Tour leader stays safe in crash-filled stage
PAU, France — Ahead of two grueling days filled with some truly punishing ascents, the main contenders on the Tour de France were all hoping that Wednesday would be a nice, relaxed day on the bike. It didn’t happen.
Instead of what riders call a “transition” day, with a comfortable run to the gateway to the Pyrenees mountains, Stage 11 proved to be a brutal experience for some of the top riders after a series of crashes left them nursing cuts and bruises.
When crosswinds started making the bunch nervous toward the end of the
203.5-kilometer (126-mile) stage from Eymet to Pau, the stress became palpable and led to several crashes at the back of the peloton.
German sprinter Marcel Kittel steered clear of trouble and claimed the stage in a sprint finish, taking his tally to five stage wins since the race started.
But Frenchman Romain Bardet, who is third overall behind race leader Chris Froome, was not so fortunate. He hit the deck and slightly hurt his knee, but the
AG2R La Mondiale rider was able to continue after changing bikes and did not lose any time.
“It was a nervous day and I was caught in a crash,” said Bardet, trying to become the first Frenchman to win the Tour since Bernard Hinault last managed the feat in 1985.
“It’s never enjoyable to fall. I just have to soak it up and to wait for better days.”
Two-time champion Alberto Contador went down twice, while second-place Fabio Aru lost one of his Astana teammates when Dario Cataldo was forced to retire with a broken wrist after a crash in the feed zone midway through the stage.
Fifth-place Jakob Fuglsang, another Astana rider expected to play a key role alongside Aru in the mountains, was caught in the same crash. He was able to reach the finish, but Astana sports director Dmitry Fofonov said Fuglsang also had a wrist injury.
“It was a nervous day,” Froome said of the crashes. “Everything was good on our side.”
Froome kept his overall lead intact ahead of the big battle in the Pyrenees. He has an 18 second-lead over Aru, with Bardet 51 seconds off the pace. Trailing 55 seconds behind Froome in the general classification, Rigoberto Uran remains in contention and Fuglsang is still within reach of the podium, 1:37 behind the yellow jersey.
Today’s stage will be extremely difficult, with six categorized climbs — three of them either rated Category 1 or “hors categorie” — beyond categorizing. It features a short, but steep uphill finish at an altitude of 1,580 meters (5,200 feet).
Froome described the finish as “quite savage.”
“If someone blows in those few hundred meters, there could be some really significant time gaps,” the Team Sky leader said. “One of the really key stages of this year’s race.”
Froome also expects Contador to try and wreak havoc during Friday’s shorter stage to Foix. Contador has already lost 5:15 overall, but could still ruin the Team Sky masterplan with some relentless attacks on his favorite ground.
“He’s never shy to attack from far out. We’d be ready for that,” said Froome, adding that his team is “not going to allow anyone to come back on GC (General Classification).”
A sprint specialist, Kittel has now won 14 Tour de France stages in five appearances at cycling’s showcase event, a record for a German rider.