LA PIERRE-SAINT-MARTIN, France – A brief look at the 10th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday:
Stage: A 104-mile course from Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint-Martin, the first of three days in the Pyrenees mountains.
Winner: Chris Froome. The 2013 Tour champion stamped his mastery on this year’s race by leaving his rivals behind during a tough 9-mile ride to an uphill finish. His Sky teammate and crucial mountain guide, Richie Porte of Australia, was second: 59 seconds behind.
Yellow jersey: Froome. Tightening his grip on the race leader’s shirt that he has held since Stage 7, the Kenya-born Briton now leads second-placed Tejay van Garderen of the United States by 2:52 – up from just 12 seconds when the tenth stage began.
How did the “Fab Four” perform?: Nairo Quintana of Colombia, who won the 2014 Italian Giro, did the best job of limiting the damage to Froome among the three riders seen as his main rivals for the Tour title. The Movistar leader crossed the finishing line 1:04 behind Froome, and trails 3:09 overall in third. Alberto Contador, a two-time Tour winner, said he had trouble breathing and finished 2:51 back. He’s over 4 minutes behind in sixth place. The day’s biggest loser among the title hopefuls was Vincenzo Nibali of Italy, almost 4½ minutes slower than Froome.
Quote of the day: “I’m not even the younger brother of the Nibali from last year” – the Astana leader Nibali on his latest bad day at this year’s race.
Stat of the day: 8. France’s Pierrick Fedrigo jumped out ahead of the pack just before the 5-mile mark, stayed in front for most of the day with another rider, and then got overtaken with just about 8 kilometers to go. He had been the best hope for a French victory on the national Bastille Day holiday.
Next stage: Stage 11 takes riders over six climbs including the famed Tourmalet pass in a 117-mile ride from Pau to Cauterets in deep southern France.
Associated Press
