I wish Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka and all the other competitors luck in the final few days into Paris, a special place that I will definitely miss the emotions of this year.
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Eurosport and ITV will be broadcasting every stage live each day, while Telegraph Sport will be providing a daily live blog to keep you up to speed with all the action from the roads of France.
Likewise, Cavendish was mindful of the toll taken by the opening fortnight of the Tour when deciding to pull out now. “I’d say I’m more nervous about what’s to come. I said at the beginning of the race I wanted to be at my best in the third week and I’m on track for that”.
Team Sky rider Froome is a two-time Tour victor and during his victories in 2013 and 2015 he had to contend with consistent allegations of doping.
Quitting the race before the Alps was always a likely scenario for Cavendish once he had completed the stages that he could realistically compete in. “In Andorra and at the Ventoux, he did not attack to create gaps, I believe that he is not as strong as he was before”.
Both in 2013 and 2015 when finishing second overall to Froome, he gave away time over the first two weeks before fighting back in the final part of the race.
Earlier on Tuesday, Froome praised Yates’ performance, saying: “I wouldn’t expect Adam to be putting me under pressure and trying to attack on one of the big mountain stages, but he’s quietly doing his thing, keeping his spot on the podium and it’s very impressive for his age”.
“The first two weeks were full gas”, said the British rider, who has led the Tour since the second Pyrenean stage on 9 July.
Cavendish’s one remaining Tour goal had been Sunday’s finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, where he won four times in a row from 2009 to 2012, but he would have had to navigate the Alps to get there. “I’m the underdog, Quintana has won [a] grand tour”.
Sagan’s third stage win of the 2016 Tour de France, which all-but seals the green jersey, arrived in front of a mass of travelling fans from Slovakia as he continued his fine season as world champion.
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The Team Sky head, Sir Dave Brailsford, added that he felt there had been more climbing on what purported to be flat stages, which had taken people by surprise. A lot can happen in four days in the mountains. Froome dismissed suggestions his rivals have been passive and unwilling to make a mark on the relentless tempo set by his Sky team-mates on climbs. “All you need is one bad day in the mountains and you can lose minutes”.
