chapter 9: Changing Tides, 2019 70 Chapter 10: Tomorrow, Today, 2020 76 Finale 80 Glossary 82

Bibliography 84

Photography 86

Acknowledgements

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To say that this book was created solely by me would be a gross misjudgment. The input and advice from many people who have found interest in this undertaking of mine has come together to create a stronger work that I am proud to present.

First, I want to thank those who took the time out of their day to read over and edit my draft. Steven, Joe, Emily, James, Jill, and Emmi have been instrumental in helping to make sure that this whole thing makes sense.

Next, a thank you to Monica, Brian, and all of the other admins and members of Hampton Roads Cycling.

Thank you for allowing my posts for feedback, updates, and just general support overall.

Also, a special thanks to Rob, head of LocalTriVibe.

Thanks to him, I was able to get on his podcast and talk about the project, basically promoting the idea of this becoming something bigger than it is. The opportunity was nothing short of incredible, and I’m excited to see where it leads.

Another group I want to thank is my classmates and professor who have been along for the ride since the beginning of the semester. We have all shared ideas and critiques with one another and are a strong support system within ourselves.

Again, I want to thank Emmi. Outside of editing, she has listened to me work through this project, being there on the good days and not-so-good days. Having a partner to support you like that is an immeasurable pleasure. Thank you for what you do.

Finally, this one is for my family and friends. Support is manifested in more than just editing, promoting, and critiquing. It’s also as simple as a little encouragement, well wishes, and the like. There’s too many to name, but you know who you are.

Preface I discovered Team Sky, and cycling as a whole for that matter, almost on accident. I was flipping through channels the summer of 2012, and somehow landed on a stage of the Tour de France. It was a mountain stage, I think. Immediately, I was hooked. As soon as I could, I grabbed my bike (a mountain bike, at that) and put some miles in. The rest is history after that.

Team Sky is one of the most controversial teams in all of cycling, and all of sports to boot, if I do say so myself.

But, they do get people interested in the sport, and I am a testament to that. Their ascent to the top of the sport is controversial, but it draws people in. Anywhere Team Sky is mentioned, a hot debate is sure to follow.

Nevertheless, they are the reason why I’ve spent all these years on a bike.

The goal of this book is to bring Team Sky to a wider audience. The are a huge team, one of the biggest in all of sports, yet no one outside of cycling really knows who they are. They are the Real Madrid or New England Patriots of cycling. Their story is one for the ages, filled with successes and failures, drama and controversy, the whole nine.

Introduction

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For the past decade, professional cycling has been dominated by one team: Team Sky. Formed in 2009 from proud beginnings, Sky has grown to become one of the biggest sports dynasties in the world today. A hugely talented cast of riders has been a part of the team’s ranks through the years. For the last decade, Sky dominated every major race on the books.

However, these successes haven’t been without their failures. Over the course of their existence, there have been innumerable crashes, abandons, and race losses in the name of cycling. With nearly two hundred cyclists in a single race, success is far from guaranteed, loss is right around the corner. But, the men of Sky battled on, fighting for every inch, foot, and mile to the end of a stage.

Along with these undulating successes and failures, Sky has been a part of its fair share of controversies as well. Cycling is perhaps the sport most commonly associated with doping, thanks to the Armstrong incident of the 90s and early 2000s. While the successes of the team have been astronomical, every season brings new scrutiny and new issues to the forefront. With Tour de France wins in the majority of the team’s existence, many have pointed fingers at Sky, claiming that their success hasn’t been them alone.

Sky is a hugely polarizing force in the cycling world. Some are huge fans of the team, others want nothing more than to see the team disbanded, or at least disciplined in some way. Regardless of opinion, Sky has revitalized the popularity of cycling.

There are fans who began riding because of Team Sky. Fans line the streets during every race, and are either faithfully cheering on the team to victory, or waiting to see Sky come down in humbling defeat.

Sky has revitalized the sport, and continues to grow every year. Outside of the professional cycling fanbase, however, many people are unaware of one of the most successful teams in not only cycling, but all of sports as well.

While Team Sky as a professional sports team started in 2009, the history of the team dates back to just a few years prior to 2007. In the heat of the mid-July climate in England, then-British Cycling director Dave Brailsford hints at wanting to create a professional cycling team, fit for UCI level racing. With this team, Brailsford hoped to draw some of the successes that the Team Great Britain cycling team had, and mold them into a Tour ready team.

Fast forward to 2008, an Olympic year. It was at this Olympics where Team GB led the medal table in all cycling related categories, having fourteen medals across gold, silver, and bronze. It was also this year where Brailsford publicly announced his dream at wanting to create a UK centered team that could compete in the Tour de France. He envisioned a British funded, British run team for this endeavor, wanting to ride out the wave of increasing interest in British Cycling thanks to the successful Olympics run.

Within a year of Brailsford’s statement, his dream became a reality. British satellite broadcaster BSkyB publicly announced Team Sky on February 26th, 2009, thus setting the gears in motion for what would become a powerhouse in the cycling world. Later that year, in early September, Sky announced the first six riders of the

team: Chris Froome, Steve Cummings, Geraint Thomas, Russell Downing, Pete Kennaugh, and Ian Stannard. These riders would go on to become powerhouses commonly seen within the peloton, and on the higher end of the race leaderboards.

Three of the riders, Froome, Cummings, and Thomas, had previously spend time at Professional Continental team Barloworld, and have begun to prove their successes as riders. It would be at Sky where they would flourish with full force.

Before the year was out, Sky had grown exponentially. The roster grew to a full compliment of 26 riders, including such riders as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Simon Gerrans, and Bradley Wiggins, among many others. This was not the only area of growth, however. On September 18th, 2009, Team Sky was awarded ProTour status, officially recognizing the team at the highest level of competition. With this announcement, it became clear the vision of Team Sky: to bring a British rider to the podium of the Tour de France, cycling’s most prestigious race, within five years.

The Tour de France may have been the goal, but Sky had many other races and tests to get through before they could tackle it. The five year timetable was a tough goal, especially with other races to compete in as well, but Brailsford set the precedent for several matters that the team would be based around. First was the no doping policy. Brailsford had been present at the arrest of David Millar, a British road champion who had subsequently admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.

Brailsford put his faith in his riders, stating that they could ‘ride clean’. The doping policy is ubiquitous amongst all the teams in cycling. At this point, everyone was trying to distance themselves from anything related to the Armstrong-era of PEDs and doping altogether.

Second, was the idea of ‘Marginal Gains’. This idea championed by Brailsford was created during his time with British Cycling. It was based around the principle of breaking down bike riding into its separate core principles. At this level, improving as many individual principles by 1% as possible would lead to an overall large net increase. Brailsford was looking for weaknesses, for faults; anything that could be improved on would be. Over the course of time, the practice would be lauded by some, praised by others. Needless to say, however, the Marginal Gains philosophy took the team to unfathomable heights in a very short time.

With these policies in mind, Team Sky ventured towards their first season with cautious confidence. Armed with prideful optimism in its newly minted roster, Sky would go on to create one of the most powerful sports teams in history.

Chapter 1

The Early Years 2010–2011

2010: The Beginning Victory came very quickly for Sky in the new decade. The first ProTour race of the year, the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, began just 19 days into January.

Within the first day, there was a Sky rider. Greg Henderson, on the overall top 10, and even managed a 1-2 stage win on the sixth stage of the race. Chris Sutton took the team’s first win, and Henderson went on to take third overall for the team’s first podium. This was no easy feat for the team, going up against the likes of sprinter heavyweight Andre Greipel, as well as General Classification (GC) contenders Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans, and even the infamous Lance Armstrong.

Further victories came at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, with Sky riders taking the overall and sixth place. Though Edvald Boassan Hagen took sixth at Omloop, he was quickly becoming a rising star in the peloton. The team was successful in the team time trial at the Tour of Qatar, giving Boassan Hagen an early race lead, and then went on to battle bitterly for second overall in the Tour of Oman. These races were just a taste of what was to come.

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The first of three Grand Tours each cycling season, the Giro d’Italia began on May 8, 2010. Their first Grand Tour test as a team would not be an easy one, as strong riders were lining up. Sky had built a strong team around Froome, Henderson, Cummings, and Wiggins. Despite the fact that most of the GC heavy hitters would be reserved for the Tour, these nine riders still faced stiff competition from the likes of Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, and Ivan Basso. Even though Wiggins won the opening individual time trial, it was not enough to bring Sky to the podium.

The Giro was just an introduction to GTs. Sky had been awarded a wildcard slot to participate in the Tour de France in their first year as well. However, fatigue befell the team, and their highest place rider finished 17th. The Vuelta a España proved even worse for Sky. Illness hit most of the team, forcing the entire squad to abandon the race before Stage 8.

The inaugural season of Sky started strong but ended weak. Even producing three national champions­—Edvald Boassan Hagen, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas— could not ease the plunge into the deep end of the pro circuit. However, this was only the beginning of the line for the team. The peloton had been shown that a new and powerful team was in the works

2011: Getting Established

The 2011 season began in stark contrast to the previous. Victory didn’t come quickly like before. The team worked hard for stage wins but saw few major results.

In the first few races of the season, the highest place rider in any race was 2nd overall for Edvald Boasson Hagen in the Tour of Oman, and 3rd overall for Bradley Wiggins in Paris-Nice. Luck began to turn, however, during the race that many consider the prelude to the Tour De France, the CritĂŠrium du DauphinĂŠ. While the team did not score a single stage win, Wiggins fought for every stage and scored several top 10 finishes and one podium during the race. His high placement gave him the win for the race, setting the stage for races to come.

The Grand Tour season of 2011 was what could be described as a breakthrough season for Sky. Sky brought a strong team to test their merit, once again centered around Wiggins, and came with him Simon Gerrans, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Christian Knees, Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift, and Rigoberto Uran. Within the first week of the race, Sky had three riders placed within the top 10. The sixth stage of the race also saw their first stage win of the Tour, with Boasson Hagen taking the win.

The Tour de France took a turn, however, when Wiggins was caught up in a crash just under 25 miles from the finish during stage seven. Sky did not waver in their efforts though. The team placed within the top 10 of every classification aside from the GC and Mountains. If anything, this race had shown, that Sky was a rising force.

The Vuelta, however, was Sky’s real crowning moment in GT racing. Bradley Wiggins was back in riding-form and was chosen as team leader for another grand tour. An even stronger team was built around him than for the tour. Froome was added on for his ability in the mountains and during time trials, and Ian Stannard was there for the faster sprint stages.

The beginning of the Spanish Tour proved rocky. For the first few stages of the race, Sky was practically hemorrhaging time. Upon entering the second week of the race, fortune began to favor the bold for the riders of Sky. Wiggins and Froome pushed their time trialing ability to the limits, managing third and second respectively for the individual time trial. With this placing, plus decent placing in other stages, Wiggins found himself in a race lead for the time being. He and Froome went back and forth. In their successes, the pair traded their standings. Ultimately, it was Froome who would prevail over his team leader Wiggins, with both ending up second and third respectively on the podium for the 2011 Vuelta. This proved that Sky were serious Tour contenders, and one of the biggest threats in the peloton.

With the Grand Tour successes of 2011, the season also came with a renewal in the zero-tolerance policy that Brailsford and Sky had laid out in their framework. The team manager stood fast on his policy of not bringing in riders who had dealt with doping issues in the past—such as the likes of David Millar, who had suffered from a two year ban. However, he did mention the possibility of becoming more lenient with non-riding staff. The simple truth was that there weren’t many qualified people who hadn’t been touched in some way by the Armstrong era of doping. The end of 2011 marked the end of Armstrong’s participation in the sport as a rider, however, his actions with the US Postal Service team in the late 90’s and early 2000’s sent shockwaves that continued to be felt for the next few decades. (“A Brief History”)

Chapter 2

Wiggo 2012

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If the year before was the breakthrough year for Sky in terms of Grand Tour success, 2012 was leaps and bounds more than that. The success of the year was in large part to Bradley Wiggins. If there was a year to be named for him, this would be it.

