Froome emerges from crash to extend lead
SAINT-GERVAIS-LES-BAINS,
If Chris Froome FRANCE — wins the Tour de France on Sunday, it won’t have been an easy ride to the Champs Elysees.
After a pile-up forced him to run up part of Mont Ventoux last week, the two-time champion escaped from another crash Friday during a chaotic and spectacular penultimate Alpine stage in stormy and wet weather.
Two days before the ceremonial ride to Paris, rain played havoc at the Tour, causing many crashes and reshuffling places in the general classification. But Froome was lucky enough to escape with no serious injury, and even emerge with a bigger lead overall.
“A crash like that could have gone either way, and I’m grateful that nothing is injured,” Froome said. “Never a quiet day on the Tour.”
Since he took his rivals by surprise with a daring downhill attack that earned him the race leader’s yellow jersey on the eighth stage, media reports have portrayed Froome as the inevitable winner. Day after day, as his overall lead built up, Froome kept insisting that the Tour was not over.
Friday’s 19th stage proved him right.
Froome, who won the Tour in 2013 and 2015 and crashed out of the 2014 race, hit the ground with former Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali in a descent, soon after Romain Bardet launched a decisive attack to post the first French victory at this year’s race.
Froome did not panic, quickly borrowed a teammate’s bike and salvaged his torn yellow jersey after crossing the finish line 36 seconds behind Bardet. The Frenchman climbed to second place overall after Froome’s previous closest rival, Bauke Mollema, crashed and never recovered.
Froome increased his lead by 19 seconds, holding a lead of 4 minutes, 11 seconds over Bardet, with two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia moving up to third, 4:27 back.
Froome slipped on road paint as he crossed a white line and hit the ground just 13.5 kilometers (8 miles) from the finish of the 146-kilometer (91-mile) ride to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc featuring four ascents.
He was able to continue racing after swapping bikes with teammate Geraint Thomas.