TOUR DE FRANCE MAN OF STRAW
Unlucky Thomas crashes again as Froome holds on to yello w jersey SLOW ROWE IS NOT OUT OF THE WOOD
GERAINT THOMAS has gone from yellow fever to hay fever after he suffered his third crash in this year’s Tour de France and landed in a haystack.
Lucky Thomas, who held the race leader’s iconic jersey after the first stage, overcooked a tight bend on a rapid descent in the steamy Jura here and went over the handlebars after hitting the barriers.
But Team Sky’s indestructible Welsh wingman managed to climb back in the saddle after his third accident in eight days because he landed in some bales of hay.
Brutal
And as Chris Froome preserved his lead ahead of today’s monster stage featuring four brutal climbs, Thomas was happy to emerge in one piece from his latest spillage.
Thomas, the early race leader after his triumph in last weekend’s time trial prologue in Dusseldorf, was involved in two pile-ups in the yellow jersey.
He also hit a telegraph pole on stage 16 two years ago, crashed out of the Olympic road race in Rio last summer and had to abandon the Giro d’Italia two months ago after colliding with a badly- parked police motorbike.
But Thomas is from the Dai hard school of knocks, and after his roll in the hay he admitted this latest prang was his fault, CHRIS FROOME’S road captain Luke Rowe is struggling to avoid the dreaded lanterne rouge – the Tour de France wooden spoon.
Rowe (right) trailed home 190th out of 193 survivors in the peloton, 37 minutes 33 seconds behind stage saying: “I had just gone back for bottles and got back to the front when I went into a corner a bit too hot.
“I was looking to my side and the boys were breaking, then there was a splitsecond delay and we hit the gravel.
“It was a choice between going into the trees or the hay bales, so I chose the hay. I front-flipped, but it was a better option than the woods.”
Va Va Froome also went off-road with Thomas in the same incident, but managed to stay in the saddle.
Scary
He said: “It’s another reminder of how quickly things can change – one minute you are in control and the next you are in the ditch with your team-mate over the barriers lying next to you. “It’s pretty scary. You can’t foresee a corner that twists back on itself a bit more than you expected.” Froome expects t he general classification to be blown wide open on today’s long haul from Nantua to Chambery, adding: “It’s going to be a monster stage, especially as there will be some tired legs after the fast pace today. “I expect the last climb, up the Mont du Chat, to be the decisive climb of the Tour and there will be some big gaps opening up between the general classification contenders.” Despite cramp with three miles to go, French rider Lilian Calmejane (left) held on to win the eighth stage. Belgian Robert Gesink’s attempt to close him down fell short by 37 seconds, while Froome, second-placed Thomas and their main general classification rivals rolled home together. winner Lilian Calmejane, at the Station des Rousses ski resort just over the border from Switzerland.
The Team Sky domestique is now just one from the bottom of the pile in the general classification and must mind the Gac – with only Olivier Le Gac of French team FDJ behind him on the clock. Rowe began the day watching the British and Irish Lions’ draw with the All Blacks on the Team Sky bus.
He tweeted: “Not the biggest screen in the world but gonna enjoy the hour transfer to the start today.”
But he was less comfortable on the 5hr 7min transfer from Dole to the Jura slopes, sailing close to being eliminated for going over the time limit. Sky insiders insist Rowe was not ill, but preserving his energy for today’s queen stage where champion Froome will need all hands on deck.
As a rule of thumb – depending on the difficulty of the stage – riders are not allowed to take more than 18 per cent of a stage winner’s time.