As always, the season started off in Australia with the Tour Down Under, Edvald Boasson Hagen taking the sprints win there. More international races came to follow, and Sky ranked up some stage wins here and there. It was mid-March when things began to heat up for the Englishman. Paris-Nice, one of the flagship races for the entire European circuit, is one of the most sought-after stage races behind the Grand Tours. Bradley Wiggins wore the leader’s jersey for a majority of the race, from stage 2 all the way to stage 8, while simultaneously winning the points classification as well.

Riding with him was a strong team, which included Geraint Thomas.

Wiggins’ success did not end there, however. He found success in two other high profile stage races, the Swiss Tour De Romandie and Dauphiné. At Romandie, Wiggins’s squad included super-domestique, Richie Porte, and three-time world time trial champion, Michael Rogers. The team dominated in the mountains, and especially on the individual time trials, a discipline where Wiggins and Rogers particularly excelled. Dauphiné was an even better story than the previous year. Much like Romandie, Wiggins took the leading position early and used the individual time trial stage to push his advantage. That year Wiggins became only the third rider to accomplish wins at both Paris-Nice and Dauphiné.

These early season wins were only part of a hugely successful season marked by the tremendous win at the Tour. Learning from their previous gains in past years, Sky brought one of the strongest teams ever seen to the race. Wiggins was selected as the race leader, an obvious choice based on his performance since his joining the team. Riding with him were two powerful sprinters, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Cavendish, as well as a leadout man Bernie Eisel. His domestiques consisted of Froome, Porte, Rodgers, Christian Knees and Kanstantsin Sivtsov. Wiggo was the pre-race favorite, but there was some strong competition in the field, most notably Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Tony Martin, and Alejandro Valverde. The Tour would turn out to be a climbing war; all of these riders would pose threats to one another.

The first week of racing was mainly flat stages, meaning that Wiggins and his domestiques would not be seeing many high placing finishes. It was, however, a sprinter’s battle. There was very much an all out war on the flat stages. The sprinters of the race included Sky’s Mark Cavendish, with Edvald Boasson Hagen as a backup/ all rounder, as well as German powerhouses Andrew Greipel and Marcel Kittel, and rising Slovakian star Peter Sagan. A majority of these opening flat stages were won by Sagan or Greipel, but Cavendish managed a win on stage 2.

With the end of Stage 6, the flat stages were for the most part over until the last three days of the race. The Tour was now heading into the mountains, and it is here where Wiggins and the climbers of Sky would begin to show their true colors. Stage 7 saw the beginning of an inter-team rivalry between Wiggins and Froome. The two pulled off into a breakaway with several other riders, with Froome defending Wiggo to put him in the race lead. Froome eventually took the stage, with Wiggins in third, two seconds behind. On Stage 9, the last stage before the first rest day, Sky delivered

a one-two punch on the individual time trial, with Wiggins completing the 25.7 mile course in just 51’ 24”.

Froome followed him in second, 35” behind.

During the second week of racing, stages 10–15 were for the most part mountainous. Wiggins and Froome worked in concert to retain their lead. Froome overtook Cadel Evans in stage 10, and the pair were sitting first and second overall. Sky didn’t score any first place finishes that week, but did manage a few top 10 placements on stages 11 and 13.

The third and final week of racing would be the final chances for any contenders to battle Wiggins for the win. Two more mountainous stages took place after the second rest day, on stages 16 and 17, with Froome and Wiggins placing second and third on stage 17. After that the race closed in on Paris, and the roads flattened out.

The final three stages all saw a Team Sky win. Stage 18, saw Cavendish take a sprint win, Wiggins padded his lead with another individual time trial win on stage 19, and it was all but over on the largely ceremonial stage 20.

Cavendish took another sprint win on the last stage, but in terms of general classification, the previous stage was the final deciding stage.

As the sprinters raced down the Champs-Élysées on July 22nd, 2012, the Tour De France was wrapping up its last few meters. With the crossing of Bradley Wiggins wheel over the line, he had achieved what Sky set out to do several years ago. With a finishing total time of 84 hours, 26 minutes, and 31 seconds, Bradley Wiggins had won the 2012 Tour De France. Sitting in second place, just 3 minutes and 21 seconds behind was his teammate Chris Froome, who was growing to become a contender in his own right. The dream that Brailsford and the riders of Sky had set out to do in five years had been achieved in only three. Furthermore, outside of Sky’s achievements, he had become the first ever British cyclist to claim victory at the Tour.

Wiggins was not done. Just over a week from his monumental win at the Tour De France, Wiggins took part in the 2012 London Olympics. He was not the only rider from Team Sky there though. Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Peter Kennaugh were also present for cycling related events.

On August 1st, 2012, Wiggins participated and won gold at the Men’s Road Time Trial. With a home field advantage, and a strong ability in the TT discipline, he managed a time of 50:39, nearly a minute over second place. Much like the Tour, Froome was right by him, taking the bronze in the event as well. The other Sky riders, Thomas and Kennaugh took gold in the Team Pursuit for Team GB. With Bradley’s win at the 2012 Olympics, the chapter closed on a monumental season of racing for both him and Team Sky. Wiggins did not see much more racing after the Olympics, but instead mainly served in social roles thank to his increased popularity as a personality. His achievement list did not end there, however. At the end of the season, he was second on the UCI rankings overall, based on the points given from each race he took part in. He was given the award for the 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Then, in late December of 2013, he, along with David Brailsford, were knighted for their efforts at the 2012 Tour De France and Olympics.

Wiggins was the hottest cyclist on the planet that year (“Brailsford”).

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Wiggins was not the only one making huge strides for Team Sky. Chris Froome was rising through the ranks from super-domestique to full on GC contender.

Wherever Wiggins won, Froome was not far behind, and many were beginning to speculate that he would actually be the next Wiggo.

An event that shaped the season for Sky was actually the breakup of another team.

At the end of the 2011 season, HTC-Highroad fell apart as their main sponsors did not renew their contracts, and the team was unable to find any others. The team was a powerhouse, existing in some form since 1991. The final season’s roster included riders such as Tony Martin, Tejay Van Garderen, and Mark Renshaw, as well as a sprinter and his leadout, Mark Cavendish and Bernie Eisel.

If Bradley Wiggins was the king of 2012, Cavendish was the prince of the year.

One of the fastest men on two wheels, he was dubbed the ‘Manx Missile’, thanks to his birth on the Isle of Man. Prior to his joining Sky, Cav ranked up an impressive palmares. He had gold victories in the Track World Championships in 2005 and 2008, won the points classification in the 2010 Vuelta and 2011 Tour. From 2008 to 2011, Cavendish managed 20 stage wins throughout several Tours De France. In addition, in 2011, he won the UCI Road Race Championships, making him the World Champ for a year. In every race he took part in, he would be wearing the iconic rainbow jersey.

2012 was a good year for Cav. He added three more Tour stage wins to the list, bringing up the total to 23. He rode the Giro d’Italia that year, in support of Rigoberto Uran and racked up three wins as well, briefly holding onto the points classification as well. Among other stage wins across the season, he won one of the Belgian classics, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. During his riding at Sky, he became the first rider to win the final sprint of the Tour down the Champs-Élysées four years in a row, and became the first World Champ to win the final stage.

Cavendish’s time at Sky was short lived. The star sprinter only spent a single season with the team before heading to Omega Pharma–Quick Step. The Manx Missile would go on to add another seven Tour stage wins to his resume, as well as build an impressive record for track cycling events with Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Another two riders who joined Sky for 2012 were Luke Rowe and Richie Porte.

Rowe joined the team as a neo-pro, and would grow to become one of the strongest, and most flamboyant, riders on the squad. Porte was a more of an experienced rider and served as a super-domestique during the team’s Tour conquests. Both had big futures in their sights.

2012 wasn’t all successes for the riders and staff of Sky though. Doping once again reared its ugly head in the headlines. With Sky being such a young team, and already taking a Tour win within only three years of their creation, fans were beginning to question the practices behind closed doors at Sky. Riders and staff were under increased scrutiny from other teams, delegates, and fans alike.

One such staff member was Dr. Geert Leinders. He had been with the team since 2010, but with the Tour win, many things had been put to question. He had previously worked with Rabobank team, and while there, had alleged links to doping practices with the team. Faced with this increase in pressure, Sky launched a full investigation into Leinders. While the doctor had no involvement with the selected squad for the Tour, his contract was not renewed for the 2013 season. Eventually, it came to light that Rabobank had allowed, and even encouraged to some degree, doping (Benson).

Though Leinder’s contract was not renewed, Sky was not out of the water yet.

On October 10th, 2012, a former teammate, Michael Barry, had made a shocking confession to previous links to doping. Barry became a pro at the height of the Armstrong era of cycling and had even joined the infamous US Postal Team in 2002.

In his confession, he had admitted to the USADA that the use of performance enhancing drugs at US Postal was rampant and part of a larger epidemic within cycling, as well as sports in general.

Barry was only at US Postal for four years, but the damage had been done. He had become a staunch anti-doping campaigner, as he had seen the pressures and issues it caused, and didn’t want to be a bad example for up and coming riders.

Only five days after his confession, Sky doubled down on their anti-doping policy.

With not only Barry’s confession, every single team was feeling the stress of the steroids issue. The team re-stated its zero tolerance policy, but many people did not trust this statement thanks to not only all of the confessions, but how quickly Sky shot to the forefront of cycling. All over people linked to Armstrong and US Postal were being targeted by numerous anti-doping groups. Sky managed to stay clean and far enough away from the issues that there were no serious takedowns, but a stronger eye was placed over them for the coming years.

Chapter 3

Rivalry 2013

Coming off the high from 2012, Team Sky went into 2013 with an increased vigor.

The first few races of the season saw Sky riders explode onto the leaderboards. Geraint Thomas took the points win at the Tour Down Under, Richie Porte won Paris–Nice, Chris Froome won Critérium International, among many other stage wins throughout the team’s riders.

Sky’s Grand Tour mentality was ‘don’t stop now’. The team kept their sights on the Tour, but had added interest in the Giro once again. With both of these huge races ahead of them for the 2013 season, who would be leading the team in each? Many fans were looking for another Wiggins-Froome double. Sadly, however, that would not be the case for much of the season. During the 2012 season, there was a breakdown of hierarchy within the team. Wiggins was the leader, yet at times, Froome would be leading for a stage. The two went back and forth during the race and set their relationship at odds. Wiggins had his work cut out for him as captain, but Froome was very much proving himself as a Grand Tour winner, having taken second place in the 2012 Tour behind Wiggins, and even sat above Wiggins at the 2011 Vuelta.

The team was in a bind, eventually solved by Wiggins ceding to Froome so he could focus on the Giro, giving Froome a chance at the big prize of the year. Wiggins had framed his training and race schedule around the Giro as well, hoping to get an early season major race win under his belt. Sky went into the race with a few strong

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riders around their team leader, but were ultimately saving their powerful reserves for the Tour. Within the first week of racing, their luck was gone. Wiggins was affected by crashes on stages 7 and 8, eventually pulling out of the race entirely by stage 13. All was not lost though. Rigoberto Uran, a rider who had been with the team since 2011, fought his way up to second overall by the end of the race. The Columbian rider was at home in the mountains, and it wasthose stages where he used his climbing ability to his advantage. A sure surprise for Sky, but doubts were cast towards Wiggo.

After a disastrous Giro, Sky shifted their focus almost immediately to the Tour.

The 2013 race was special for two reasons, partially that it was the 100th edition of the prestigious race, and partially that it would be where Chris Froome would test his Grand Tour ability. Going into this race, Froome was the favorite among many fans and commentators. In working up to the Tour, he had won the Tour of Oman, Critérium International, Romandie, and Dauphine, a slew of high caliber races that all the more proved his skill.

With him, Froome would be riding amongst an even stronger team than last year.

