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Rivalry within team

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IndianCyclist

Nov 12, 2010
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This is about rivals within the same team to the point where they refuse to work with each other or sabotage each other's chances or simply take advantage of the other's discomfort/bad luck :p . Most recent being Gerrans & Mathews at AGR & worlds. We also had Armstrong Contador in TDF 2009, Hinault Lemond in 1986 TDF, Roche Visentini in 1987 Giro. Pls discuss Memorable incidents with rivals on the same team with background if available.
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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Olano/Chava is the big one to mention here.

Many years at the Volta a Portugal you'll get some nonsense, like the year Efapel chased down a break with their own guys best placed in it and arguments start breaking out.

National team races back in the day used to be big on this stuff, trade teams less so. Everybody rode sensibly in the race, but the Schlecks' whining about Sastre as if Fränk wouldn't have lost minutes to Evans in the TT anyway after the 2008 Tour got pretty pathetic.
 
C

chiocciolis_calves

Aug 28, 2013
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Moser and Saronni on any World's team. I found it especially amusing that about 13/14 years ago, I read about them doing a race and they were still squabbling, with Moser complaining that Saronni had sucked his wheel the whole race before coming around him for the win, as he had always done.
 
Bye Bye Bicycle

Bye Bye Bicycle

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R

railxmig

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Interesting topic. I'm obviously too young to know or remember cycling stories pre '90s but it seems there were a lot of such problems within a team. I exclude national teams as they most of the time in history had inside conflicts.

I know that de Vlaeminck isn't known for his good personality but his Giro '76 display against more capable GC rider (or a better climber) de Muynck was something to forget soon. I know that de Vlaeminck somehow managed to get 4th year before while those Giros didn't shy from the mountains opposite to Moser Saronni flat Giros but refusing to let the teammates to work for technically their leader de Muynck could be crucial to them losing the Giro. Story or de Vlaeminck abandoning the same Giro by running into woods like a ekhm... street worker is hilarious.

I've heard that Phil Anderson in '80s had problems with french riders within his team which may be close to truth as in Tour '83 he had problems with Pascal Simon. Simon did actually get the yellow and it was unknown how he would fare in the Alpes but sadly he crashed before them and later abandoned on l'Alpe d'Huez stage.

I remember in older Watts videos circa 2003 there were those two midgets having a boxing match on the middle of road propably in Giro but i sadly don't know who they were.

From other unchecked stories i've heard that in Tour '14 when Nibali was in yellow he wasn't very polite to his teammates. I doubt that this story is plausible but Nibali is a quite dodgy personality. I'm not so sure how Contador and Leipheimer were with each other in '07 and '08 as Levi was two times (Tour and Vuelta) close to beating Alberto in GC.
 
Valv.Piti

Valv.Piti

Aug 3, 2015
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Its not really a rivalry per se, but Quintana and Valverde had some conflict of interest during that 2015 Tour. They are being kept apart from the most part, but thats mainly due to them wanting to have a possibility to win as much races as possible, but I think Quintana would have hoped to get a little more support at some point in that Tour.

I also do think it bothers Valverde not to be the undisputed leader at he always has been, but thats only guesswork. They seem to be working together just fine tho
 
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