Chris Froome holds on to win Tour, Thibaut Pinot triumphs on Alpe d'Huez
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Updated 25/07/2015 at 20:34 GMT
Britain’s Chris Froome survived a spirited fightback from Nairo Quintana of Colombia to secure his second Tour de France title as Frenchman Thibaut Pinot won a dramatic stage 20 at Alpe d'Huez, writes Felix Lowe.
Great Britain's Christopher Froome (C), wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, is pictured with Sky team members after he crossed the finish line at the end of the 110,5 km twentieth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on Ju
Image credit: AFP
Quintana, the pint-sized climber from the Spanish Movistar team, put in a series of stinging attacks at the start of the final 13.8km climb before finally edging clear of his Team Sky rival Froome with 9km remaining.
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Colombia's Nairo Quintana (L), wearing the best young's white jersey, shakes hands with Great Britain's Christopher Froome, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, prior to the start of the 110,5 km twentieth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de
Image credit: AFP
But Froome dug deep on the famous 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez and thanks to some superb work from team-mates Richie Porte and Wout Poels managed to limit his losses at the end of the short and sharp stage from Modane.
Froome will now ride into Paris on Sunday wearing the yellow jersey and holding a 1min 12sec advantage over second-place Quintana.
“It was only 110 kilometres but it felt like 300 kilometres today,” said an exhausted but ecstatic Froome at the finish.
“I can’t quite come to terms with it just yet. There were so many emotions going through my mind on that last climb,” the 30-year-old added.
“There were moments when I thought, ‘Woah, I could lose this!’, but then Richie and Wout did such a great job helping me up. I was on my limit, I was hurting, I had to find something else to keep pushing.”
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Team Sky rider Chris Froome of Britain sprints at the finish line at the Tour de France
Image credit: Reuters
Asked how it was to now be a two-time Tour de France champion, Froome said: “It’s unreal. I haven’t quite taken it on board yet.”
Pinot became the third Frenchman in succession to win on the legendary Alpine climb after Pierre Rolland in 2011 and Christophe Riblon in 2013.
The FDJ rider dropped fellow escapee Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) inside the final 6.5km before holding off Quintana’s late surge to take the second Tour stage win of his career by 18 seconds.
Canada's Hesjedal took third place at 41 seconds before Quintana's team-mate Alejandro Valverde crossed the line alongside a very relieved Froome at 1:38.
Quintana added six bonus seconds to his 1:20 numerical advantage over his rival – but it was not enough to see the 25-year-old swap his white jersey as the best young rider to the yellow of overall leader and race winner.
It is the second time in two attempts that Quintana has finished second behind Froome in the Tour de France following his debut race two years ago.
Meanwhile, Pinot’s victory marked the third stage win for the host nation – and a first for his FDJ team after a largely troubled Tour for the rider who finished third in Paris last year.
“For the French Alpe d’Huez is one of the pinnacles of cycling and the most beautiful stage to win,” said 25-year-old Pinot, winner himself of the white jersey in 2012.
“I had a lot of bad luck but also some good days this year, and I had to fight hard for my stage win. It’s so emotional to have won such an iconic stage. It’s so special and I’ll remember this forever.”
Europcar’s Rolland, who was part of the break alongside Pinot and Hesjedal, finished sixth ahead of Australian Porte, whose relentless pacing on the final climb of the Tour could well have been the difference for his Sky team-mate in yellow.
Fifth place atop Alpe d’Huez was also enough for Froome to win the king of the mountains competition after leap-frogging Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2R-La Mondiale) in the battle for the polka dot jersey.
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Great Britain's Christopher Froome celebrates his overall leader yellow jersey on the podium at the end of the 110,5 km twentieth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 25, 2015
Image credit: AFP
HIGHLIGHTS
1- DRAMA ON THE CROIX DE FER DRAMA
After an opening descent of 25km four riders – including Pinot’s FDJ team-mate Alexandre Geniez – started the first of two climbs of the day with an advantage of over six minutes on a cagy peloton.
On the 29km long Croix de Fer climb there was a flurry of activity as numerous riders tried their hand at joining the leaders – but it was not until the Movistar team of Quintana and Valverde joined forces with Vincenzo Nibali’s Astana that the real drama began.