Riding alongside the captain were a variety of cyclists from the team. Edvald Boasson Hagen was once again chosen for the Tour, along with Peter Kennaugh, Richie Porte, Kanstantsin Sivtsov, Ian Stannard, and Geraint Thomas. A few newcomers for the squad were David Lopez, a Spanish climber who would be a domestique for Froome, and Vasil Kiryienka, a Belarussian climber and time trialist who would play a similar role to Lopez. The team’s tactics had changed slightly from 2012; there were no major sprinters present in Sky’s lineup. Edvald Boasson Hagen was the fastman of the group, but he was a not a pure sprinter by any means.

Instead, Sky opted for mainly climbers and time trialists to ride in support of Froome, foregoing any stage wins for themselves.

Much like the previous year’s Tour, the first week of racing saw mostly flat stages, and it was time for the sprinters to shine. Froome and Sky waited patiently within the peloton as the race moved on to the mountains.

By stage 8, they were right where they wanted to be. The stage started off relatively flat, but ended with two monstrous climbs, including a climb well over 6,500 feet. Froome bided his time until just the right moment and attacked, shredding all of his closest

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competitors. At the top of the final climb, Froome rode directly into the race lead, with Richie Porte just behind him.

The second week of racing was similar to the first; most of the days were for the sprinters again, but Froome did catch some luck again. On the Individual Time Trial in stage 11, Froome came in second overall, only 12 seconds behind then ITT World Champ, Tony Martin. Then again, on stage 15, he showed off his climbing abilities.

The finish came at the top of the famous Mont Ventoux, a mountain that towers 6,273 feet above sea level. Ventoux is known for being one of the most brutal climbs in all of cycling and is even complete with an official Tour death toll. In a little less than 6 hours on the bike, Froome made it to the top of the climb, and extended his lead even further into the GC. He then won a third stage—stage 17, which was the second ITT of the race. He finished the stage with a mere 9 second advantage over his closest rival, Alberto Contador, but nevertheless, added more time to his lead. The three remaining stages before the ceremonious stage 21 were more high mountain stages, two of which saw a top 10 finish from Froome.

The race once again came down the Champs-Élysées, and it was Sky that prevailed over the general classification. With a final time of 83 hours, 56 minutes, and 40 seconds, Froome sealed his fate as a serious Grand Tour contender. Froome had proved his ability; there were no other riders within 4 minutes of his overall time. He himself was just over 3 minutes from Wiggins time in the previous year.

In just a year, focus had shifted from Bradley Wiggins to Chris Froome. There was no question that whatever was going on at Sky was very much working, but at the expense of personal relationships within the team. The attitude became much more favorable to Froome than Wiggins. Froome was becoming the poster child for Sky, while Wiggins struggled from sharing the spotlight. Wiggins still fought hard in the Team Sky kit. Later in the season, he took a stage win and the overall at the Tour of Britain, but after his performance in the Giro earlier in the season, many were looking away from him and towards Froome.

As the Froome-Wiggins relationship began to grow cold, Sky dealt with more doping issues. Still in the relative clear, the cases were starting to hit closer to home.

The year before a doctor and a retired rider were linked to steroid use. This year their issues came in the form of a current rider named Jonathan Tiernan-Locke.

Tiernan-Locke’s case is an interesting one, and one that begins just before he officially joined Sky for the 2013 season. During 2012, he rode for a smaller team, Endura. While racing for that Continental team, there were registered errors in his blood profiles, what is known as a bio-passport. These errors were indications that he had used performance enhancing drugs while riding.

His usage of PEDs was thought to have occurred late in the 2012 season—around the same time that he signed the papers to ride for Sky in 2013. Investigations into his actions began in mid-2013, eventually forcing him to leave the Road World Championships that September. Subsequently, he was suspended by Sky, and eventually banned, in mid-2014, from racing until 2016 (“UCI Opens”).

The case of Jonathan Tiernan-Locke was the first case to involve a current rider.

Sky did their best to cut all ties with him and followed through with their zero tolerance policy. Tiernan-Locke, however unfortunate the situation was for him, became an example to the rest of the team, as well as the rest of the peloton, that Sky was serious. For a moment, the critics of Sky’s anti-doping policies had been silenced.

Chapter 4

Abandons 2014

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2014 was a dramatic season for Sky, marked by the failing relationship between Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins. Tensions grew, and what was once one of the most powerful racing duos in the cycling world, was growing very icy. The two had last raced together at the beginning of the 2013 season at the Tour of Oman. Since then, Froome and Wiggins had operated on separate schedules. Their training rides were different, their targeted races were different. The pair were actively trying to avoid one another.

The beginning of the season started of relatively okay. Froome once again won the Tour of Oman, his second win in a row, Stannard won one of the early classics races, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and the team very much dominated a small Italian race in late March. Outside of that, though, Sky’s luck was reaching its end.

Race abandonment was rife throughout this season. Injuries and other medical issues plagued the team for much of the spring portion of racing. Perhaps the biggest abandonment of the season was Geraint Thomas crashing out of Paris-Nice late in the race while he was leading the GC. The race was a particular disappointment as it was the first time in three years the team did not win or even place a rider on the podium. Shortly after Thomas’ abandonment of Paris-Nice, another major Sky rider, Richie Porte, pulled out of two races, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta Ciclista a Catalyuna, back to back. Normally, these races weren’t huge races, so any other team would’ve not batted an eye. However, Porte was sustaining too many injuries and was forced to not compete win the Giro d’Italia. He was not the only rider forced to withdraw from the Giro lineup before the race though, Peter Kennaugh called out, citing illness as his reason.

With a less powerful lineup, Sky headed into the Giro to do what they could and soften the blows, holding out as long as possible. By the middle of the three week race, however, the team was doomed. Two big riders, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Kanstantsin Sivtsov had both abandoned, leaving only seven riders left.

The team ended the Giro with their highest placing rider in 22, Sebastian Henao.

While Sky was fumbling the season, the team was also reserving its major powerhouse riders. Froome and Wiggins were busy training for the big races left to come, rarely taking part in the smaller events across the season. In May, however, the two had some reasonably large successes. Froome took the overall in the Tour

de Romandie, while Wiggins took the overall in the Tour of California. While they were racing, Sky had selected Froome as the race leader of the Tour de France instead of Wiggins. While disappointed, Wiggins understood that it made sense as Froome was the previous winner, but had hoped that his showing at the California race would heighten his chances of being selected for the Tour squad (“Next Stop”).

By June, the squad was selected for the Tour, and Wiggins was nowhere to be found in the mix. Instead, Froome would be heading into the race with Thomas, Porte, Kiryenka, Eisel, and a handful of other riders. The team seemed to be strong and ready to compete, even with tensions rising again between the two team leaders.

The prologue to the race, Dauphiné, was a bag of mixed results for the team.

Froome started the race by winning the first two stages, and another Sky rider, Mikel

Nieve, taking a third stage win later in the race. Luck changed mid-race, and Froome took a fall while leading the race, similarly to Geraint Thomas at Paris-Nice. While Froome finished the race, many were worried about his form going into the Tour just days later. However, the Englishman was confident and decided to race it anyways.

In the Tour de France, the team started in good form, once again biding their time

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until the flat stages were over. Before Sky could fully stretch their wings, however, disaster struck in the purest form. Froome suffered three crashes in the first five stages, with a particularly nasty one on the fifth. It was there that the Tour hopes of the team would be eliminated. He went down on slick, wet pavement, and injured his arm.

Camera crews followed him as he stepped into the Sky team car. The moment would be defining for him and the team. Sky raced on, despite their devastating loss, but did not rack up any stage wins for the remainder of the race. They finished with three riders within the top 25, their highest rider sitting in 18th. Froome would go on to fully heal and race the Vuelta a España, and place second overall, while also winning the super-combativity award, making up for abandoning the Tour.

With Wiggins left out of the Tour, he set his sights onto the World Championships in September of that year. While the road discipline was more suited for the all-rounders, he was focusing on the Individual Time Trial. It was no easy feat to win the ITT. Wiggins would be racing against Tony “Panzerwagen” Martin, an insanely powerful rider who had won the three previous iterations of the ITT. Other riders who would be riding against Wiggo were Tom Domoulin, teammate Vasil Kiryienka, and Rohan Dennis, all strong time trialists in their own right who could and would test Wiggins’ abilities.

Wiggins fought hard for this race. The course was best suited for his chances against Martin, and set to pacing himself out during the race, being very aware of the energy he was putting out. By the first time check, Martin was up on Wiggins by a margin, but by the second time check, the race had turned. Over the course of the 35.5 mile course, Wiggins slowly ramped up his power output. It was on the final climb before the finish where each individual rider would make a difference. Wiggins eventually finished with the best time, 56m25s. Martin crumbled on the final climb and ended up almost a half a minute slower than Wiggins. Luck was favoring him for another season, despite the fact that he was not selected for the Tour. By putting on his rainbow jersey as he stood atop the podium for the 2014 Individual Time Trial World Championships, he was effectively saying ‘I am still here’ (Farrand).

This season’s drama, surprisingly, was mostly originating from Chris Froome. Two races and a book catapulted his off-bike persona into the public eye. His actions at the 2014 Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné caused the British rider to be thrown into analysis of his performance.

Froome’s issues began at Romandie that year. They revolved around a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). A TUE is defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as any drug that would normally fall under the prohibited list being used as an authorized medicine to combat a specific condition. The WADA created a checklist for conditions that an athlete must meet in order to gain access to a TUE. Part of the code of conduct for this checklist includes that an athlete be examined by at least three athletic physicians (“Therapeutic”).

Froome’s Romandie-TUE saga actually begins before the 2014 Liege-BastogneLiege race in late April. He had missed the race due to a chest infection and consulted his personal doctor for guidance. While his personal doctor decided not to take any

action as he didn’t see the issue as serious enough, the Sky team doctor did. Dr. Alan Farrell requested a TUE of 40mg of the corticosteroid Prednisolone, daily during the course of the Romandie race. With UCI’s scientific advisor Dr. Mario Zorzoli’s allowance, Froome was allowed to use the TUE for racing. However, one major issue presented itself: Zorzoli signed off on the usage of the TUE without submitting Froome’s medical history to a WADA subcommittee, outside of regulations set forth by the Agency. The usage of corticosteroids without a TUE is effectively banned as they fall under a performance enhancing drug category. The WADA eventually did receive the medical records, but not within the normal time frame of the request.

However, despite the error in the course of action, Froome was cleared to race, and there was no conflict with his results at Romandie, much to the dismay of many cycling fans around the world. (“Report”).

Froome’s issues did not end with Romandie. During the next race he competed in, Critérium du Dauphiné, pictures surfaced of him using his inhaler in a stage. Inhaler usage is not inherently illegal during racing as per UCI and WADA regulations, meaning there is no need to request a TUE. The issue comes in to what drugs are in the nebulizer. Common inhaler based drugs, such as salbutamol and formoterol in specific dosages have been found to trigger adverse analytical findings through testing.

Froome insisted that the drugs inside his inhaler were well within regulation and that he had been using an inhaler since he was a kid. His issue was not necessarily the usage of it, but his reaction to it. He, along with other teammates, riders and fans alike, had felt that the general cycling fanbase was looking for any reason to cast doubt on Froome and Sky. Based on the team’s performance over the past five years, the skepticism over their success had grown exponentially. Froome was right in saying that it was based on the sport’s history, but even more so, the team’s history.

In the middle of the season, Froome published his autobiography, The Climb, detailing his experiences racing with Team Sky and stirring the pot even more. This book blew the doors open on his relationship with the team and co-team leader Bradley Wiggins. The book detailed how close he had been to leaving Sky. After the 2011 season, he felt that his talents weren’t being rewarded highly enough, and he wasn’t being used to his full power. He noted that he spent 2011 and 2012 riding as a domestique in support for Wiggins, and was valued as such, but his performance, mainly at the 2011 Vuelta, proved otherwise that he was much more capable as a team leader for Sky. After 2011, Sky offered Froome a five year deal, but other teams, namely Saxo Bank and Astana, had their eye on him. He and David Brailsford went back and forth discussing terms and numbers. Froome wasn’t necessarily interested in a full five year deal—he just wanted Brailsford to compromise as much as he was. Finally, after days of deliberating, the pair came to a deal. Even with a new contract under his belt, he still fell himself falling into old cycles, as he was relegated to riding support for Wiggo in the 2012 Tour. He felt that his team didn’t recognize him as a potential winner. This led to a growing rivalry between the two team leaders.

