Chris Froome risked losing the yellow jersey after his bike was broken in a freakish crash at the wild conclusion to the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.
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Porte criticised the organisation of the stage after fans littered the road, leaving the riders only enough space for them to ride single-file up the steep climb.
Cyclists have expressed anger toward overzealous spectators taking selfies throughout the race, saying it’s unsafe when the fans turn their backs away from the speeding bikes to get a photo.
Mollema moves up to third, 56 seconds back.
However, he took Twitter shortly after the stage finished to say “Still in the #YellowJersey #TDF” in apparent confirmation that the accident caused the race to be neutralised, maintaining his 47-second lead over Yates in the general classification.
I wouldnt want to take the jersey like this. Im happy with the decision, said Yates, who was initially given the race leadership according to preliminary results.
Spectators encroach on the course as Chris Froome, in yellow, and Richie Porte race past.
If anyone was in the same situation they would feel the same. You want to take it with your legs. There’s not many sports where the fans can get this close to the athletes like this. It is what it is..
Thomas De Gendt, a specialist of long breakaways, once again took his chance early in the 178 km stage that started in Montpellier.
Pauwels and De Gendt managed to get rid of the Spaniard, but he returned in the final kilometres. There was not even a place for one motorbike.
The wind, combined with a temperature just above the freezing level on top of the “Giant of Provence”, forced organizers to move the finish line six kilometers (3.7 miles) down the road to the Chalet Reynard.
It was still a grueling 10-kilometer (6-mile) climb featuring several sections with gradients exceeding 10 percent.
Pinot finished third in the 2014 Tour won by Italian Vincenzo Nibali while a year ago he won a stage for the first time.
The Tour de France’s 13th stage got underway under tightened security after riders had observed a minute’s silence in tribute to the scores of victims in the south of France.
Froome was the stage victor when the Tour previously scaled Ventouxs barren, 1,909-meter (6,263-foot) peak in 2013.
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The race’s first time trial comes Friday with a hilly 37.5-kilometer (23-mile) leg from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to La Caverne du Pont-D’Arc, where Froome will be looking to add to his lead in calmer circumstances.
