Stage 10: Tarbes > La Pierre-Saint-Martin, 167km
Yesterday Tejay Van Garderen talked about the 'fab-four' of Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali being a 'fab-five boyband' that included him, and in a way today he showed that to be a fair belief, though the reality tonight is that the fab-five have disbanded and Froome is off on a successful solo career.
There is always a raft of questions heading into the first mountain stage of the Tour. It's been more than three weeks since those expected to perform in the high moutains have last seen a mountain and so there is that unknown as to how the legs will react. Couple that with it coming the day after a rest day and you have even more reason to wonder just how it might shake up?
Going into the stage I backed Frenchman Thibaut Pinot to do something big for the French on Bastille Day and given he had lost quite a bit on time I felt any move he made on the final climb might be ignored. I also felt that with five or six men looking to claw back time lost to Chris Froome over the first nine stages that he would be attacked left, right and centre and that to defend all those moves may leave his best form of defense in attack. I felt that by the end of the day only three men would remain in contention to win this Tour.
I was wrong on all accounts except that of Froomes best form of defense being in attack, for Pinot was nowhere to be seen on his national holiday, the five or six expected to attack Froome didn't, or couldn't, and tonight only one man remains in contention to win this Tour.
It was a staggering performance by Froome.
The whole day was merely a lead up to this final long hard climb to the finish at La Pierre-Saint-Martin and once they hit the lower slopes the pressure went on and immediately some big names began to crack. Last years champion Vincenzo Nibali, a shadow of his former self, lost contact early, so too did the French contenders, and then even Contador. A couple of short digs by Valverde to potentially soften Froome up for Quintana failed to shake the Sky rider and while he put on a face that looked as though he might be having a bad day, the idea of it being reality was soon killed off when he put the hammer down 6 kilometres from the summit.
Nobody could go with him and the time gaps built quicky all the way to the line for the stage win. Nairo Quintana was the only one to react at all when Froome attacked but even he was distanced and the Colombian could only grind his way to the top hoping to limit his loses before eventually being reeled in and passed by Froome's team-mate, and soon to be former team-mate, Richie Porte, himself out to prove to his future team, BMC, that he is worthy of the leadership roll ahead of Tejay Van Garderen by finishing 59 seconds behind Froome and 5 seconds in front of Quintana.
All things considered though and by comparison to some, Van Garderen didn't fair too badly. He lost 2'30" to Froome whereas Contador trailed home at 2'51", while Nibali lost a massive 4'25". Still, Van Garderen's position at the finish was only 10th. There was a host of fine efforts in front of him by the likes of Robert Gesink in 4th, Geraint Thomas in 6th (and third Sky man), Adam Yates in 7th and from nowhere, Frenchman Tony Gallopin in 9th. That made for three British riders in the top seven. Not so long ago the idea of that on a mountain stage would have been unthinkable. I remember a time when a successful Tour for the British was Chris Boardman winning the time-trial and Sean Yates getting into a break on the first week of racing.
So is the Tour really over?
It really does look that way. In the blink of an eye what looked like a five or six way fight to win this race has gone. Sure this was just one climb and we still have six mountain stages to come (two in the next two days in the Pyrenees and four in the third week in the Alps) and Froome could yet have a bad day -- he suffered late in the third week in 2013 and his team-mates may pay for their efforts today (remember the second mountain stage in 2013?) -- but the fact is at almost three minutes ahead of his nearest challenger, Froome is in complete command and shy of an accident that eliminates him, its hard to see him coughing it up.
| Result: | Classement: |
| 1. Froome (SKY) in 4h 22' 07" 2. Porte (SKY) +59" 3. Quintana (MOV) +1' 04" 4. Gesink (TLJ) +1' 33" 5. Valverde (MOV) +2' 01" 6. Thomas (SKY) s.t. --- 10. Van Garderen (BMC) +2' 30" 11. Contador (TSC) +2' 51" 15. Barguil (TGA) +3' 19" 21. Nibali (AST) +4' 25" 49. Pinot (FDJ) +10' 03" | 1. Froome (SKY) in 35h 56' 09" 2. Van Garderen (BMC) +2' 52" 3. Quintana (MOV) +3' 09" 4. Valverde (MOV) +4' 01" 5. Thomas (SKY) +4' 03" 6. Contador (TSC) +4' 04" --- 10. Nibali (AST) +6' 57" |