The tension between Froome and Wiggins came to a head in the middle of the 2012 Tour. On one of the mountain stages, stage 11, Froome had began to attack on

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a climb over his team leader Wiggins, a move that was absolutely not planned by anyone but Froome. Sean Yates, a team director called over radio asking Froome if Wiggins had allowed this, and Wiggins came back saying, nearly screaming, no he had not. But Froome and everyone else on the Team Sky race radio could hear it: Wiggins was crumbling. His voice was hoarse and his breaths were struggling; Froome was still able to ride hard. But no one knew Froome was doing. It was a move that could’ve thrown a wrench into Sky’s whole plan.

Froome’s attack on Wiggins on the climb was met with almost universal dismay. Wiggins was obviously confused and mad at the insubordination.

Brailsford was worried that this would harm his team. Much of the Sky Tour squad looked at Froome with confusion and disapproval over his choice. There was one detractor who stood with Froome, the team’s sprinter at the time, Mark Cavendish. He had been selected for the 2012 Tour squad as well, but he felt his talents weren’t being fully used either. Sky was a team who was aiming for an overall win on a race that was usually decided during the mountain stages, a place where sprinters usually fell apart.

Sky was backing riders like Wiggins and Froome, but also brought Cavendish along to win any flat stages he could. He landed a few, but he didn’t get the full support of his team, just like Froome.

The tension had reached a breaking point, and Wiggins was nearly about to abandon the Tour of his own volition. The two got into a heated discussion just after that stage, and their relationship turned to ice. In the book penned by Froome, he also stated that Wiggins withheld Froome’s prize money for over a year. From then on, the two had a growing animosity.

Froome’s landmark publication split wide open his issues with the team and his teammate. There was really no going back now, and any efforts to reconcile Wiggins and Froome would have been in vain (Froome et al.).

Chapter 5

The Return 2015

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The dust from 2014 was beginning to settle, but the tensions remained high between Froome and Wiggins. The release of the Froome’s book had shed light on the deteriorating situation at the Sky base camp, and Wiggins was growing resentful of the team altogether. The pair were operating on completely different schedules from one another, yet sought to remain professional as much as possible.

A big name left Sky before the start of the season, Edvald Boasson Hagen, the Norwegian responsible for so many of the team’s successes in the early years. 2014 was a slow, almost pitiful year for him, where he didn’t land a single win. Done with the infighting, and wanting to start fresh, Boasson Hagen left for MTN-Qhubeka.

With Edvald Boasson Hagen’s departure, and Cavendish leaving after 2012, it was thought that there were no true sprinters for any races for Sky. It would not be the case however, as Sky received an up and coming sprinter by the name of Elia Viviani. The Italian fastman had spent several seasons with Liquigas-Doino as a part-sprinter, part-leadout for the great Peter Sagan. His previous team had folded after 2014 after failing to secure a sponsor, and Viviani was looking for a team to work with him for his track aspirations at the upcoming 2016 Olympics.

Team Sky was the perfect fit, a versatile group of riders with a huge budget allowed for him to be comfortable there. At Sky, Viviani would go on to lead the team in race wins with 8, an impressive feat for the newcomer.

Another rider who would eventually become a huge mainstay within the Sky roster was Wout Poels. Recently acquired from Omega Pharma–Quick-Step. Poels had secured a role as a powerful climber and domestique in years to come, who would become invaluable to Sky race leaders.

With the onset of the Australian races, the new season was underway, and Sky was already making a name for themselves with their updated roster. Porte and Viviani had some early season successes internationally, with Froome, Thomas, and Stannard, three ‘old breed’ riders, dominating a fair selection of races back in Europe. Porte and Thomas would go on to lead a 1-2 punch for the famed Paris-Nice, and Wout Poels went on to his first win on stage 5 of Tirreno–Adriatico.

Amidst all the winning the Sky was doing, they did lose another big name. Sir Bradley Wiggins, the illustrious road captain of the team, decided to hang his team jersey up after Paris-Roubaix in April of that year. He had become so disillusioned with the team after being skipped over for the 2014 Tour roster and began to shift his focus back to the track where he got his start as a cyclist. He went into Paris-Roubaix

sharing the leadership with teammates Thomas and Stannard but did not podium.

Interestingly enough, it was a younger Sky rider, Luke Rowe, who ended up highest place in the race for the team at 8th.

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With Wiggins crossing the line at Paris-Roubaix, that would be the last time he would do so for Team Sky. From then on, he would be focusing on training for the 2016 Olympics, and managed to create his own neo-pro team, appropriately named WIGGINS. With his formation of the new team, the chapter was finally closing on the Froome/Wiggins saga (“Bradley Wiggins”).

The successes of the team kept coming in the early season until the first Grand Tour. Sky went into the Giro with Porte and Viviani as the team leaders. Porte’s run at the Giro was a controversial one, relating back to Brailsford’s idea of ‘marginal gains’.

He and Sky management garnered attention for his sleeping arrangements between stages. While the rest of the team would sleep in a new hotel after each finish, Porte would find himself in his own private motor home.

The Giro started out fairly well for Sky. Viviani found himself winning stage 2 on home soil, and by the second week, Porte was sitting nicely in 3rd place overall. A series of rough situations followed him after the first rest day. Porte himself caught up in crashes, mechanicals, and even a puncture that caused controversy towards the UCI on Twitter. During the second week, Porte was hemorrhaging time to race leader Alberto Contador. By the second rest day, Porte was forced to resign from the Italian tour, moving up teammate Leopold Konig to the leader position. Konig did an impressive showing for the last week of racing in his new role, working his way up to 6th place overall.

Sky once again set aim for the Tour, going into the race with their supposed strongest team ever, perhaps making up for their disappointing performance in 2014.

Chris Froome was once again selected as the team leader for the Tour. Alongside him were Porte and Konig, having recovered from their Giro debacle, as well as Wout Poels, Pete Kennaugh, Nicolas Roche, Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas.

Racing the French countryside had both its ups and downs for the team. Froome was steadily wearing down his rivals, namely Tony Martin, by the end of the first week. At that time he was already sitting 2nd overall. The British squad was working to put their leader in the top position, and to help fend off attacks from other teams.

By the second week, Froome, along with Porte and Thomas were shredding their opponents as the Tour reached the mountains. It was the mountains of France where Sky was trained to race, to attack, to win.

While fending off attacks from opponents was one thing, another thing was fending off attacks from fans. Because there was the same non-French team (Sky) constantly winning theTour, frankly, the French populace was sick of it. Over the course of the second week of racing, French journalists uncovered power data on Froome, pushing him into an increased air of scrutiny from many of the more vocal opponents. This daba cast doubts on his true ability as a cyclist. As journalists were pushing harder and harder onto Froome, he was mainly focusing on the racing ahead, and dealing with the response to his team by the roadside fans. Because of the reporting that the French press was doing about, or more so, against Sky, the fans were quite literally attacking the riders. Richie Porte suffered a punch in the ribs from an angry fan; another took it a step further and threw urine on Froome (Farrand).

Despite the arduous attacks by journalists and fans alike, Froome and his teammates pressed on. Froome continued to extend the time lengths between him and his closest rivals. Columbian rider Nairo Quintana of Movistar Team made up some time in the later mountain stages, but it wasn’t enough to break Froome’s lead.

Over the past years, Froome and Quintana had gone back and forth as the two most powerful mountain-oriented road riders of the decade, and this Tour was very much a battle between them.

The Tour finished with Froome taking the overall win once again, and lead over Quintana in second in place by over 70 seconds. Not only did he take the overall, he also took the King of the Mountains, a classification awarded to a rider who attained points from summiting first over certain classified climbs over the course of the race.

This was the first time the race leader had won the KOM since 1970. With this win, he also became the first British rider to win the race on two occasions.

Just after the Tour wrapped up, Froome announced he would be riding the 2015 Vuelta as well. Interestingly enough, the top four riders of the Tour, Froome, Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali all chose to ride the Spanish race.

Lining up with froome at the Vuelta were a strong list of riders, including Geraint Thomas and Nicolas Roche, who also rode the Tour with him. Froome, as well as the others, rode hard for the Vuelta, but only managed to get a stage win by Roche.

Even with a less than impressive Vuelta showing, the team was barely coming down from the high of winning the Tour. Victories were still coming for Sky. In early September, the team raced the Tour of Britain, sending Elia Viviani and a strong team around him to the mainly flat race. He took three stages, with Wout Poels taking a fourth. Later in October, the pair were sent to the Abu Dhabi Tour, with Viviani completely dominating the points classification. Viviani won a pair of stages at that race, with Poels seeing himself take 3rd overall.

With Poels and Viviani dominating the late season races, a few riders from the team were sent to the UCI World Championships held in Richmond, Virginia, USA. In the Individual Time Trial event, a Sky rider once again took the win. Vasil Kiryienka won with a time of 1h2m on the 33.2 mile course. Sky was now responsible for back to back ITT World Champions, first with Sir Bradley Wiggins, now with Kiry. It was growing to become one of Sky’s trademarks, to have exceptionally strong time trialists. Luckily for them, the physical attributes of a time trialist also were very much similar to climbers, so Sky was, in effect, killing two birds with one stone.

2015 was a landmark year for Team Sky. There were riders who took wins in every type of road race; flat races for the sprinters, hilly races for the all-rounders and puncheurs, high mountain stages and time trials for the climbers. Whatever it was, Sky rose to the task. 2015 also gave the team its third Tour win, second for Chris Froome. It was now set in stone that Sky was the team to beat.

Chapter 6

The Jiffy Bag 2016

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The previous year for Sky was one of monumental successes. The team sought to continue their streak of good fortune as much as possible. A new group of riders would join the team, most notably was Michał Kwiatkowski, the 2014 Road World Champion. Kwiatkowski, or ‘Kwiato’, was a strong Polish rider who competed at the elite level, and was finding his place as a powerful all-rounder. He could sprint, climb, time trial, and attack with the best of them. His WC victory came from a solo attack on the course in Spain, beating out many other big names.

Starting very quickly, Kwiato would grow to build a spirt of friendly competition with then-current World Champion Peter Sagan. The two would first go head to head at that year’s edition of E3 Harelbeke, with the Sky rider taking the win over the World Champ after battling each other for more than 19 miles before the finish.

Kwiato would then go on to be selected for the team’s Vuelta roster alongside Froome, Kennaugh, Knees, Konig, and a selection of other Sky riders (“E3 Harelbeke”).

Kwiatkowski would not be the only major addition to the team. Along with some up and coming riders, was Michał Golas, who, like Kwiato, had been a previous Polish road champion, Mikel Landa, a powerful climber who would become one of the more powerful domestiques of the era, and Gianni Moscon, an Italian neo-pro who was carving a name for himself in the lower circuits.

In addition to these new riders to the team, longtime riders were showing their merit as well. Geraint Thomas, a rider who had always been considered a super-domestique for the team, was emerging as a new threat for the general classification of the Grand Tours. Thomas raced and won the 2016 Paris-Nice race, an event that could make or break GC riders. His major competition for the race was Alberto Contador, who had won the race twice previously, and ex-Sky rider Richie Porte. Thomas made it to the top 10 of the race very early on, but it wasn’t until stage 6 where he, along with teammate Sergio Henao, led a group of five riders in a breakaway and defended attacks. He finished second on the stage, and propelled him into 1st overall (“Paris Nice”).

After holding the race lead for the final two stages of the race, Thomas proved that he could ride with the best of them and completely dominate the top tier racers.