With Froome’s Sky team whittled down to the bare essentials, Spanish national champion Valverde attacked with 5km remaining of the climb and he was soon joined by Quintana as the race exploded in their wake.
The only riders able to respond were Froome and Nibali after Spaniard Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) started to stutter near the summit. The gaps were minimal going over the top – but while the race came back together on the long descent, Movistar had exposed a chink in Froome's yellow armour.
2-FDJ AND THE FRENCH ROLL THE DICE
Back with the leaders and it was Geniez who made the first move. Despite suffering a rear puncture midway through the climb of the Croix de Fer, the 27-year-old Frenchman soloed clear of his three fellow escapees to build up a lead of one minute at the summit.
After the race favourites regrouped on the descent there were a number of counter-attacks – most notably by former Alpe d’Huez victor Rolland, the rangy Hesjedal and that man Pinot.
The tactics of Mark Madiot’s FDJ were spot on with the French team having Geniez starting the final climb with over two minutes on a chasing group of nine riders, including Pinot, and four minutes over the second yellow jersey group.
Pinot and Hesjedal were the strongest from the break, and once the brave Geniez was caught with 8.5km remaining, FDJ were able to use their numerical advantage to isolate Hesjedal.
The eventual stage winner made his decisive attack just ahead of the chaotic ‘Dutch Corner’ with around 6km remaining. What a day for him, his team and the host nation.
3.MOVISTAR MAGIC
The Croix de Fer was indeed a mere taster of what was to come – and Movistar definitely delivered a dish to savour. Once again it was Valverde who paved the way after a succession of early attacks by Quintana softened the opposition and blew the pack to pieces.
Valverde rode clear with 10km remaining and was joined by Quintana after he dropped with hammer on an exposed Froome moments later. The Movistar pair rode a high tempo until they caught up with team-mate Winner Anacona, who was part of that earlier counter-attack with Pinot, Hesjedal and Rolland.
Fellow Colombian Anacona then took up the relaying for Quintana with 8km remaining. His work done, Valverde dropped back to the yellow jersey group, where he sat on Froome’s back wheel.
Quintana and Anacona rode in tandem, passing Rolland and the remnants of the break before the white jersey struck out with 4.5km remaining – when the gap over Froome was 30 seconds.
A series of unseated surges saw Quintana keep on eating into Pinot’s lead while increasing his advantage over Froome. But in the end there were just not enough uphill kilometres left – despite what was a truly mighty display from Movistar.
MAN OF THE DAY
It may seem crazy not choosing a Frenchman winning on Alpe d’Huez or the Colombian who almost did the impossible on the penultimate day of the race.
But what perhaps stopped Quintana prising the yellow from Froome's shoulders was the quite astonishing work done by Sky duo Poels and Porte. In particular, Porte deserves special mention for dragging his friend around those 21 hairpins when an upset could well have been on the cards.
Porte may be leaving Sky for pastures new, but his titanic effort on Saturday ensures he leaves on the very best of terms.
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Great Britain's Christopher Froome (C), wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in a breakaway ahead of Spain's Alejandro Valverde (L) and behind Australia's Richie Porte during the 110,5 km twentieth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de Fr
Image credit: AFP
BIGGEST LOSER
Karma came back to bite the Shark in the backside after Vincenzo Nibali suffered a puncture just moments ahead of the final climb. Accused by Froome of unsporting behaviour by attacking after the yellow jersey had a mechanical issue during Friday’s stage 19, Nibali had a taste of his own medicine less than 24 hours later.
A bike change meant Nibali had to fight back for the first two kilometres of the climb. And once the Italian finally rejoined the leaders, he could see his rival for the third place on the podium – Valverde – ride off on his decisive attack. Nibali finished 15th in the stage almost two minutes down on Valverde, who he now trails by over three minutes on GC.
COMING UP
Stage 21 of the Tour is a largely processional 109.5km ride from Sevres to the centre of Paris that will culminate in the traditional 10-lap city circuit on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees.
THE STAGE IN A TWEET
Had Quintana not lost so much time in the crosswinds in Zeeland things could have been very different...
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