Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Chris cuts gap after day three
BMC edged out Team Sky for victory in the stage three team time trial at the Tour de France but Chris Froome was able to wipe out many of the losses suffered in Saturday’s chaotic opener.
What had once been viewed as an opportunity to make time had become a chance to gain it back after Froome lost 51 seconds to his main rivals on Saturday.
And though Sky missed out on victory – and a chance to put Geraint Thomas in the yellow jersey – Froome was able to eradicate the deficit to many of the other contenders.
BMC proved the class of the field though, completing the 35.5km circuit around Cholet in a time of 38 minutes 46 seconds, four seconds ahead of Sky, to put Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet in yellow.
Quick-step Floors nicked third place in a time of 38:53, while Adam Yates’ Mitchelton-scott team were a further two seconds behind before some much larger time gaps further down the order.
That meant that Froome, Yates and BMC’S Porte were all able to take a chunk of time back on several key rivals after suffering losses on stage one.
Movistar could only manage 10th place on the day, 50 seconds off Sky’s pace, which meant Froome is almost back on level terms with Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde while Nairo Quintana drops even further back after his opening day woes.
Ireland’s Dan Martin’s UAE Team Emirates could only manage 15th place, one minute 39 seconds off the winning time, after key man Oliviero Troia suffered an early puncture.