However, he was not the only one making great strides for Sky. Wout Poels raced Liege-Bastonge-Liege that year as well. LBL was one of the five Monument races, and was therefore, one of the most sought after races behind the Grand Tours and the World Championships.

Poels would go into the race supported by Michał Kwiatkowski, as well as several other teammates. Much like Geraint Thomas in Paris-Nice, he would also not have an easy task ahead of him based on his competition. The big name in the group was Alejandro Valverde, who had won the race three times over. Nevertheless, Poels, Kwiato, and the rest of the peloton departed on the morning of April 24 in a snow covered Belgium. Much of the race was playing cat and mouse; various attacks were going out and being brought back in over the course of the 154 mile route. It wasn’t until the last mile where a four man group that included Poels attacked on the final climb. Wout wasn’t a sprinter by any means, but neither were the rest of the group.

Poels began his sprint first, and was able to fend off the others for the last bit of racing.

Poels’ win at Liege-Bastonge-Liege would be the first major win of his career. He had many other small event victories as well as stage wins in multi-day races, but this was the first big win that was all his own. His victory also gave Team Sky their first Monument win. This, as well as Kwiato’s win at E3, meant that Sky was now a serious contender for the classics as well. Sky was branching out from putting importance on the Grand Tours, Dauphiné, Paris-Nice, and Romandie (Fletcher).

Meanwhile, with Thomas, Poels, and Kwiatkowski all taking wins, Chris Froome was busy with Tour prep. Early in the season, he had raced and won the Herald Sun Tour in Australia. Both he and Peter Kennaugh won a stage, and Froome took both the overall and mountains classification wins. He would then go on to race Romandie again, and took home a stage win, but was outside of the top 10 in the final standings.

Froome was saving his energy for Dauphiné, where he once again took the victory,as well as a stage win. These events, however significant in their own right, would be small potatoes in comparison to the French Grand Tour.

On July 2nd, 2016, Froome started yet another Tour De France, this time with perhaps an even stronger team than the previous year. Along with him was once again Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, and Vasil Kiryienka, three Sky heavyweights. Making up the balance was Sergio Henao, Mikel Landa, Mikel Nieve, Wout Poels, and Luke Rowe. Rivals riding against him would include racers like Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador, Richie Porte, and Thibaut Pinot.

As the race entered its first week, it was once again a sprinters paradise, with former Sky rider Mark Cavendish taking three stage wins in seven days. Once the race headed into the mountains, it was full gas. Froome took the first high mountain stage of that year’s Tour. The first individual time trial of the race was on stage 13, with Froome missing the victory by just over a minute to Tom Domoulin, a rising adversary for Froome. Despite this, he was sitting 1m47s in the lead already. The remaining stages of the race were a mix of flat and mountain stages, two extremes in either direction. Froome and co. managed to grab two top 10 finishes in that time, with Froome taking the win on the second ITT of the race on stage 18.

Froome’s 3rd Tour win was won by a margin of just over 4 minutes, crushing his rivals considerably. Thanks to Froome and his teammates, Sky had yet another Tour victory under their belts. But, Froome was not done yet. He once again attempted the Tour-Vuelta double header in one season. Froome and his teammates won the opening team time trial, and he would go on to win the individual time trial on stage 19. Froome performed well at the Spanish race, taking second place overall, just a minute and 23 seconds behind Nairo Quintana.

Grand Tours were not the only thing on the British rider’s mind. In between the Tour and the Vuelta, Froome raced in the 2016 Olympics, as well as would Sergio Henao, Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Wout Poels, Michał Kwiatkowski, Vasil Kiryienka, and Elia Viviani. The Olympic races were successful for the riders who were sent there. Froome took bronze at the men’s time trial, and he and Geraint Thomas would finish 12th, and 11th at the road race, respectively. Kwiato and Kiryienka would end up 14th and 17th, at the time trial, not too shabby considering their competition. Sprinter Elia Viviani fulfilled his hopes for joining Team Sky, the

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Italian would take home the gold for the men’s omnium race. Interestingly, former rider Mark Cavendish would come in second place, right behind him.

Right off the heels of a successful Olympics campaign, Sky then looked back to the regularly scheduled UCI event calendar. The next major race would be the Vuelta.

Froome would be selected as leader for the team, a solid choice given his pedigree The race started off well enough, with Sky winning the opening time trial stage, giving them the leader’s jersey for the first two stages. Peter Kennaugh was given the race leader jersey after stage 1, and Kwiato would wear it for stage 2. Froome was determined to be the next Sky rider to wear the leader’s jersey. He spent the first half of the race attacking his rivals, and was eating up considerable time, clawing his way back up to third. He would win stage 11, pushing him back to second.

The second half of the race was a more of a defensive game for Froome. Race leader Quintana was attacking to pad his lead, and rival Alberto Contador was aiming to claim a higher spot on the results. Froome’s performance began to suffer, and was losing a huge amount of time to Quintana; his and Contador’s relentless attacks had left Froome without any teammates in his group. However, his strong time trialing

skills would be his saving grace. On the final time trial on stage 19, Froome would take the win on the day, making up some of the lost time on the previous few stages. It wouldn’t be enough to give him the race lead over Quintana, but it was enough to give him 2nd overall. Despite this, it was a very considerable performance, given the fact that Froome had just won the Tour less than two months before, and a bronze medal right after that.

After the Vuelta, the season would slowly begin to wind down. The Vuelta concluded on September 11th of that year, and the only other major race was Il Lombardia on October 1st. Most of the Sky riders, as well as the rest of the peloton, were preparing to wind down for the post season, and enter training mode, once the Vuelta ended. However, a series of attacks that came from outside of the peloton blew the doors back open on the doping issue that was plaguing not only cycling, but sports in general.

During the waning stages of the Vuelta, early September, 2016, news came to light that a Russian cyber espionage group known as Fancy Bear, had sent phishing emails to the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) under the guise of a false account made for the International Olympic Committee. Many speculated that the attacks were made in retaliation for the banning of Russian athletes at that year’s Olympics. Through their efforts, the group was able to view TUE lists, and for what substances.

The first round of data that Fancy Bear revealed targeted non-cyclists such as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, and gymnast Simone Biles, as well as several Australian swimmers. The second round of data released became much more relevant to the cycling world, as Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins were named in the list. While the leaks had yet to find any wrongdoing of performance enhancing drug usage, it cast new light and new scrutiny over the usage of TUEs (“Russian Hackers”).

Fancy Bear effectively reopened the case into Froome over his inhaler usage at the 2013 Dauphiné race and the 2014 Tour de Romandie. Previously, Froome, WADA, and the UCI came to the consensus that his inhaler usage did fall under the lines of acceptable TUE specifications, and therefore there was no wrongdoing. Froome had stated that both the times he requested the TUE, they were for asthma. While an annoyance for him, he was still in the clear.

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It was a different story for Wiggins, however. The leaked data revealed six TUE requests for the British rider, all of which were accepted and reviewed by an independent team before being passed by WADA. These six TUEs had been approved over the course of five years, from 2008 to 2013. Some of the drugs related to the exemptions were the same as what Froome had named for his, but there were several triamcinolone acetonide injections that were also named. These were attached with the note of combating a ‘lifelong pollen allergy’. While these TUEs had been reviewed and passed as well, it launched a flurry of interest into Wiggins’ time at Sky (“Tour de France Winners...”).

Shortly after the initial attacks by Fancy Bear, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) turned their sights towards Wiggins, and began to investigate. The story began with the delivery of a mystery package to Team Sky’s headquarters in 2011. Enter Simon Cope, who, at the time, worked for British Cycling, the main group responsible for professional cycling in Britain, which included Sky. The team doctor, David Freeman, had requested that Cope deliver this ‘jiffy bag’ containing mystery contents to France just after the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné, in which Wiggins competed in. Right after Dauphiné, Wiggins would then race the Tour De France (“Explainer”).

While the request of the jiffy bag was one thing, it was the contents inside, or rather, the lack of knowledge of them, that caused major issue. Cope, who was responsible for the physical delivery of the package, allegedly did not know its contents. Team manager David Brailsford, who was both the manager of Sky and the head of British Cycling at the time, did not know either. Freeman, the team doctor, said he did not keep tight enough records, and that the laptop his records were on was stolen. The executive in charge at UKAD, Nicole Sapstead, claimed that the organization’s hands were tied because of the lack of record keeping. The fact that every major player in the jiffy bag issue was in the dark was causing a huge headache for the entire cycling world. There were no answers, no progress, no resolution in sight.

In late 2016, Brailsford would come before a committee and state that the contents of the bag were the drug Fluimucil, which were used to treat a pollen related asthma issue that Wiggins claimed to have. The rising issue is that there was no TUE requested for Fluimucil, but, that being said, it is not on the WADA prohibited list.

The problem was that that particular drug, while it would be used for improving breathing through breaking up mucus in the airways, would not be the first drug that would be given for this kind of issue. The claim that the contents of the bag being Fluimucil was seen by many as confirmation by Brailsford to state that yes, the contents of the jiffy bag were drugs, but they were legal drugs.

There were problems with his statement. Because Fluimucil, or a generic version, were readily available at any French pharmacy, why would someone need to travel all the way from Manchester to France to deliver a package containing it? Furthermore, the fact that everyone was unaware or unable to say what was in the bag was a red flag.

Not Wiggins, Brailsford, Cope, or Freeman could confidently say what it contained.

For the rest of the riders at Sky, they were left in the dark as well. Neither Froome, nor a single one of his teammates, had any idea about the problems that the others were facing. Many outside of the team were hypothesizing that the drug inside

was actually triamcinolone, a strong anti-asthma drug that had huge performance enhancing side effects if left unchecked. Triamcinolone fell under the list of substances that required a TUE given by the WADA, and Wiggins had received three for this drug over the course of 2011. These amounts of the drug stated in the TUEs were very closely monitored by non-partisan doctors, preventing the issue of over use. But had the contents of the jiffy bag been triamcinolone, it would not have been a TUE usage, and fell outside of the guidelines allowed by WADA. It was not obtained under the same gudelines as a TUE, and the properties of triamcinolone had adverse performance enhancing effects.

2016 was ending with Team Sky in the hot seat. Bradley Wiggins was no longer a rider for the team at that time, but his past issues continued to be a headache for Sky. By the end of the year, there was an ongoing investigation into Brailsford, Sky, and British Cycling. December of 2016 would have normally been spent with the riders taking time to rest and train for the next season, but instead they were approached with a flurry of questions and scrutiny. Sky had dominated the headlines for the year, first with a huge round of victories at a number of races, including the Tour. By the year’s end, the headlines, while still on Sky, not for race wins, but for doping allegations. The case would continue well into 2017, and raise issues of credibility within the team.

Chapter 7

Shrouded Success 2017

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There was barely time to breathe in the off season for Team Sky. The UKAD’s investigation into Brailsford and the team was continued on. However, Brailsford was determined to show that he was ready to keep leading the riders, and several then-teammates of Wiggins stepped up to his defense.

As the investigation ran its course, skepticism was drawn from critics and athletes alike. Simon Cope, the man who delivered the infamous jiffy bag attended a hearing to discuss the matter. Before much headway could be made, several key players pulled out of the hearings, and crippled any efforts to bring the matter to a close.

With the hearings in a bind, UKAD saw this as an opportunity to launch their own attack against Brailsford and Sky. Aimed at both entities, as well as Wiggins, the UKAD spearhead was an offensive that went into the face of Brailsford’s claims, mentioning that there was no proof of any legal substances within the jiffy bag. He retaliated with a fury of claims that stood up to UKAD and garnered support from both within and outside of the team. One major voice that chose to remain silent on the matter, though, was Chris Froome. He had begun to lose faith in the team manager as the issue dragged on, but more chose to focus on talking about his own credibility instead of Brailsford’s when asked (Benson).

