Foix, France: Chris Froome remains in contention for a fourth Tour de France title after Team Sky put the pressure on their rivals with a perfectly executed plan on Friday’s 13th stage, won on Bastille Day by France’s Warren Barguil.
Italian Fabio Aru, who kept his cool despite quickly finding himself without any teammates to help him along, retained the yellow jersey and finished in the group of favourites with Froome and third-placed Romain Bardet, all 1:48 seconds off Barguil’s pace.
A day after Froome showed a sign of weakness, Team Sky sent Spain’s Mikel Landa in front when two-time champion Alberto Contador attacked early on.
Landa finished fourth behind Contador and Colombian Nairo Quintana, who is back in the game in eighth place overall, 2:07 behind Aru.
“Beating Contador is something huge for me because he’s always been my idol,” said Barguil.
“I had great legs today after a tough stage yesterday.”
Aru leads Froome by six seconds overall with last year’s runner-up Bardet in third place, 25 seconds behind the race leader and Colombian Rigoberto Uran in fourth, a further 10 seconds back.
Landa is now fifth, 1:09 behind Aru, and Team Sky’s management will need to make clear who the leader is after the Spaniard, whose contract expires at the end of the year, finished ahead of Froome on Thursday.
Froome appeared to struggle in the last of three climbs on the punchy 101-km stage, but he still managed to attack his rivals in the final part of the Mur de Peguere, a punishing 9.3-km ascent at an average gradient of 7.9 per cent.
Sky never had to chase on a day of danger for them as Landa was in front with Contador.
The leading duo were caught by Barguil and Quintana just before the summit of the Mur de Peguere and the Frenchman, who strengthened his grip on the polka dot jersey, proved the stronger sprinter.
The International Cycling Union has, meanwhile, overturned a 20-second time penalty imposed by the race jury on Rigoberto Uran after the 12th stage of the Tour de France.
Uran had been sanctioned for taking a bottle from a Cannondale staffer inside the last 10 km of Thursday’s stage.
Explaining its decision, the UCI said teams were unable to feed their riders earlier because of traffic.
“In light of the inability of teams to resupply their riders before the last climb of stage 12 of the 2017 Tour de France due to specific circumstances of the race which had blocked vehicles, the UCI Commissaires Panel has decided to annul the penalties imposed on riders Serge Pauwels (Team Dimension Data), George Bennett (Team Lotto NL - Jumbo) and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale Drapac Pro Cycling Team),” a UCI statement said.
Results
Stage 13
1. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) 55:30:06”/s2. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) +6” 3. Romain Bardet (France / AG2R La Mondiale) +25” 4. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale-Drapac) +35” 5. Mikel Landa (Spain / Team Sky) +1:09” 6. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step Floors) +1:32” 7. Simon Yates (Britain / Orica-Scott) +2:04” 8. Nairo Quintana (Colombia / Movistar Team) +2:07” 9. Louis Meintjes (South Africa / UAE Team Emirates) +4:51” 10. Alberto Contador (Spain / Trek-Segafredo) +5:22”
