Broken spokes work to Martin’s advantage

MUR DE BRETAGNE, France — Sometimes in cycling the bike can be the rider’s biggest enemy.

Tour de France contenders Tom Dumoulin and Romain Bardet both lost significant time in the overall standings after spokes on their wheels snapped near the uphill end of Stage 6 on Thursday.

Both title hopefuls were left behind by the rest of the top riders as they increased the pace hunting for the victory that finally went to Daniel Martin of Ireland.

Dumoulin said his bike broke when he knocked into Bardet near the foot of the second of two 11/4-mile ascents up the Mur de Bretagne to the finish line.

Dumoulin and his Sunweb team compounded the mechanical mishap by getting a 20-second penalty when Dumoulin stayed too close to the team car while trying to catch the pack, thereby benefiting from its draft that pulled him along.

Dumoulin and Bardet entered the three-week race among the chosen few riders considered strong enough to challenge fourtime champion Chris Froome.

Dumoulin, the time trial world champion and 2017 Giro d’Italia winner, started the stage 44 seconds ahead of Froome, but finished just behind him. Froome trails race leader Greg Van Avermaet by 1:02. Dumoulin is one more second behind.

Bardet was already trailing Froome, and after losing 28 seconds is now 1:45 off the leader’s pace after he broke his back wheel and had to change bikes with Tony Gallopin.

Martin took the win for UAE Emirates after he broke away on the final half-mile, winning the 112-mile leg that started in the western port city of Brest in over four hours.

Pierre Latour crossed the line second followed by Alejandro Valverde in third.

Van Avermaet, a BMC support rider for Porte, kept the yellow jersey for a third consecutive day.

Froome’s teammate Geraint Thomas moved into second place overall at three seconds behind Van Avermaet after an intermediate bonus sprint.

This was the first summit finish of this Tour. After the relatively flat first nine days, the race will head south and into the Alps and then the Pyrenees Mountains.

Today’s flat 143½-mile leg from Fougeres to Chartes is the longest stage of this Tour.