Froome takes stage 8 to claim yellow
Source: Agencies |
July 7, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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TOUR de France favorite Chris Froome overpowered his main rivals on the first tough mountain climb of the race yesterday to win the eighth stage and take the leader's yellow jersey.
The Team Sky British rider finished second overall last year behind countryman Bradley Wiggins, but it will be difficult to stop him going one better this time on the evidence of this win.
The 28-year-old Froome attacked early into the stage's second big climb up to Ax 3 Domaines - and no one could follow him. His nearest challenger was teammate Richie Porte, who finished 51 seconds behind in second.
Two-time Tour champion Alberto Contador of Spain dropped back, as did 2010 champion Andy Schleck of Luxembourg and Australia's 2011 champion Cadel Evans, with Spaniard Alejandro Valverde finishing third.
Froome took the yellow jersey from South African cyclist Daryl Impey, his former training partner.
"It's a dream come true so far. We were put under pressure. This is only the first week, so there are two weeks of hard racing to come but now we've got the yellow jersey we've got to defend it," Froome told the BBC.
Contador was 1:45 behind Froome, Schleck trailed by 3:34 and the 36-year-old Evans was 4:13 adrift.
The 195-kilometer trek started from Castres on another hot day, with temperatures in the mid-30's Celsius, and stayed flat for a long time before ending with the two huge climbs. The Col de Pailheres came first - a ferociously tough ascent for about nine miles at a gradient of eight percent - and then a shorter but even steeper ride to the finish at the ski resort of Ax 3 Domaines.
Colombian rider Nairo Quintana broke away to launch a brutal attack up Pailheres, and only Frenchman Pierre Roland initially followed him, but Porte rode a brilliant tempo to help Froome steadily gain ground on them.
The Team Sky British rider finished second overall last year behind countryman Bradley Wiggins, but it will be difficult to stop him going one better this time on the evidence of this win.
The 28-year-old Froome attacked early into the stage's second big climb up to Ax 3 Domaines - and no one could follow him. His nearest challenger was teammate Richie Porte, who finished 51 seconds behind in second.
Two-time Tour champion Alberto Contador of Spain dropped back, as did 2010 champion Andy Schleck of Luxembourg and Australia's 2011 champion Cadel Evans, with Spaniard Alejandro Valverde finishing third.
Froome took the yellow jersey from South African cyclist Daryl Impey, his former training partner.
"It's a dream come true so far. We were put under pressure. This is only the first week, so there are two weeks of hard racing to come but now we've got the yellow jersey we've got to defend it," Froome told the BBC.
Contador was 1:45 behind Froome, Schleck trailed by 3:34 and the 36-year-old Evans was 4:13 adrift.
The 195-kilometer trek started from Castres on another hot day, with temperatures in the mid-30's Celsius, and stayed flat for a long time before ending with the two huge climbs. The Col de Pailheres came first - a ferociously tough ascent for about nine miles at a gradient of eight percent - and then a shorter but even steeper ride to the finish at the ski resort of Ax 3 Domaines.
Colombian rider Nairo Quintana broke away to launch a brutal attack up Pailheres, and only Frenchman Pierre Roland initially followed him, but Porte rode a brilliant tempo to help Froome steadily gain ground on them.
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