By mid-March, things were beginning to change for Sky. The attack by UKAD was losing steam, and Froome decided to publicly voice support for his team manager with a little help from teammate Geraint Thomas. While Thomas and Froome did not actually speak much about the subject with one another, the former did come out publicly, opening the door for Froome to follow.

The case floundered until November of that year as UKAD conducted their investigation, during which time the headlines were relatively quiet, outside of race news. After the season wrapped up, the UK-based association officially made their statement. Despite the laundry list of conflicting reports and stories, UKAD could find no evidence of wrongdoing by Brailsford, Wiggins, or anyone else at Team Sky. The announcement also confirmed that no charges would be filed, and would in effect, clear the names of those involved of any wrongdoing. Since the initial Fancy Bear attacks in September of 2016, many people worked tirelessly to dethrone the ever-powerful Team Sky. Despite that, UKAD could not come up with sufficient evidence to charge them, much to the dismay of many outside of the team. As of November 15th, 2017, the case was closed. Sky could now breath a cautious sigh of relief…again (“No Doping”).

While the UKAD investigation was in full swing, however, the riders of Sky still had a job to do. 2017 was perhaps one of the strongest years for the embattled team. In the face of behind the scenes adversity, Sky dominated the race calendar.

Danny van Poppel got the ball rolling for the team on the first day of February, winning the Herald Sun Tour in Australia. Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard would go on to take the 2nd and 4th stages, respectively. The first major victory for the team would be at Strade Bianche in March. The 109 mile race was on unpaved roads for much of the route and was one of the more challenging one day races of the season. Michał Kwiatkowski was the team leader for Sky, and would fight for his victory in the

race—coming in a full 15 seconds over Greg Van Avermaet. This would be the second time the Polish rider won Strade, the last time being in 2014 while he rode for Omega Pharma–Quickstep.

Kwiato was not done though. He also partook in Milan-San Remo (MSR), one of the five Monuments of the racing season. MSR was considered the ‘sprinter’s classic’, and he would be riding in support of Elia Viviani for the race. There wasn’t much expected from him. However, that story would change on the Poggio di San Remo, the historic final climb of the race. Two heavyweight riders, Peter Sagan and Julian Alaphilippe, began to break off the front. Viviani was too far behind, but Kwiato was in good position and went with the break. The trio battled for the last few kilometers of the race and ended up in a three up sprint towards the finish line. Kwiatkowski would prevail in one of the tightest and daring sprints of the modern era, beating out two other powerful riders.

Sky was showing its strength with other riders as well. Sergio Henao had been a fairly quiet rider for the team, working mostly as a domestique for the bigger riders during the Grand Tours. At that year’s Paris-Nice, however, Henao decided to flex his skills a bit. He rode for four top 10 finishes in the race, and without recording a single stage win, won with the best overall time, beating out the likes of Alberto Contador, Dan Martin, and Julian Alaphilippe.

Geraint Thomas had also began to make a name for himself that season. He rode the Tour of the Alps, one of the more grueling tests for a climbing specialist. This edition of the race was particularly nasty as several stages were reduced in length due to snow. Thomas would ride with a strong group, including Mikel Landa. Thomas managed a top 10 finish on every stage of the race but one, and won one of those stages as well. He would end the five-day race seven seconds above second place.

Once again, Sky was invited to send a team to the Tour de France. The list of riders being sent from the team was getting stronger every year. Chris Froome would once again be captain, and would have Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa as his lieutenants.

Behind them would be Henao, Kwiato, Kiryienka, Rowe, Knees, and Nieve.

The Tour started off very well for Sky, Geraint Thomas won the opening time trial and would technically wear both the leader’s jersey and the points classification jersey going into stage 2. Froome and Kwiato would also record top 10 finishes on the stage.

The Froome-Thomas duo would be on the offensive early in the race despite the flat stages. Thomas would hold onto the leader’s jersey until stage 5, where it was passed onto Froome in a calculated move by Sky. As the race’s first week ended, Geraint Thomas would slip from the 1-2 lead that he and Froome held. Despite this, he and the rest of the team, would continue to push for Froome.

The second week of racing was much more eventful. The leader’s jersey slipped from Froome’s grip on stage 12. It was early enough in the race that Sky did not see any reason to panic; they just proceeded to employ their tried and true tactics. The team sent its powerful domestiques up to the front with Froome and Thomas, who were riding in the leader group with current race-leader Fabio Aru. Sky would then set a grueling tempo at the front of the race, a pace that only they were comfortable with, but other riders would quickly deteriorate. Aru would only be able to hold onto

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the leader’s jersey for two stages before relinquishing it back to Froome.

Froome would continue to wear the jersey for the remainder of the race but not without a bit of team drama. Much like the Froome-Wiggins leadership issue of past years, there was a newly arising Froome-Landa issue. Mikel Landa was one of the more powerful riders on the team, and as such, had felt the team tactics should revolve more around him. However, Sky was not the team it was when Froome attacked Wiggins during the 2012 Tour. Sky quickly put a stop to Landa’s ideation and put him in line back supporting Froome. He begrudgingly did so, but not without showing his strength.

Chris Froome would go on to win the Tour a 4th time, an unprecedented amount for the team. However, he wasn’t the only Sky rider in the top 10. Landa would ride his way to 4th place overall. Team Sky also won the overall team classification.

In between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, Sky would have many successes at the smaller races of the season. Landa was continuing to show how powerful of a rider he was, taking the Vuelta a Burgos by storm. August would be a month for Elia Viviani, taking five wins, and another just after the start of the Vuelta.

A month or so after the Tour wrapped up, the team headed for Spain for that Grand Tour. Froome would be competing, as would a number of other Sky riders who had ridden the Tour, namely Christian Knees and Mikel Nieve. Froome was the favorite to win the race, having come in second on three different occasions, and winning the Tour four times. His competition would be Vincenzo Nibali, who had won the 2010 edition, and was perhaps in better form, as he had not raced the Tour, and Fabio Aru, the only non-Sky rider to wear the leader’s jersey during the Tour.

The Vuelta was slightly different in comparison to the Tour, as the first few stages were not mostly flat days for the sprinters to enjoy. There was a good mix of hilly stages and even a mountain stage in the first week of racing. By the second day of the race, Froome and Wout Poels were already in the top 10. After the third day, Froome was leading thanks to a 3rd place finish on the stage. While leading, Froome also held the title of best combination rider, which denotes the rider who was best placed overall in the aggregate score of the general, points, and mountains classificaitons.

During the three weeks of the race, much of the general classification would rotate throughout the top 10, except for Chris Froome. He would eventually extend his lead to 2m15s above second place. In a mostly ceremonial final stage on September 10th, the race led into Madrid. Chris Froome would be the winner of the 2017 Vuelta a España, as well as only the third rider in history to win both that and the Tour in the same season. Completing each race by itself is a grueling feat on its own, not to mention

riding two Grand Tours in one season. Only five riders have actually raced all three tours in one season, and none have ever won. Froome was a cycling marvel, and Team Sky was very much his team.

Sky was out of the woods for the jiffy bag incident, but this did not mean that controversy did not follow them. After Froome finished the Vuelta and was competing at the World Championships that year—at which he won bronze in the ITT)—results came back for an adverse analytical finding (AAF) which showed twice the legal limit of Salbutamol, a drug used for asthma treatment.

After stages of a race, riders are tested for drugs, as is the standard procedure for this level of riding. These tests are carried out by neither the team responsible, nor the UCI, but instead a third-party group known as the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF). In December of 2017, it came to light of Froome’s AAF found by the CADF after being tested on stage 18 of the Vuelta. The spotlight was once again cast on Sky, and this time the finger was pointed at their golden child. Froome was quick to defend his actions, saying that the test was not a positive test, and the drug is common for asthma sufferers. He was cognizant of the light cast on him thanks to the actions of past riders and their less-than-honest practices.

As the investigation went on, Froome continued to train and act as though he were to race in the upcoming 2018 season. Even though there was an AAF on his

record, the UCI did not place a ban, or even a suspension. This caused a huge rift in the peloton, with big names adding their input. Vincenzo Nibali, Romain Bardet, Tony Martin, Tom Dumoulin, Richie Porte, Mathieu van der Poel, and even Lance Armstrong had weighed in on the issue.

Sky was in turmoil once again and would be leaving another year with another drug issue in their books. The team’s racing pedigree was one matter, their behind the scenes reputation was another, and it was quickly falling out of favor. Much like Wiggins’ jiffy bag dilemma, the Froome Salbutamol case would also stretch into the next season.

Chapter 8

The Collapse 2018

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2018 started off much to the same tune that the previous year did. Froome’s case dragged on in the off season, with many riders, including Froome himself, just wanting a verdict one way or another. With no update on any sort of suspension for him, the British rider trained and announced he would be riding the first Grand Tour of the year, the Giro placed throughout the team’s history, there wasn’t much to be said. Their highest place finish was back in 2013, but Sky had been focused on the Tour, not the other Grand Tours.

Sky was also making order changes all along their roster. A few big names left their ranks. Elia Viviani was the first to leave, ending his contract early to move to Deceuninck-QuickStep where his sprint talents would be better suited. Mikel Landa left for Spanish team, Movistar, after the rift between him and Froome opened up. Finally, longtime rider Peter Kennaugh departed for greener pastures at the German team Bora-Hansgrohe.

These gaps would not go unfilled in one way or another. Sky added several strong riders to the group. First was then-U23 road World Champ Kristoffer Halvorsen.

Next would be Jonathan Castroviejo, who was one of the most powerful time trialists on the road. The big name to be was Egan Bernal. The young Columbian was already a huge powerhouse in his own right. He won the 2017 Tour de l’Avenir, which was considered the amateur version of the Tour de France. It followed a similar route and many of its previous winners went on to win the Tour.

While Sky was moving around the roster, Chris Froome was preparing for his season debut at Ruta del Sol in February. Despite the conflict that was arising in and out of the peloton, Froome focused on racing as best he could. He had both allies and naysayers on the road outside of his team. Some wanted him to excuse himself from racing until the matter was solved, others said he was in his rights to race.

Froome’s debut at Ruta del Sol was as quiet as it could be. He managed a top 10 finish while teammate Wout Poels took second. A few weeks after Ruta, UKAD released a statement that would shake Froome’s defense. They found that Salbutamol only accounted for 3 out of 109 AAF findings between a period of two years, but 77 of those cases led to anti-doping rule violation cases. All three of the Salbutamol-related cases violated the anti-doping rule. This was data from not just the cycling world but every applicable sport.

Froome and co. doubled down on their own statements and gave reasoning as to why his test was so high. After the particular stage had concluded, but before Froome gave his urine sample, he had been administered a dosage from his inhaler, as the stage had been a particular tough one. The team doctor ensured that the amount of breaths he took from the inhaler had been within the daily limit imposed by the UCI. However, the body can excrete more than the threshold allowed in urine while still staying within the legal limit (“UK Anti-Doping...”).

The other side of the case was floundering. The UCI president, David Lappartient, wanted another investigation into Team Sky, but also ceded that the case would not be resolved until after the Giro d’Italia. Over or not, Froome was racing the 2018 Giro.

The team that Sky sent to the first Grand Tour of the season included some strong names around Froome. It would not be in Italy where the Giro would start,

but instead in Jerusalem, on May 4th, 2018. The race started out with an ITT, where defending champion Tom Domoulin took the win. It was on to several flat and hill stages where Sky bid their time and would see former teammate, Elia Viviani, crush the sprints.

It was not until late in the race, where Froome would take his first stage win. He had been on the top 10 leaderboard since stage 6 but on the lower half of it. There were several days where he fell out of the top 10 altogether and had to claw his way back up. On stage 14, however, his luck began to change. He took the win on the stage and went from outside of the top 10 all the way to 5th. The next few stages saw him float mostly around 5th, until stage 19. Froome attacked on a brutal mountain stage and went on to take the day by a margin of 3 minutes, propelling him into first place.

The next day was spent playing defense, and both he and Poels would take 7th and 6th respectively.

