Froome girds himself for rivals’ onslaught
CHRIS FROOME’S leadership of the Tour de France remained intact last night after a frenzied eighth stage through the Jura mountains to Station des Rousses was won by 24-year-old Lilian Calmejane of France.
‘We weren’t expecting it to be quite as intense as it was today,’ Froome said after the finish. ‘That was a really tough day, especially with tomorrow in mind.’
Ireland’s Nicholas Roche was one of those putting the pressure on by the end of yesterday’s stage as he finished fourth on a hectic day’s racing.
‘It was full on, all day,’ said fellow Irishman Dan Martin. ‘It was a really brutal stage but everybody was also cautious before tomorrow. But the way Sky rode, everything was closed down.’
Martin is still in the overall chasing pack as he sits fourth in those standings, hot on the tails of Froome.
However, on the hot and undulating 187.5km road from Dole to Station des Rousses it was Calmejane (Direct Energie) who reigned supreme.
The Frenchman with a string of top results to his name already this season took a solo win some 37 seconds ahead of Robert Gesink (LottoNl-Jumbo).
As ever, Froome was quick to acknowledge the hard work of his team-mates. ‘The team were fantastic,’ he said. ‘From start to finish, we were in control of the race. The pressure was on. We had a lot of guys up at the front who were a real threat and the team really had to pull out all the stops.’
Ironically, in a high-speed stage full of relentless attacking, there was no change in the overall standings, although Froome survived one near miss, as he opted to ride on to the grass verge on one tight corner rather than risk sliding off on a rapid descent.
Instead it was his key lieutenant, Geraint Thomas, the first yellow jersey of this Tour, who took a tumble, although the Welshman, as he has proved time and time again in his years riding the Tour, doesn’t take fright easily.
‘I was coming up to the front after going back for bottles when I went into a corner a bit too hot,’ Thomas explained after the stage, blood running down his left leg.
‘I was looking to my side and a split second late braking. I hit the gravel and it was either go into the trees or hit the hay bale, so I chose the hay bale.’
But Thomas, who will play a key support role to Froome in today’s brutal mountain stage, is made of stern stuff.
‘It took the scab off where I crashed the other day, but I got lucky really.’
Froome said: ‘That’s just a little bit of a reminder of how quickly things can change in the Tour. One minute everything is going well, the next you’re in the ditch.’
It was Team Sky’s only significant wobble on a day when the team, who began this Tour being described as ‘vulnerable’, again displayed their collective strength.
But they will also, like most observers, have been perplexed by the tactics of pre-race favourite Richie Porte’s BMC Racing team, who once again seemed eager to use up the energies of the Australian’s key helpers on the eve of what many believe will be the hardest stage of the race.
‘Tactically it was interesting,’ Froome said. ‘We went with having riders up in the break but there were other riders who were also threats in the overall classification. So it was a tough day.’
Now, the defending champion’s attention turns to what many consider this year’s hardest stage, the 181.5-km route from Nantua to Chambery, which includes seven climbs.
‘It will be a decisive stage of this year’s Tour, and we could see the gaps opening up among the guys going for the general classification,’ said Froome. ‘It is not just the steep climbs that will worry the main contenders, but also the many downhills, especially the descent from the final climb.’
‘It’ll be a true test of excellence.’