PRA LOUP, France – A brief look at the 17th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday:
Stage: The 100-mile stage from Digne-Les-Bains to the Pra Loup ski resort was the first of four days of climbing in the Alps.
Winner: Simon Geschke. The bearded German with the Giant-Alpecin team rode solo for over an hour, up the two final climbs and alone down a hairy descent, to win in style.
Yellow jersey: Chris Froome. The 2013 Tour champion kept his cool on the treacherous 10-mile descent from the Col d’Allos mountain pass and stuck with Nairo Quintana, the runner-up to Froome in 2013 who is again the British rider’s toughest rival this year. The time gap between them remains at 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
Quote of the day: “It almost feels like I just want to disappear right now,” – Tejay van Garderen said after illness forced the American to abandon while in third place overall.
Stat of the day: 60. The speed in kilometers per hour that Froome reached when descending. That’s 37 mph.
Next stage: Thursday’s 115-mile Stage 18 will take riders from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and features a previously unscaled climb at the Tour up some spectacular hairpin bends.
Associated Press
