Reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) threw down the gauntlet on Saturday’s second stage in the Pyrenees mountains by attacking on the descent of the Peyresourde to triumph. In doing so, he ripped the yellow jersey off of Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/BMC), who finished far behind. Froome holds 16-seconds over white jersey holder Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-BikeExchange).
5ème victoire britannique ! / 5th stage win for the Brits! #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/TpjOMGvmd1
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 9, 2016
There were four big Pyreneen climbs on tap, starting with the HC-rated Col de Tourmalet.
Programme chargé pour la 8ème étape du #TDF2016 …
C'est parti ! pic.twitter.com/vLs6euP1Pk
— Maillot jaune LCL (@MaillotjauneLCL) July 9, 2016
Attacks were flying off the front, and riders were crashing and puncturing all in a first hour ridden at 51-km/h. No breaks were able to gel until the 60-km mark. Thirteen riders including Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Giant-Alpecin), Ilnur Zakarin (Russia/Katusha) and Michael Matthews (Australia/Orica-BikeExchange) skipped away.
The Tourmalet is 19-km of 7.4% and this year’s Souvenir Jacques Goddet. The break had only 30-seconds’ lead on the peloton as the road tilted up, but it was soon absorbed after GC third-place Julian Alaphilippe (France/Etixx-QuickStep) attacked. Then Thibaut Pinot (France/FDJ), who lost a lot of time on Friday, and Rafal Majka (Poland/Tinkoff), shook loose.
The first rider in history to summit the Col du Tourmalet https://t.co/SnPAeZd7Eu pic.twitter.com/RjdCEBiYF6
— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CDNCyclingMag) July 9, 2016
Meanwhile, Van Avermaet was already off the back. Whoever would tip over the Tourmalet would take the polka dot jersey on the road. Majka, who won the KOM in 2014, already had two points. Tony Martin (Germany/Etixx-QuickStep) bridged over halfway up the climb. Sky led the peloton.
With the peak approaching, Alaphilippe dropped off the back, joining Vincenzo Nibali. Pinot roared up the final kilometre, with Majka marking him, but the Frenchman took the prize and virtual KOM. The leaders were 2:20 ahead of the peloton as they started the drop. Tony Martin made it back to the Polish/French alliance on the descent.
Next up was the mild Cat. 2 Hourquette d’Ancizan, 8.2-km of 4.9%. The intrepid trio had 2:40 over the Movistar-led peloton and 4:50 over Van Avermaet as it began climb two. With Sky wielding the whip hand, the streamlined bunch drew closer to the break, although Van Avermaet kept losing time. Pinot once more grabbed maximum KOM points.
Les hommes de tête sont dans la Hourquette d'Ancizan / The break is in the Hourquette d'Ancizan ascent #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/v7yT9D7BC9
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 9, 2016
The penultimate ascent, the Col de Val Louron-Azet, was also the second longest of the day. This Cat. 1 ran 10.7-km at 7.8%. Pinot, Majka and Martin were 55-seconds ahead of the favourites group as they started their mountain task. Would they survive?
Movistar started drilling it at the front of the field. Halfway up the steep grade, the break was snatched up. Pinot couldn’t hold the pace. Poor old Michael Morkov (Denmark/Tinkoff), the lanterne rouge who had been struggling since he crashed early in the race, became the first rider to abandon the Tour de France, setting a new race record.
Majka tried to take the maximum points but Wout Poels (The Netherlands/Sky) zipped out to get them. Majka, however, pinched the virtual KOM jersey from Pinot, lagging 5:00 in arrears.
The big tussle would come on the Col de Peyresourde and the tricky 18-km descent down to Luchon. At 7.1-km of 7.8%, the Peyresourde, like the Tourmalet, is a Tour legend.
Interestingly, Sergio Henao was the first Sky man to attack after his team had kept the pace very high. Alejandro Valverde was the first to respond. Just after Valverde went hard, Froome attacked. Nairo Quintana grabbed his wheel. Irishman Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) was the next attacker.
There were still thirteen men in the group, but Alberto Contador wasn’t among them. Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) tried his luck next. Froome punched a Colombian fan who got to close in the head. Froome crested first to put himself up in the KOM race. He then carried on with a downhill attack.
Froome pressed forth his descending assault, knowing he had 1.5-km of flat leading to the finish line. Cannondale-Drapac’s main man, Pierre Rolland, crashed in the attempt to catch the Brit. Once the road flattened Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana) took up the chase duties, but the chasers couldn’t track down Froome. Dan Martin was runner-up 13-seconds behind in a group that included Joaquim Rodriguez, Bardet, Kreuziger, Aru, Yates, Valverde, Porte, Quintana, Van Garderen, Meintjes and Henao.
Froome #YellowJersey Mark Cavendish #GreenJersey Adam Yates #WhiteJersey Rafal Majka #Polkadotjersey
— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CDNCyclingMag) July 9, 2016
Sunday is another tough day, with the first summit finish in Arcalis in Andorra.
2016 Tour de France Stage 8
1) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) 4:57:33
2) Dan Martin (Ireland/Etixx-QuickStep) +0:13
3) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) s.t.
2016 Tour de France GC
1) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) 39:14:04
2) Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-BikeExchange) +0:16
3) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) s.t.
Author information
Rob Sturney
Rob Sturney lived most of his life in British Columbia's Bulkley-Skeena region but currently admires the old Apollos and Nishikis of his fellow cyclists in Vancouver.
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