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Criticized in the Pyrenees, and Chris Froome Thibaut Pinot answered their detractors on the Alpe d’Huez, in their own way :. the French summoning his legs and a champion of character, giving the Briton to have his share of humanity
The yellow jersey decidedly not like the Alpe-d’Huez and experienced undoubtedly his most difficult day in the mountains on the Tour de France since it simple past teammate status to that potential winner. Although his final victory was never really in doubt, it needed the support of his lieutenants Wouter Poels and Richie Porte, he has not left the wheels throughout the ascent.
Some earlier laces Nairo Quintana fidgeted in his white suit, first relayed by Alejandro Valverde then by fellow Winner Anacona. But it was too little too late. Despite the fastest ascent of the Alpe d’Huez in 2006, he failed in Quintana over a minute to make up lost on Chris Froome.
Froome jersey peas … and whistled
Movistar destabilized Sky in the Col de la Croix de Fer, in the middle of this short stage of 110 kilometers, but not enough to their liking: Valverde and Quintana preferred get up to the top, in promoting the long valley to the foot of Alpe returning teammates Chris Froome, whose contribution was perhaps decisive.
The yellow jersey, whistled and Target coughing up the hill where hundreds of thousands of people are rubbed, nevertheless the big winner of this stage. He won Sunday on the Champs-Elysées his second Tour de France, has offered the polka dot jersey of best climber – first double of its kind since Eddy Merckx in 1970 – and was probably attracted by his soft coup day, a little public sympathy
Read also:. Tour de France: Mysterious Froome
French Mountain, turn Dutch
However, it is the French Thibaut Pinot who has burst the screen in the ascent of the Alpe d’Huez, which is no longer the “mountain of the Dutch” but that of the French: three wins in the last three passes of the Tour after Pierre Rolland in 2011 and Christophe Riblon in 2013.
Rolland, omnipresent in the crossing of the Alps, was as Thibaut Pinot out against the yellow jersey group after the neck of Croix-de-Fer, enjoying a flutter time. Seven men were launched in pursuit of Alexandre Geniez, himself escaped from the starting Modane at lunch hour.
At the foot of the Alpe d’Huez, the group exploded and two men emerged: the Canadian Ryder Hesjedal veteran, still very strong in the third week of great tours, and Pinot. Alexandre Geniez, author of a beautiful ascent, was finally taken by the duo at 9 kilometers from the summit and had a long run to fellow.
Pinot then attacked in the “Dutch corner”, taking advantage of a football stadium atmosphere and pervasiveness of the crowd on both sides of the road. Ryder Hesjedal no longer horizon than the buttocks of a supporter wig encouraging French.
The last six kilometers were a race against the watch distance between Pinot and Nairo Quintana, the French front preserve its some fifty seconds ahead of the best young of the Tour de France. He remained eighteen on the line, where the Franc-Comtois could let his joy explode.
Pinot rebound and French
This is the second stage win in the Tour de France for Thibaut Pinot and the two may have a very different flavor. It was revealed in Porrentruy just 22 years too early for the good of his career. On the Alpe-d’Huez, as for one week where he went on the attack almost every day, it was as much to get a prestigious success that respond to criticism that he has read and heard since his early Tour de France missed between management errors, irrational fears and bad luck hits.
If the final podium he hoped not to go, the scenario of his Tour indicates, as Romain Bardet, a new maturity and ability to rebound that distinguishes great runners talents simple.
The victory at Alpe d’Huez is the third for the French on this Grande loop, after those of Alexis Vuillermoz in Mûr-de-Bretagne and Romain Bardet in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. If we add the presence of five French players in the top twenty in the final standings, with Warren Barguil (23 years), the 2015 vintage is still full of promise for the French cycling.
Read also: Tour de France: French thirty years without yellow jersey in Paris
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