Chris ended the Giro in Rome on May 27th wearing the pink leader’s jersey. Tom Domoulin placed second, trailing him by 46 seconds. It was a day for the sprinters, but a race for Froome. With his win, he would be the champion of all three Grand Tours within a year—the 2018 Giro, as well as the 2017 Tour and Vuelta. This was no easy feat, done only by two other cyclists, the great Bernie Hinault and the greater Eddie Merckx. Froome was propelled into a very elite class where only two others existed. Despite the ongoing case against him, Froome was checking off yet another victory for his career.

After the Giro. Froome was focused on training for the French race. The case against him was merciless. The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organization responsible for the Tour de France, sent Sky a scathing email stating that Froome was not welcome at the event. Even several of Froome’s opponents on the bike were shocked by this and found it to be an unfair call to make. Shortly after the ASO’s statement was made public, Sky issued one of their own, stating that they were confident that Froome would be riding the Tour. Whatever the call was, the decision was getting close to the wire, as these announcements were being made the first few days of July of that year, and the race was set to begin on July 7th (“ASO”) On July 2nd the UCI released its verdict on Chris Froome’s case. After a long phase of evidence gathering and investigation, working closely with outside experts, Lappertient stated that with WADA’s information given and their positioning, the UCI would drop the case against Froome. The world was flipped upside down, but Sky could once again breathe a sign of relief. The ASO had no choice but to relent and allow the 4 time winner to ride in the Tour.

Five days after the UCI’s verdict, the 2018 Tour De France rolled off the starting line. Sky confirmed that their starting list would include Froome, as well as newcomers Bernal and Castroviejo. Pulling up the remaining end of the Sky train was Kwiato, Gianni Moscon, Poels, Rowe, and Thomas. An absolutely stacked roster but down a rider from their previous years. All teams were, as the UCI imposed a new rule of 8 riders to a roster instead of 9.

Tom Domoulin would square off once again against Froome, much like the Giro several weeks back. Former teammates Mikel Landa and Richie Porte would also

be on his radar, as would longtime adversary, Nairo Quintana of Movistar.

The first part of the race was flat, much more so than previous Tours, so it was all systems go for the sprinters of the peloton. Sky did have a day for themselves during this first portion of racing. On stage 3, during the team time trial, Sky was second on the day, just behind BMC. Geraint Thomas would be the highest placed rider for the team at 3rd overall. Thomas spent most of the race working his way around the top 10. After his wins at Paris-Nice in previous years, Thomas was a serious GC threat, but not many riders were considering him since Froome was still racing. These stages proved otherwise.

By stage 11, he and Froome would be heralding a 1-2 lead on the entire race. Froome was sitting at an average of a minute and a half behind him and was more or less playing defense for Thomas. The team had switched tactics and was putting all of their efforts into keeping Geraint in the lead. Froome was tired after winning all three of the past Grand Tours, plus his salbutamol case. Thomas was in a better shape that he was.

Domoulin would eventually claim Froome’s second place spot in the closing days of the race. The final showdown would be on stage 20, the ITT. Outside of one small hiccup on a turn in the road, Thomas would prevail, going into the final stage in Paris 1m51s above his rival.

Chris Froome would once again be on the podium for a Tour de France, his fifth in six years, but this time, he would not be at the top. It

was teammate and longtime friend, Geraint Thomas, who would bring in the win for Sky. The question was not if Froome’s days of dominance were over with, but rather, would Thomas be a new threat in the GC. The answer was a definite yes. His performance was nothing short of spectacular, and the Welshman proved that Sky was still the team to beat.

Outside of the Tour, Sky’s riders were dominating their national championships.

Egan Bernal, Sergio Henao, Jonathan Castroviejo, Kwiato, Dylan van Baarle, Thomas, Kiryienka, and Gianni Moscon all took national road or ITT championship wins— the most in a season in Team Sky history. Despite the success, doubt was cast on the existence of Sky as a whole. Late in the year, Sky Broadcasting announced that they would be pulling sponsorship for the team. Along with them, longtime sponsor 21st Century Fox would not be renewing their sponsorship either. The change in direction had actually begun in December of 2017, very far away from the racing action. At that time, Disney had bought out 21st Century Fox, which as an entity, had claimed a sizable portion of Sky Broadcasting. With a restructuring of 21st and Sky Broadcasting, the new leadership decided that the involvement with cycling would end at the conclusion of the 2019 season (“Sky to End”).

With Sky Broadcasting pulling out as title sponsor, many wondered if this would be the end of one of the most powerful teams in cycling. Sky consistently brought the biggest budget to the sport which meant they could acquire the best riders and the strongest equipment. Since their inception, their budget had more than doubled.

Many of their upper tier riders were hitting six or seven figures, an amount that was rarely seen anywhere else in the peloton. The end of the year would not bring any drug related issues for once. This time, it would be the very existence of the team itself (“Team Sky’s Finances”).

Chapter 9

Changing Tides 2019

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With a host of national champions and coming off of four Grand Tour wins back to back, Sky proceeded cautiously but proudly into 2019. Rumors were flying wildly around as to who would be the new sponsor and the question of their budget came up repeatedly. Journalists and fans alike were guessing who the new sponsor would be, and the company Ecopetrol, an oil and gas company out of Colombia, was rumored to be taking over the reins. Eventually, it came to light that Ecopetrol had no involvement with the team, and many were back to the guessing game.

With the new season incoming, Sergio Henao would leave the team for UAE Team Emirates. In his place, Sky more than filled the gap. Ben Swift, who had departed after 2016, came back to compete. Jhonathan Narvaez, who was the 2017 Ecuadorian road race champion was also added; as well as Filippo Ganna, who had an expansive track cycling pedigree, and was the UCI Individual Pursuit world champion in 2016 and 2018.

The team scored their first win in February, taking the overall at the Herald Sun Tour once again, as well as the mountains, youth, and team classifications, completely dominating the race. The rest of the month was filled with a few small stage wins here and there. March would be a testing month for Sky. In March, just before Paris-Nice, it was announced that British chemical company Ineos would be taking over as sponsor for the team. Jim Ratcliffe, who had also invested in a sailing team, expressed a particular interest in cycling. Ratcliffe had nearly $23 billion to his name and would be more than able to maintain their budget.

To critics of the team, the hope that the days of Sky were ending were dashed. Ineos and its budget would just as easily steamroll smaller teams.

The team confirmed that it would become Team Ineos on May 1st of that year, just ahead of the Tour de Yorkshire. Until then, they would stay under the Team Sky moniker. In the meantime, there were still races to be raced, events to be held, and the team still had a job to do.

In mid March, Sky raced in Paris-Nice again. Much like the Herald Sun Tour in previous weeks, Sky dominated this race as well. Rising star Egan Bernal, who had raced his first Tour de France the previous year at the age of 21, took part in this race.

He, along with Kwiato would go on to have a tight grip on the lead for a majority of the stages. Kwiato took the lead from sprinter Dylan Groenewegen of Jumbo-Visma by stage 4, and Bernal would take it from him in the final two stages of the race.

Bernal would win the race for Sky for the 4th time in five years, and along with Geraint Thomas, was a new threat to the GC. A host of younger riders would ride the Tour of the Alps, which was eventually won by Pavel Sivakov, giving the team yet another victory in late April . While Sky was known for its longtime riders, the new crop of talent was also quite impressive.

After the Tour of the Alps came Romandie. This race would be interesting for the team sponsorship as the changeover date on May 1st was right in the middle of the event. A rule in the UCI race legal system did not allow for a team to change jerseys during a race, so the team would ride in a hybrid uniform. The kit would be updated with the new Ineos branding but include the old Sky colorways, skirting the edge of that clause while still remaining legal within the UCI rules. The first race that

the team would ride fully under the Ineos banner would be the Tour de Yorkshire, beginning on May 2nd. Another younger list of riders would race, and Chris Lawless of Ineos would take the win.

On the 5th of May, both stage races of Romandie and Yorkshire ended, as did Team Sky. After Romandie, the sky blue of Team Sky was officially retired, and the deep red and black of Ineos was put in its place. None of the riders or staff would change with the mid-season movement to Ineos but the title would. As of May 5th, Team Sky no longer existed.

The rest of the season started with disaster for the newly minted Team Ineos. After Yorkshire, the team quietly raced the Tour of Norway, coming away with not much more than a stage win and a youth classification. Chris Froome had been focusing on the Tour again this year, much more rested up from the previous season. He raced the Tour of the Alps and Yorkshire with the intent to ride as support, not wanting to over-exert himself for the French Grand Tour. However, his hopes of a fifth Tour win would be quickly dashed (MacInnes).

On June 12, 2019, the team was riding a recon ride for DauphinĂŠ, the much-anticipated Tour prologue. Froome, along with other veterans of the team, set out to ride the time trial course. Their ride would be at high speed, as it was on a set of ultra-aero

TT bikes. The team had been going at speed, and Froome lost control, hitting a wall at 37 miles an hour. The crash absolutely devastated him and his teammates. Froome had to be taken to the hospital with a fractured neck, right femur, a broken hip, and several broken ribs. In a split second, Team Ineos lost its best Tour contender.

Within the coming days, Froome would be at the hospital for a period of time. He was alive and well, but he would be sidelined for the rest of the season. Ineos faced a

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tough choice going into the Tour. Their best GC rider was down for the count, but they could not switch to focusing on purely stage wins instead. Their closest sprinter was Michał Kwiatkowski, and while he could compete with all-rounders like Sagan, the ultra-fast riders on the road like Dylan Groenewegen, Elia Viviani, and Alexander Kristoff could and would get the jump on him.

Ineos instead continued with their GC hopes, but with different tactics. Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal would be co-leaders for the team at the Tour. The thinking behind this was if one were to emerge more powerful than the other, then it would be all hands on deck for that one rider. The pair agreed to this, and behind them would be Jonathan Castroviejo, Kwiato, Gianni Moscon, Wout Poels, Like Rowe, and Dylan van Baarle.

Luck wouldn’t completely turn its back on Ineos. Their closest rival, Tom Domoulin, was also out of the race following the crash. Nairo Quintana was taking part in the Tour as well, but he had seemed to fade in recent months. A big contender to knock Ineos off the podium was Team Jumbo-Visma. The Dutch team was everyone’s best hope for demolishing the powerhouse Ineos had become. The team had Groenewegen to crush the flat stages, but included other strong climbers and time trialists like Steven Kruijswijk, Tony Martin, Mike Teunissen, as well as three-time cyclo-cross World Champ, Wout van Aert.

The 2019 Tour de France started off in Jumbo-Visma’s favor. Stage 1 saw an unexpected burst of speed from Teunissen, who would win the final sprint, beating out Peter Sagan by mere inches. The next stage was the team time trial. Ineos was first off the board and was holding the lead for the entire stage until Jumbo-Visma finished.

The Dutch team bested Ineos by 20 seconds, further pushing them to the top.

The next stage took both Ineos and Jumbo-Visma by surprise. Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck-QuickStep took the win and catapulted himself into the yellow leader’s jersey, where he would stay for the majority of the next weeks. Deceuninck was strong in their own right, but many were expecting much more from their sprinter Elia Viviani than they were from Alaphilippe.

By the last week, the race was well into the mountains. Alaphilippe was still holding onto the leader’s jersey, but Geraint Thomas was merely 1m35s behind him.

Egan Bernal was also very quickly claiming higher and higher positions. Bernal was born and raised in the high mountains of Columbia, the Alps of France were just like the ones he grew up on. Alaphilippe was a Puncheur specialist, suited for short, rolling hills. Even with a home country advantage, he was out of his element. After stage 18, Bernal was right on the heels of Alaphilippe, with Geraint Thomas right behind him.

Stage 19 would change the entire race. That stage contained the highest summit of the Tour, the Col de l’Iseran. The peloton was quickly crumbling, and many riders found themselves in isolated groups up the mountain. There was a leading group filled with many strong riders, including Bernal and Alaphilippe, but climbers of other teams were constantly falling off the end. Bernal and Thomas, with two other teammates still in this elite group attack, shredded what remained of Alaphilippe

and his teammates. He was barely able to hold on, and Bernal went on a solo attack.

