Tough time trial for Thomas

GERAINT Thomas faded in the second half of yesterday’s time trial at the Criterium du Dauphine to remain eighth overall.

Thomas was fastest through the intermediate time check on the lumpy 16.4km route from Firminy to Roche-La-Moliere, but ultimately clocked the 10th best time, 23 seconds down on Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko’s stage-winning mark of 21 minutes 36 seconds.

Bora-Hansgrohe’s Lukas Postlberger matched Thomas’ time, retaining the yellow and blue jersey by one second from Lutsenko, as Thomas stayed in eighth, still 24 seconds down.

That put the Welshman eight seconds behind his Ineos Grenadiers’ team-mate Richie Porte, who moved up to seventh on the day.

However, it proved another tough day for Chris Froome, back at the race where a crash on his time trial bike two years ago changed everything for the fourtime Tour de France winner.

Froome was overtaken by Nils Politt out on course as he could only clock the 93rd best time, more than two minutes down on Lutsenko.

The 36-year-old Israel Start-Up Nation rider now sits 57th overall, having lost five minutes and 43 seconds in the opening four days.

Meanwhile, the Ineos Grenadiers have announced that Tom Pidcock will miss the upcoming Tour de Suisse after suffering a broken collarbone in a training crash in Andorra on Monday.

Pidcock, 21, was due to make his return to the road this weekend, having taken time out last month to race his mountain bike in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.