Chris Froome (Team Sky) has come through his first genuine test in yellow at the Tour de France, finishing safely in the main field on stage 8 despite an incident that saw him briefly forced off the road. Now all eyes turn to stage 9 on Sunday, a day that could significantly change the complexion of this year's race.
Many are calling stage 9 from Nantua to Chambery the hardest day of this year's Tour de France, and with seven categorised climbs on the route, Froome is expecting the general classification to dramatically change by the end of the day.
Froome safely navigated a potentially tricky stage 8, with his Sky teammates put to work for the first time in this year's race. On a day that finished well ahead of schedule – such was the ferocity at which the peloton rode – Team Sky were forced to chase a dangerous break containing AG2R La Mondiale's Pierre Latour, the highly talented young Frenchman who started the stage just a minute off the yellow jersey.
ADVERTISEMENT
Froome sent two men up the road to mark the break before setting the rest of his squad to work at the front of the main field. It was a relentlessly tough stage, and although it pales in comparison to stage 9 in terms of profile, there was no let up in pace. In the end, Latour's aggression was neutralised and Froome continues to lead his teammate Geraint Thomas by 12 seconds, with Fabio Aru (Astana) and several other contenders waiting in the wings.
There are currently 14 riders within 90 seconds of the race lead, and that will almost certainly change on Sunday. The profile will determine not just who can't win this year's race but also who is a genuine threat to Froome's well-established throne.
There are several points at which Froome could be tested, but the final ascent of the day – the brutally tough Mont du Chat – will be decisive. The stage finishes several kilometres after the highly technical descent but the ascent in itself, with its pitches of 15 per cent, will cause havoc. Froome was briefly dropped on the climb during the Criterium du Dauphine in June, and for the last two days, he has talked up the climb's significance. This could be where he tries to win the race – his new first mountain summit of the race, if you will.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2u53UPu
No comments:
Post a Comment