Cyclist WAGs in Twitter row at 'Tour de France'

Johannesburg, July 22 (ANI): Bradley Wiggins' wife Catherine and Chris Froome's girlfriend Michelle Cound have been at the centre of a Twitter war that started after Stage 11 when the 27-year-old cyclist was told to wait for his leader in the ascent to the ski station of La Toussuire.

Froome had been clearly the best but his Sky team's race strategy forced him to stay in his support role.

At the end of the stage, Cound, took to Twitter to express her disappointment at Sky's decision to fully back Wiggins in his bid to become the first British rider to win the ultimate challenge for the cyclists at the expense of her boyfriend.

"If you want loyalty, get a Froome dog... a quality I value... although being taken advantage of by others!" Sports 24 quoted Cound as tweeting.

Catherine was quick to respond, praising the great work of Bradley's team-mates Mick Rogers and Richie Porte during that stage without even mentioning Froome.

"See Mick Rogers and Richie Porte for examples of genuine, selfless effort and true professionalism," Catherine wrote.

The tweet had been immediately followed by another short message from Cound, who retweeted Catherine's note with the comment "Typical!"

The dispute titillated a press room in search of drama in a race that has offered nearly none but also attracted some riders' attention.

British rider David Millar, who'll be teaming up with Froome and Wiggins at the London Olympics, tweeted: "Oh SNAP! Sky have WAG WAR on Twitter. This (expletive) just got real."

Froome, tipped by many as a future Grand Tour winner, has been a loyal and dedicated team-mate to Bradley but has sometimes expressed his frustrations and could not help showing his own strength in the mountains, making race followers wonder whether Sky had been backing the right man on the road.

Their partners' sniping had flared again this week in the Pyrenees when Froome had to stay with Wiggins in the climb to Peyragudes, letting another stage victory slip away for the sake of his boss.

"Suddenly not so in the mood for Paris on Sunday, what a joke," Cound wrote.

The South African photographer had again expressed her disappointment following Friday's 18th stage won by Mark Cavendish after an impressive collective performance by Sky.

"Team work is also about giving the people around you, that support you, a chance to shine in their own right," Cound wrote. (ANI)