Grand Tours tend to throw up unusual twists and turns, but a Twitter spat between Jonathan Vaughters, Thibaut Pinot and Lance Armstrong was a twist we didn't see coming.
Vaughters, the boss of EF Education-EasyPost, took to Twitter after today's stage 15 to praise his Irish rider, Ben Healy, for the way he conducted himself, also having a dig at Pinot in the process. Healy had just finished 2nd on the stage and was gracious in defeat in his TV interviews, praising the performance of the rider who beat him, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates).
"Proud to see that Ben Healy congratulated the winner, and didn’t go cry to the media about how life is sometimes unfair," Vaughters said. "Great attitude. Great person. Great rider."
He added he was not sure Pinot, who he tagged in his Tweet, "could read it through all of his tears".
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That was a reference to Pinot (Groupama FDJ) getting emotional after being beaten to victory on stage 13 by Einer Rubio (Movistar Team). This evening Pinot replied to Vaughters on Twitter, saying "Who are you?" with Twitter users piling on to support the Frenchman as he is a fans' favourite.
However, while Pinot's reply was benign, the same could not be said for Lance Armstrong - who never makes any secret of his dislike for Vaughters - after he got involved in the spat.
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"Who is he? He’s a fucking (clown emoji). At least based on the 30+ years I’ve known him," Armstrong said in his reply to Pinot.
So what's it all about?
On stage 13, the fight for victory on Crans Montana came down to Rubio, Pinot and a rider from the Vaughters' EF Education-EasyPost team, Jefferson Cepeda. During the finale, Rubio kept a low profile in the front move as Pinot and Cepeda argued with each other.
After the stage, Pinot spoke to journalists of wanting victory but also said he hoped he could ensure Cepeda didn't win. We assume that's why Vaughters has had a dig at Pinot.
"Cepeda was a big thorn in my side. Whatever happened, I didn't want him to win, I would have put my heart and soul into it," Pinot told reporters after finishing 2nd to Rubio on stage 13.
Armstrong likely got involved simply because he despises Vaughters, who was one of many people to give evidence to USADA when it was investigating Armstrong for doping. That inquiry ultimately brought down Armstrong, resulting in a lifetime ban from pro cycling and losing his seven Tour de France wins.
