Aru surprises on mountain
Italian claims Stage 5 with big burst
By The Associated Press
CHAMPAGNEY, France — After losing two of its biggest stars in one horrible crash, the Tour de France needed a boost.
Italy’s Fabio Aru answered the call.
On the first mountain climb of this 104th Tour, after the lower altitudes where Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan were forced out of the race — the first with a broken shoulder,the second disqualified — Aru showed Wednesday he could be the man to beat by leaving three-time champion Chris Froome in his wake.
Aru zoomed away from other top riders. He made the punishing climb to La Planche des Belles Filles ski station in France’s Vosges mountains look like a speed bump.
Froome played down Aru’s show of strength in winning Stage 5, noting there are still 16 more days of racing to go. But the 32year-old veteran acknowledged making a rookie’s mistake by not reacting quickly enough when the 26-year-old Sardinian slammed his pedals.
Along the steep crowdlined hairpin bends through dense pines, Aru rose from his saddle and rocked from side to side, gobbling up the mountain.
“This is going to be the hardest-fought battle I’ve had,” Froome said. “We definitely cannot give Fabio that kind of space again.”
Wednesday’s 100-mile ride started in the spa town of Vittel.
At the foot of the 3.1-mile finishing climb to an altitude 3,395 feet, everything seemed to be going to plan for Froome. His Sky teammates were powering up the ascent ahead of him, leading their champion up at a fierce pace aimed at dissuading other riders from attacking.
Aru hadn’t read the script.
His sudden acceleration came with more than 1.5 miles left to climb, When Froome finally reacted, upping his tempo, it was too late: Aru was gone.
A consolation: Froome took the leader’s yellow jersey from teammate Geraint Thomas.
Stage 6 on Thursday cuts through flatter Champagne country from Vesoul to Troyes.