Wheel problems costly to contenders
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 win 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 two-kilometer ascents up the Mur de Bretagne to the finish line.
“I hit the back wheel of Bardet when there was the movement in the peloton and I couldn’t avoid it,” the Dutch rider said. “I needed to change wheel and chase to the finish as hard as possible but it was very difficult.”
Dumoulin and his Sun-web 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.
“I knew I wouldn’t make it back so it was about limiting the time loss,” Dumoulin said. “I’m disappointed of course, I would have liked to be in a better position on [general classification] but that’s how it is.”
Dumoulin and Bardet entered the three-week race among the few riders considered strong enough to challenge four-time 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.
“Then I had to chase and that effort was fatal. It’s never good to lose time,” said Bardet, who has finished on the podium in the past two Tours. “There are a lot of twists on the Tour and this time luck was not on our side.”
Friday’s flat 143-mile leg from Fougeres to Chartes is the longest stage of this Tour.