FROOME FACES ‘EVEREST’ ALPS
Jenny keeps her cool to help England into World Cup Final
JENNY GUNN used her “nerves of steel” to see England into a Lord’s World Cup Final with just two balls to spare against South Africa in Bristol.
GARY BALLANCE is out of next week’s third Test against South Africa at the Oval after an X-ray confirmed he has a broken left index finger.
The absence of Ballance (right) means England could give a debut to Surrey’s Mark Stoneman, who coach Trevor Bayliss has never seen play live. Other names in the frame include Dawid Malan and Tom Westley, who may yet be called up with Liam Dawson struggling to keep his place. Bayliss said: “I’ve not seen Stoneman bat live. “You have to trust the other selectors.” CHRIS FROOME will channel the British & Irish Lions’ spirit when the Tour de France swings into the Alps today – this is his Everest.
If Froome (below) can emerge from the next two days of uphill slog at the top of the leaderboard, he will not need to worry about Saturday’s time trial to seal his fourth Yellow Jersey in five years.
And as he prepared for the challenge, he admitted: “The next two days will be the biggest of this year’s race.”
Twenty years ago, Lions coach Jim Telfer roused his troops before the first rugby Test in South Africa with the famous line: “This is your f ****** Everest, boys.”
When Froome peers up at the forbidding slopes awaiting him here, he could be forgiven for thinking the same as he bids to keep Fabio Aru, Romain Bardet and Rigoberto Uran at a safe distance.
After 68hr 18min 36secs in the saddle, Froome has ridden almost a perfect race – and yet he is still only 18secs ahead.
Today he faces the unspeakable slopes of the Col de la Croix de Fer and one of Le Tour’s signature climbs, the Galibier.
Nobody enjoys going uphill more than Froome, however, and he said: “I do believe the next two days will be the most important consecutively in this year’s Tour de France.
“There are four of us within half a minute of each other and it’s hard to say whether we will basically be chasing each other’s shadows or if it’s going to be blown wide open.“
Aussie Michael Matthews yesterday won his second stage in three days.