Is tension brewing within the Sky team? At most stage races this season (and last) the British team has made an appearance of an impenetrable unit despite other rivals’ attempts to drive wedges in between the members of the Sky team, e.g. by separating and isolating them on steep and decisive mountain climbs.

Now, however, it would seem that cracks might be appearing in the Sky armour.

After winning the Tour de France last year, with Froome finishing as runner up, Wiggins claimed that the Giro d’Italia would be his main focus for the 2013 season. Since then Wiggins has been less than unambiguous in his statements. This week, for instance, he told the BBC that “the Tour de France is my focus.” This may have been a deliberately indistinct comment by Wiggins, but it doesn’t unmistakably imply that last year’s winner will come to this year’s Tour de France solely in a helping capacity for Froome.

Commenting in the wake of Bradley Wiggins’ assertion to the BBC yesterday that he contemplates the Giro/Tour double this year, Chris Froome has released a statement today insisting that he has been told by his Team Sky management that he will remain the leader for this year’s Tour de France.

“I have been reassured by the management at Team Sky that I have their full backing,” Froome said in a statement released today. “At no time has the leadership of the Tour team been in question.

“There has been much speculation regarding the leadership for Team Sky at the Tour de France this year. I have made it clear that winning the Tour would be my main objective for 2013.

“Attempting to win the Tour de France, is a massive undertaking, and will take total commitment from each and every team member. The Tour team has yet to be selected but with the depth of talent that we have at Team Sky, I have no doubt that the strongest and most willing riders will be there to support me.”

Froome finished runner-up to Wiggins in last year’s Tour de France, manifestly holding back on some mountain stages in obedience of team instructions. Since then he has said that he wants to take a shot at winning cycling’s most important race this year.

So far the 2013 season has been a tale of two fortunes for Wiggins and Froome. The latter has been in blistering form this year, taking first at the Tour of Oman, Critérium International and, most recently, the Tour de Romandie. Quite the reverse can be said about Wiggins who is yet to take a win, although he said on Monday that he considers himself to be in better form than when he won the Tour last year.
 

Surely the last chapter of a potential intra-team rivalry has not been written yet.