What goes up also goes down at Tour, but Chris Froome keeps lead
Britain's Chris Froome leads Italy's Vincenzo Nibali and Spain's Alberto Contador during climb. (Associated Press)
PRA LOUP, France – The speedometer clocked between 30-37 mph as the pine trees whipped by, and the riders leaned left to right and back again to negotiate the snaking, bumpy descent.
Winning the Tour de France isn’t only about having the ability to get uphill fast. You’ve got to have nerves of steel going downhill too.
Chris Froome proved Wednesday that he’s got both.
The 30-year-old Briton retained the leader’s yellow jersey as the Tour sped toward its crescendo in the Alps.
The 17th stage included a harrowing 10-mile descent that dealt perhaps the final blow to Alberto Contador’s distant hope of a third Tour victory and doused the ambitions of promising French rider Thibaut Pinot for a stage win. They both lost time after hitting the asphalt on the way down from the treacherous Allos Pass.
Germany’s Simon Geschke won the stage by surging out of a breakaway bunch and keeping at bay Andrew Talansky of the U.S., who was second, by 32 seconds at the end of the 100-mile ride from Digne-Les-Bains to Pra Loup ski resort.
Fellow American Tejay van Garderen – third overall as the stage began – pulled out of the race with a headache and a lack of energy after fighting a respiratory infection for several days.
“It almost feels like I just want to disappear right now,” said a despondent Van Garderen. “It was hard to look my teammates in the eyes (and) it was hard to call my wife and explain to her what was going on.”
Froome, meanwhile, emerged unscathed in the first of four punishing days in the Alps, staving off multiple attacks from his top rivals.
Geschke was first down the slope, having ridden off ahead with 30 miles still to go. Pinot hit the deck when his wheels slipped on a left-hand bend.
Contador hit a hole and crashed in the downhill section. The 2007 and 2009 champ swapped bikes with teammate Peter Sagan, and rode in more than two minutes after Froome.
Froome and Nairo Quintana sprinted together for the line, with the Colombian just beating the Briton this time. Quintana remains second overall – still 3:10 behind Froome.
“My rivals are going to take bigger risks,” Froome said. “We are seeing an all-or-nothing approach.”