Fed up with fab four: Tejay van Garderen irritated by Tour de France’s tag talk
Tejay van Garderen said he was sick to tears of hearing talk of the “fantastic four” as he completed the first week of the Tour de France in second place. The 26-year-old American is only 12 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome as his BMC team edged out the Briton’s Sky squad by just one second in Sunday’s team time trial.
Tejay van Garderen said he was sick to tears of hearing talk of the “fantastic four” as he completed the first week of the Tour de France in second place.
The 26-year-old American is only 12 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome as his BMC team edged out the Briton’s Sky squad by just one second in Sunday’s team time trial.
If I’m not spoken about as much as those guys I’m not offended but it doesn’t mean I’m intimidated by them or not going to race them
And while the rest of Froome’s “fantastic four” rivals have all faltered at one stage or another, Van Garderen has been consistently strong, beating Froome by eight seconds in the opening stage time trial before giving up 11 seconds to the 2013 champion in the third stage finish on the Mur de Huy – in which the Briton also took a six-second time bonus.
Yet the likes of reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali, two-time winner Alberto Contador and Colombian climber Nairo Quintana are all between one minute and almost two-and-a-half minutes off Froome after nine stages.
“I’m not offended not to be in that because all those guys in the fab four have won Grand Tours. I’ve had top fives but I’m yet to finish on a podium or win one.
“If I’m not spoken about as much as those guys I’m not offended but it doesn’t mean I’m intimidated by them or not going to race them.
