Four incredibly tough categorised climbs, the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, and a 184km stage that more closely resembled a saw than a road stage the Tour de France was welcomed to the Pyrenees with the hardest stage of the race so far.
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“At some point in time, either the race gets taken on and (with) some of the other teams we have a battle with it, or we’re going to continue to control the race until a couple of key showdowns”.
It’s quite a turnaround from past year, when Froome was booed, spat upon, and had urine thrown on him.
“The atmosphere out on the road has been fantastic and the crowds have been great”, he said. “I hope it stays that way”.
You get riders who like the heat, or race well in the wet and cold; or even some who adapt or don’t to when the weather suddenly shifts like it did in Sunday’s ninth stage that took us 184.5km from Viola D’Aron in Spain to Andorra Arcalis over a route that included five major mountains, the last to the finish.
“Once we hit the mountains, there’s no way”, he said last Thursday. “He’s going to put at least four minutes into me”. Although some will take heart from the fact that Froome was unable to open decisive gaps uphill at Luchon and Arcalís, this does not mean that he or Sky are weaker than in previous years, merely that the race has not yet been tested to the point of rupture.
Fellow Briton Adam Yates of Orica-BikeExchange remains second overall and in the white jersey for the best young rider while Irishman Dan Martin of Etixx – Quick-Step lies third, a further three seconds adrift.
He holds a 16-second lead over second-placed Yates, but is only 23 seconds ahead of main rival and two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
The race jury fined Froome 200 Swiss francs ($203) for “inappropriate behavior”.
“It’s a really good place to be tactically”, he said.
Quintana was whisked away before he could detail why exactly he considered the stage so unsafe but, moments before, Unzué had stepped off the bus to voice his own complaints.
Cutting a disconsolate figure as the Colombian fans roared songs of support behind the media scrum, Quintana hinted at just how rough the day had been, and expressed his anger at the “dangers” he felt it entailed. “It’s just too hot for me, I’m from the Isle of Man”.
“We’ve controlled the race even when another of the big teams was in the jersey”.
“So if someone was stupid enough to have the idea of coming here with a bike (motor) for sure they’d get caught”.
Froome, meanwhile, seems more focused following the birth of his son, Kellan, in December. “It’s given me a lot more energy just for life in general”.
“With the team that I ve got, I think they ve shown themselves over the last few days, just in terms of numbers in the final, we do have the strongest team here”, he said.
Quintana and Froome now look set for a mouthwatering duel in the 12th stage on Thursday between Montpellier and the intimidating Mont Ventoux, where the Briton had beaten his rival by 29 seconds in 2013.
Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas says there is more expectation on him in this year’s Tour de France after his performances in the race 12 months ago.
Ventoux was also the site of an epic contest between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani in 2000, and where British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967 after he used a lethal cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol. “There are also two time trials, so I need to have two good time trials and claw some time back there”.
“This race throws up so many things that anyone can have bad luck on any given day”. To win up there again would be unreal, out of this world. “Let’s see what can happen in the time trial where I have more weakness against him”.
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“This is bike racing at its best”, Froome said.
