Thomas senses victory despite madcap antics

THE wacky races at the Tour de France continued yesterday as Chris Froome collided with a gendarme after the race and Team Sky colleague Geraint Thomas survived a spectator’s bid to pull him from his bike near the stage finish. Both incidents happened on the final climb to the summit of the Col du Portet in the French Pyrenees, the highest point in this year’s race. Froome was going from the finish line to his team bus but crashed after he was mistaken for a fan by an over-zealous policeman and hauled off the road. Team Sky described it as a misunderstanding and said their rider was uninjured. Later, pictures emerged on social media of a fan reaching out to try and grab Thomas’s arm as he accelerated towards the finish line and move further clear of both Froome and Tom Dumoulin. Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford said the atmosphere in the Pyrenees was ‘quieter’, but resentment over Team Sky’s domination of the Tour is still simmering. As defending champion Froome struggled, Thomas rode on with rivals Dumoulin and Primoz Roglic, to further strengthen his claim towards overall victory in Paris on Sunday. ‘I think I am in a good position now,’ the Welshman said. ‘But I am not going to change my approach. As soon as you start getting carried away, it goes downhill.’ Froome added: ‘It was a tough day, an intense day, but I’ve got no regrets. ‘I think Geraint’s got an almost two-minute lead on Dumoulin which is a comfortable buffer. He looks pretty strong and I imagine he’ll be able to finish it off in Paris. We just need to look after him now for these next few days.’