Chris Froome may have lost the battle but he is outright leader in the war. On a stage interrupted by a spectacular crash that could have been a lot worse, the Sky rider made his move on the vicious final kick up Mur de Huy but was passed by Joaquim Rodríguez, Katusha’s Spanish climbing specialist, in an astonishing show of strength from both riders. Froome will begin Tuesday’s stage as maillot jaune, happy to have punched more time into his main rivals.
“I didn’t wake up today thinking I was going to be in yellow,” he said. “That was a real surprise. Today was treacherous; lots of crashes. Not too different from the Fleche Wallone classic this year. I couldn’t be happier to be in yellow. I’m not banking on anything at this point, For sure I’d rather be in the position I’m in now rather than having to make up time.”
After the squally conditions that battered them en route to what at times resembled the Dutch equivalent of Craggy Island, the riders were already in need of some early race respite. Most got it, but only up to a point: specifically the steep run-in to the finish at Liege that is Mur de Huy. Four didn’t even make it that far.
The Mur is considerably less than two kilometres in length, but this Tour de France hat-tip to the Belgian Ardenne classic La Fleche Wallonne features a reasonably gentle climb under the flamme rouge, before veering heavenwards at a leg-sapping gradient of 19%. Also known as Le Chemin des Chapelles,it offers out-of-shape amateurs no fewer than seven different chapels in which to stop and light a candle in search of assistance for ascensions of the literal and metaphorical kind.
After Saturday’s time trial and Sunday’s filthy weather, this was the first chance for roadside spectators to enjoy this Tour as it ought to be enjoyed: wine-fuelled al fresco dining, the gaiety of the publicity caravan soundtracked by overhead choppers and a couple of garish blurs as the riders in the early escape enjoyed their 15 minutes in the spotlight, followed by a peloton whirring along in largely leisurely but guarded pursuit.
Among the group: a visibly suffering Adam Hansen, the Australian Lotto-Soudal rider struggling on with a dislocated shoulder as he chases the completion of a record 12 consecutive Tours. Movistar and Astana towed them along, the teams of Sunday’s big losers Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali always mindful of the final climb and the fact that in this race every single second counts.
The first real action occurred around the 50 kilometre to go mark, courtesy of a crash so violent the race director Christian Prudhomme felt compelled to controversially neutralise the race. With the peloton humming along several minutes after passing through the feed zone, FDJ’s William Bonnet clipped a wheel, went down and skidded along the asphalt, bringing down at least 20 other riders, among them the race leader Fabian Cancellara, who appeared to suffer a concussion. Clocked at 42km-per-hour, several of the fallen were catapulted towards the stout metal base of a roadside lamp-post but had a reasonably thick grass verge to lower the velocity with which they hit it.
The race was eventually stopped so the lame and halt, many of whose kit was now in tatters, could have their cuts, bruises and sleep-depriving road-rash ministered to properly. It was a dangerous precedent to set so early in such a high level bike race, but organisers later justified it by citing a paucity of medical personnel to follow the peloton, because they were all busy tending riders at the scene of the crash.
A by now ghastly looking Cancellara remounted his bike and prepared to carry on, while a conscious but horribly flayed Bonnet was found to have broken cervical vertebrae which will require surgery. Giant-Alpecin’s Tom Dumoulin and Orica-Greenedge’s Simon Gerrans were among the bigger names forced to abandon and at the 50km-to-go mark, the stage was given a new start.
The stage once again underway, the riders of Astana and Tinko Saxoff attempted to escape only for the black-clad predators of Sky to zero in on them with Great White precision, allowing Monday’s stage winner André Greipel to increase his grip on the green jersey by winning the intermediate sprint. He promptly relaxed, dropping back to a 70-strong group, including Cancellara, that would finish over 11 minutes behind the eventual winner.
At the business end of the field the Etixx-Quick-Step rider Tony Martin led the main bunch uphill, before the riders of Saxo-Tinkoff hitched anyone who could keep up to their wagon. Sky’s Geraint Thomas soon took over, repeatedly looking over his shoulder to check on the whereabouts of Froome. He need not have worried; once inside the flamme rouge and with 500 metres to go, his leader hit the front and looked a good thing only to be passed for the win by Rodríguez.
Froome’s six-second time bonus will be no small consolation. He leads the race by one second from the luckless Martin, who missed out on his first day in yellow - again - because of bonus time won by others, while BMC’s Tejay van Garderen is back in third. Tomorrow they take to the cobbles, where more carnage is almost certain to ensue.
