Reigning champion Chris Froome seized the yellow jersey on Saturday after the Team Sky rider claimed the eighth stage of the Tour de France with a bold downhill attack.
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It was a sixth Tour de France stage win for Froome, who is well-placed to add to his overall wins in 2013 and 2015.
Part of an early breakaway, Dumoulin attacked with 12 kilometers remaining in the 184.5-kilometer (115-mile) leg from Vielha d’Aran, Spain, to Arcalis in the principality of Andorra.
Contador crashed on to his right side on stage one, and then on to his left side on stage two, also sustaining a calf injury which his team said made it hard for him to ride out of the saddle on climbs.
The peloton snakes through the Pyrenees during Stage Eight of the 2016 Tour de France, with several Team Sky riders in the lead. The British outfit set the pace at the front and prevented Froome’s challengers from trying their luck in hot temperatures, and increased the tempo on the final climb.
While Froome’s decision to attack where he did was surprising, so too was the way he descended.
“I don’t think those seconds are that important and I hope the end of the race will prove that”, said the Colombian Movistar leader. He told us at the beginning of the race that he wasn’t feeling super and it’s obvious, ‘ Tinkoff sports director Sean Yates told French television. It’s only 20 seconds but I’ll take every second I can.
“I did have to spend a lot of energy pedalling on my own in the last 10km”, Froome said.
After a few unsuccessful moves on the final of the day’s four Pyrenean ascents – the Col de Peyresourde – Froome launched one final salvo as the bunch crested the climb, opening up a small gap as he began the 7.5km descent to the finish.
Froome’s main rival Nairo Quintana came home in the 13-man group behind the stage victor.
The general classification lead pack featuring Team Sky rider Chris Froome in the yellow jersey arrived about six and a half minutes behind, led by Adam Yates of Orica-BikeExchange.
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Previously known as a more calculating rider who slowly wore down his opponents without any surprise moves, he constantly faced doping accusations en route to winning last year’s Tour. “I thought, ‘I feel good, I want to give this a try, and I would like to see if this pays off.’ And I’m glad it did”.
