Sir Dave Brailsford said Geraint Thomas rode “a perfect race” on a demanding stage 17 as the Welsh rider extended his lead at the top of the general classification – but the Team Sky principal warned that Chris Froome should not be written off.
Thomas finished third behind Nairo Quintana and Dan Martin at the summit of the Col du Portet after absorbing several attacks from his rivals, and made time on his closest competitor Tom Dumoulin to open up a 1min 59sec overall lead.
Asked to compare the significance of this performance to Thomas’s back-to-back victories in the Alps last week, Brailsford said: “Given the intensity of the race, and the steeper gradients, coming third here may prove just as valuable, if not more so, than those stage wins.
“People were questioning whether he could handle those steeper average climbs than the Alps and he’s come through the test with flying colours. He rode another perfect race.”
However, Froome suffered a difficult day, losing almost a minute in the final two kilometres as he faded away.
“You can never write Chris off – his powers of recovery are fantastic,” said Brailsford. “We’ve seen him do it time and time again, so I wouldn’t be writing him off in any shape or form.”
Brailsford also praised the duo’s relationship, which has come under increased scrutiny over the course of the Tour, but which has thus far never surfaced as a problem within the team.
“It’s an interesting dynamic but these two guys deserve so much credit for the way they have handled themselves. I haven’t had to manage them at all – they have worked it out for themselves, and that takes some doing.
“But they are so experienced now, and they have been round the block so many times, they don’t get distracted by anything.”
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