Froome in control... now for a final trial of strength
THERE are two more competitive stages to navigate and tomorrow’s time trial in Marseille is one Chris Froome still needs to execute to perfection if he is going to protect the slim advantage he has over Rigoberto Uran.
The Colombian has managed to beat Froome in five of the 11 such battles against the clock they have so far contested.
But after a quite stunning ascent of the Col d’Izoard here yesterday afternoon, a fourth Tour de France title in five years certainly now appears to be within Froome’s grasp.
A mountain the professionals refer to as ‘It’s So Hard’ had never been made to look so easy, five riders slicing more than two minutes off the record for the punishing 14.1km rise to a barren yet breathtaking summit.
A record previously held by the 2010 Tour winner, Andy Schleck, was destroyed by Warren Barguil, the young Frenchman marking his capture of the Polka Dot jersey with a brilliant stage victory.
Froome, however, wasas only 20 seconds behind with hisis main rivals, Uran and Romainmain Bardet, for company.ny. Schleck conquered thehe Col in 40min 40sec backk in 2011.
Barguil’s new record stands at 38.15 — an astonishing time.
Fourth place for Froome does mean he could become only the seventh rider in Tourr history to win the racece without securing a stageage victory if he does not now prove quickest over the 22.5km course in Marseille.
But the double Olympic bronze medallist for the discipline is sure to pursue the win, if only to make certain of stopping Uran cutting into the 29- second lead he currently enjoys over his former Team Sky colleague.
Froome will know that it was only in the opening time trial in 2015 that Uran last beat him, on that day over 13.8km.
Just as he will know the 51-second margin of victory he secured against Uran in the opening time trial this year owed much to the contrasting weather conditions ththe two riders had faced in Dusseldorf. Yesterday only two seconds sseparated them, with Bardet stealing ffouro bonus secseconds to leapfrogfrog Uran into seconsecond place, 23 secondseconds adrift of FroomeFroome. ForFo Bardet, however, shortage of talent at time-trialling would appear to spell the end of his challenge for the yellow jersey. Bardet had to break Froome yesterday and with 3km to go — by then Barguil had already launched what proved a successful pursuit of the last surviving breakaway riders — last year’s runner-up attempted to do just that, only for Froome and Uran to quickly close the gap. Froome then attacked some 500m later — having sent super-domestique, Mikel Landa, ahead to wait for him in support — just before the road descended briefly at Le Caisse Desert. What appeared a significant gap did open up but after the brief downhill section the tarmac ramps up to the steepest gradient of the climb — around 16 per cent.
And before that section had been navigated Froome, Uran and Bardet were back together, with Bardet saving himself for a final surge to the line in pursuit of those bonus seconds.
If Froome had said he would try to win the stage prior to yesterday’s start, he remained content enough with the outcome.
‘It would have been amazing to win today but if I get to Paris in yellow I will have no regrets about this year’s Tour,’ he said.
He was typically cautious about the overall lead, though. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s quite done yet even if the toughest part of the race, the Alps and the Pyrenees, is now behind us,’ he said.
‘It’s still very close and I’d say Uran now seems to be my biggest threat in the time trial.’