Bernal’s breakaway group from earlier in the stage included several elite GC riders Simon Yates, Rigoberto Uran, Vincenzo Nibali and Warren Barguil. Bernal pressed the attack, further disintegrating this leading breakaway. He took the summit at Col de l’Iseran first, and thus began the descent on the stage, with Simon Yates eventually catching up to him.

With the peloton completely strung out, a hard call by the race organizers shook everyone to their core. Since the race was in the high mountains, weather was much more extreme. During the later part of the stage, towards the finish, there were reports of rain and snow covering the road, making it completely impassable. The organizers made the decision to neutralize the finish of the race at Tignes, and instead taking the times of the riders as they summited Col de l’Iseran. This monumental call changed the entire stage and put Egan Bernal into the leaders jersey, coming from a 1m30s deficit to a 45s advantage.

The following stage, stage 20, would be the last chance for Alaphilippe to take back the leader’s jersey. During Stage 21, it was customary for the race leaders to not attack, as it was a largely ceremonial stage. The same weather issues that neutralized the previous stage caused mudslides for this one, shortening it considerably. Only the time up the Val Thorens would be the deciding factor for the race. The mountain stage finished with Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas taking 4th and 5th on the stage and Alaphilippe nowhere near the top 10.

As the race came into Paris once again, Ineos would take the win, their first the name change. Egan Bernal would win both the overall classification as well as the youth classification. He was the youngest rider to win the race since 1909 to win, as well as the first Latin American to do so. Geraint Thomas would be right behind him in second place, another 1-2 punch for the team.

For the rest of the season Ineos raced hard, taking the overall wins at the Tour de Pologne and the Vuelta a Burgos. Chris Froome would heal up and return to the headlines, showing face at the largely ceremonial Saitama Criterium in late October, long after the regular season had concluded. This event was an extension of the Tour de France, bringing its high-level racers to the often-overlooked Asian circuit. Bernal would also be present, along with Jonathan Castroviejo. The trio would ride an exhibition time trial to close out the season.

Froome’s recovery was still a long way from being over, but he was already back on the bike. His season, as well as Team Sky’s had been changed forever. As 2019 closed its doors, Sky was gone forever, and in its place was Ineos. While identical in roster, it was a change in direction for the powerhouse that ruled the peloton for so many years.

Chapter 10

Tomorrow, Today 2020

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At the time of writing, the current season of 2020 is in full swing. Utilizing their full budget from new sponsor, Ineos, the team brought in some big names for the season. First was Richard Carapaz from Movistar. Carapaz had won the Giro d’Italia the previous season and was a strong and highly sought after cyclist. His addition was met with disdain from fans, many feeling that his abilities as a GC contender would be diminished as he would be used as a domestique for riders like Thomas or Bernal.

The next rider that Ineos brought in was the cause of much speculation and rumors. Two-time ITT World Champion Rohan Dennis was added to the roster.

The Australian is one of the most powerful cyclists in the world, and for two years running, the best time trialist. His reason for finding a team to race with, however, was controversial. During the 2019 Tour de France, while Julian Alaphilippe was battling, clinging onto the yellow jersey, Dennis made headlines. On stage 12, one stage before the ITT, he simply abandoned the race. Usually when a rider abandons, it’s due to illness, injury, or being outside of the time cut at the end of the day. Dennis gave no reason for his leaving the race.

There was much confusion as to why he abandoned, and he was relatively silent. Dennis would not be seen until the World Championships in Yorkshire in September, two months after he left the Tour. His participation gave a big hint to his leaving. He was seen riding an unmarked BMC time trial bike, the same bike he had previously found success on, rather than the Merida brand bike that he was contractually obligated to use as he rode for the Bahrain–Merida team at the time. After the World Championships were over, Bahrain–Merida had confirmed that they and Dennis had parted ways before the event.

Rohan was looking for a home, and Ineos was the perfect match for him. His talents were in line with what kind of rider the team sought out. There were many time trialists on the team who would slot in perfectly with Dennis.

The addition of Carapaz and Dennis were not without their losses. Two big names would leave the team. First was Wout Poels, who did not renew his contract, and instead headed to Bahrain–McLaren, the successor to the team that Rohan Dennis just departed from. Poels served as a fantastic domestique over the course of his time at Sky/Ineos and was selected many times for a Grand Tour roster, but felt that his time at the team had come to an end.

The next big name to leave was not due to any contracts or signings, but rather a medical issue. Vasil Kiryienka, one of the powerhouses of the team, was forced to leave the sport mid-season, citing a heart issue. Kiryienka was one of the oldest and longest serving riders on the team, other than Christian Knees. His departure was sudden, and a shock to the entire team, as well as the rest of the peloton. Team Ineos was quick to fill that gap with a rider of similar caliber. Ex-professional cyclist and current world class triathlete, Cameron Wurf, was brought in his place just a day after Kiryienka’s departure. Wurf had not ridden professionally since 2015, but had spent his time competing at the Ironman World Championships. It would take some getting used to for Wurf, but he was a willing and able replacement for Kiry.

The current 2020 season has been changed in a monumental way. In the opening months of the year, the world was shaken by a pandemic. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that has been affecting people worldwide, and it took only until February to affect the cycling world.

The UAE Tour was a major event on the calendar that happened at the end of February. Over the course of the race, several riders and staff members were affected

by COVID-19, and the race was curtailed. The last two stages were canceled. No riders from Ineos were affected and were allowed to travel back to Europe, but the virus was beginning to ravage the continent.

The last race to take place for 2020 so far has been Paris-Nice from March 8th to the 14th. All other events of the season up to and including the Tour De Suisse have been cancelled or postponed to an undetermined date. The 2020 Olympics, that were scheduled to take place in Tokyo, have also been postponed. As of the time of this writing, the Tour de France is scheduled as is for June 27th to July 19th, as are the races following it. There are some calling for the race to be postponed, as well as the races to follow it.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches across the world, many cyclists are on standby, keeping indoors and training on their own. Many Ineos riders have taken to social media to stay connected with fans, and some have been active on Zwift, a virtual cycling platform. As of right now, the season is up in the air for every single rider.

For Ineos, so far in 2020, the team has recorded only one stage win before world events shutdown the season. For now, it is a time for the riders to rest and recuperate, and to prepare for the next race of the season—whenever it will be.

Finale

The legacy of Sky is one fraught with success, hardships, controversies, and triumphs. Over the course of the team’s existence, from humble beginnings in late 2009 to the high stakes racing of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, one thing has been clear: win. A race victory was never far from the team’s grasp. Armed with an illustrious, and almost overpowered group of riders, riding the best equipment available, Team Sky made a name for themselves very quickly.

Their goal of winning a Tour de France title within five years was attained within three, and went on to completely crush the competition. Sky brought to the game a hope of getting a British rider on the top podium of the most prestigious race in cycling, and they have more than done so time and time again. With an unmatched ability, Team Sky/Team Ineos will go down in history as one of the most notoriously successful teams in all of sports.

There are many naysayers to the team, all with much reason to hold such a negative opinion of the team. Many have accused the team of doping, controlling the sport, and buying their way to success. Their methods have been questioned, placed under a microscope nearly every season. These methods are also proven to bring success. No team can train as hard as Sky, or bring back results just like Sky. The future is uncertain for the team, but one thing is clear: wherever the team races, success will follow.

Glossary Abandon: when a rider leaves a race before the finish, usually due to injury, illness, or mechanical issues Adverse Analytical Finding/AAF: a report that shows the presence of a prohibited substance in an athlete’s blood or urine sample Attack: a calculated move where one rider races ahead of others, hoping to gain time or wear down a rival Breakaway: a rider or riders who have launched off the front of the main group of riders in a race British Cycling: the group responsible for British cyclists and their support in the Olympics and UCI events Classics: prestigious one day races, some of which date back to the 1800’s Climber: a rider who excels in the steep mountain stages

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Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation/CADF: the group that works independently of both the UCI and WADA to fight doping issues in cycling Domestique: a rider who rides in support of the teammate going for the general classification Doping: usage of performance enhancing drugs General classification: the classification to determine a race winner for a stage race based on overall time. A rider does not need to win a stage in a multi-day race to necessarily win the general classification Grand Tour/GT: the three biggest races in cycling, the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Each are three weeks in length, and are the only races allowed to go for that long. They are the most sought after races in the sport Individual Time Trial/ITT: riders compete against one another to have the best individual time on a stage Leadout: a train of riders from a sprinter’s team riding in front of him, allowing him to conserve energy for the finish Monument: the oldest, hardest one day races in cycling. There are five over the course of a season Mountains classification: the classification to determine the King of the Mountains, based on which riders reached the top of specific climbs within a race

Omnium: a track cyclimg competition consisting of multiple events Palmares: a rider’s list of wins Peloton: the main group of riders in a race, also known as a bunch, pack, or grupetto Podium: the top three riders after a race Professional Continental team: the second highest division of team and competition within the UCI Rainbow Jersey: a jersey a rider gets to wear for an entire year after winning a World Championship event Rest Day: two separate days in a grand tour where the race stops, allowing the riders to rest and ready up for the rest of the race Sprints/points classification: the classification to determine the best sprinter of a race based on points attained from sprint finishes and intermediate sprints Sprinter: a rider who excels in short bursts of quick speed, usually saved for the final finish line on flatter stages Stage: a part of a multi-day race, usually point to point Super-Domestique: a stronger rider who rides with the GC teammate long after the other domestiques have taken their turn supporting, sometimes called lieutenants Team GB: the Great Britain Olympic team Team Time Trial/TTT: an event where a team’s riders compete together to have the best time as a group against other teams. The 4th rider over the finish line set’s a team’s official time Therapeutic Use Exemption/TUE: an exemption for a drug normally considered prohibited for strict usage to combat a specific condition Union Cycliste Internationale/UCI: the main governing body of cycling UK Anti-Doping/UKAD: The group responsible for anti-doping regulations within the United Kingdom World Anti-Doping Agency/WADA: the main group behind the doping regulations and rules for all of sports around the world World Team: The highest division of team and competition within the UCI, formerly known as ProTour. This is the level at which Team Sky/Team Ineos races

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Photography Credits Cover: AFP Photo Introduction, pages 12–13: Jaguar MENA via Flickr Chapter 1 cover, pages 16–17: Bryn Lennon for Getty Images Sport Page 19: Reuters via Eurosport Page 20: Team Sky Chapter 2 cover, pages 22–23: Kristof Ramon Page 25: Bryn Lennon for Getty Images Sport Chapter 3 cover, pages 28–29: Getty Page 30: Pete Goding for Team Sky Media Day Chapter 4 cover, pages 34–35: Inc Content/The Location Guide

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Pages 36–37: Team Sky via YouTube Pages 40–41: Bryn Lennon for Getty Images Sport/Jaguar Chapter 5 cover, pages 42–43: Bernard Papon for AFP Photo/Getty Images Pages 44–45: Jaguar Chapter 6 cover, pages 48–49: Cycling Central via SBS Pages 52–53: Getty Chapter 7 cover, pages 56–57: Bettini Photo Pages 60–61: Kristof Ramon/Cor Vos Pages 62–63: Cor Vos Chapter 8 cover, pages 64–65: Ford Europe via YouTube Page 68: Cor Vos Chapter 9 cover, pages 70–71: George Solomon Page 73: NBC Sports Chapter 10 cover, pages 76–77: Yuzuru Sunada Page 78: Team Ineos via Twitter Finale cover, page 80: Sky via Rapha Back Cover: Jaguar MENA via Flickr

Fire In The Sky Fame. Notoriety. Success.

Domination.

Controversy.

No team has ever completely revolutionized a sport like Team Sky. Since 2009, the British based cycling team has been responsible for 7 Tour de France victories, over 20 national champions, and countless race wins.

On the other side of success lies a story of tension, dissension, and failure.