Thomas looks to cement Tour lead in final mountain leg

PAU, FRANCE » Arnaud Demare was rewarded Thursday for hauling his muscular frame over the Alps and through the Pyrenees.

Geraint Thomas, meanwhile, is preparing to cement his hold on the yellow jersey in Friday’s final mountain test of the Tour de France.

After many of his competitors were unable to get through the mountains, Demare took advantage by dominating a mass sprint in Stage 18.

It marked the first victory by a French team, Groupama-FDJ, in this year’s race.

Sprinters Fernando Gaviria of Colombia and Dylan Groenewegen — who had each won two stages in this Tour — called it quits during Stage 12 to Alpe d’Huez. That came a day after Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel, who have a combined 44 Tour stage wins between them, failed to make the time cut on another mountain leg.

Demare said he was motivated by an accusation on social media from Andre Greipel, a top German sprinter, who alleged that Demare held on to his team car on the way up the grueling Col du Portet in Stage 17.

Demare finished Wednesday’s stage second to last but managed to avoid the time cut as thousands of French spectators cheered him on.

Greipel, who also quit in Stage 12, later apologized on Twitter, saying he had relied on “incorrect” information.

“It hurt me enormously,” Demare said. “It’s a shame that people cast doubts over my performance and my hard work . ... I thought a lot about (Greipel) today. It’s not in my mindset or my philosophy to (cheat). I worked hard in the mountains before the Tour and, as a result, I made it through mountain stages when most of the sprinters did not.”

Demare, who failed to make the cut on a climb in the Alps last year, had time to celebrate as he crossed the line with his arms wide open ahead of fellow Frenchman Christophe Laporte.

Alexander Kristoff of Norway crossed third in the same time.

After two grueling days in the Pyrenees, Thomas was able to enjoy his seventh day in the yellow jersey during the less challenging 171-kilometer (106-mile) leg from Trie-Sur-Baise to Pau, which featured only two minor climbs and a flat finish.

Thomas remained 1 minute, 59 seconds ahead of Tom Dumoulin with the Welshman’s Sky teammate and four-time champion Chris Froome third, 2:31 behind.

Only two challenging stages remain — a lengthy leg through the Pyrenees on Friday including three major climbs, then a technical individual time trial on Saturday — before the mostly ceremonial finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday.

Stage 19 starts in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes and takes the peloton over legendary climbs like the Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aubisque.

“We’re expecting the worst, hoping for the best . ... It’s the last mountain stage and I think guys will try to take every opportunity they can,” Thomas said. “But we’ve been riding real well the whole race, so hopefully we can keep that going for one more day.”