This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.
FDJ's Thibaut Pinot soloed his way to victory atop l’Alpe d’Huez, as Nairo Quintana (Movistar) finally showed what he can do, finished second and picking up time on yellow jersey Chris Froome (Team Sky). Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) was third.
Froome showed signs of weakness for the first time in this Tour. He countered multiple attacks, but was unable to go with Quintana on the decisive move on the l'Alpe d’Huez. Quintana picked up over a minute as Froome finished fourth to secure the overall title.
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Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) continued his downward trend, dropping out of the favourites’ group early on the final ascent. The worst luck had Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who punctured at the very start of the climb, losing too much time to catch up with the lead again.
The race came down to a man-against-man showdown, and while Quintana reached the top of l'Alpe d'Huez and gained some time back, Froome held on to his overall lead and will wear the yellow jersey into Paris on Sunday. Quintana’s efforts came too late to make him a serious danger. He finished 1:20 ahead of Froome, and gained two seconds in bonuses. The day ended with the Colombian 1:12 down in GC, followed by his teammate Valverde in third at 5:25, Nibali fourth at 8:36 and Contador fifth at 9:48.
It was the last day for most riders to accomplish anything, and a fearsome stage for many. The attacks started as soon as the flag was dropped. Alexandre Geniez (FdJ) was the first to jump, and seemingly half the peloton tried to join him. Within four kilometers, only Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale-Garmin) had caught up, and soon Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) and Lars Ytting Bak (Lotto-Soudal) were there as well.
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