Rowdy Tour fans tarnish win for Thomas atop Alpe d’Huez

ALPE D’HUEZ, FRANCE » One of cycling’s big attractions is that fans don’t have to pay to watch — and they can get as close as they want to the riders.

The sport paid for that unlimited access Thursday when unruly spectators interrupted the most iconic climb of the Tour de France.

With fans pressing too close to an elite group of riders at the conclusion of the 21 hairpin bends up to Alpe d’Huez, top contender Vincenzo Nibali crashed into a police motorbike and later withdrew from the race, fourtime champion Chris Froome received some undesired contact on his back, and yellow jersey holder Geraint Thomas was booed on the podium.

“If people don’t like Sky and want to boo, that’s fine. Boo all you like, but don’t affect the race,” Thomas said. “Don’t touch the riders. Don’t spit at us. Voice your opinions all you want but let us do the racing.”

Attitudes toward Sky soured when Froome was involved in an asthma drug case stemming from last year’s Spanish Vuelta — even though he was cleared of wrongdoing just days before the Tour started.

Froome is attempting to match the record of five Tour victories shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Thomas sprinted away from Sky teammate Froome and a couple of other riders to win Stage 12, becoming the first rider in Tour history to win atop Huez in the yellow jersey.

Lance Armstrong won an individual time trial up Huez in 2004 while wearing yellow but that victory was later stripped for doping.

“Unbelievable. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would win up here,” Thomas said. “It’s one of those things that’s going to stay with me for the rest of my life.”

But Thomas acknowledged that Nibali’s crash took some of the luster away from his victory.

Thomas rode over Nibali’s rear wheel — when the Italian went down — but managed to stay upright. Nibali, the 2014 champion got back up but finished seventh in the stage, then was taken to the local hospital for medical tests for a suspected back injury.