Flying Froome back in yellow jersey
Chris Froome got his hands back on the yellow jersey with a stunning downhill attack to win stage eight of the Tour de France.
The defending champion led a group over the top of the Col de Peyresourde and accelerated away, taking victory by 13 seconds from Ireland’s Dan Martin of Etixx- QuickStep.
With BMC’s Greg van Avermaet dropped early on a challenging day in the Pyrenees, Team Sky’s Froome took the lead.
It was the fifth victory for a British rider in the first eight stages of this Tour.
But Froome hopes all the energy he exerted doesn’t come back to haunt him today in what promises to be another punishing ride.
The 31-year- old said: “It wasn’t really planned. I thought I’d give it a try in the downhill as the few tries on the climb didn’t work out.
“They were sticking to us. So I decided to give it a go on the descent. It was cool.
“Bike racing is fun but maybe I spent a little bit too much. Tomorrow will be a hard stage.”
Froome’s remarkable style on the descent led to comparisons with Graham Obree, the eccentric Scot who twice broke the world hour record in the 1990s.
Sky team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: “You kind of think of Graham Obree and that eccentric British element.
“Everyone thinks about Chris going uphi l l, not down. But he t a kes opportunities when he can.”