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Tour de France Stage 17 Analysis

Tour de France Stage 17 Analysis

The first day in the Alps did not disappoint, as the top riders clashed on the way up to the finish at Finhaut-Emosson. It was one of the toughest stages of the tour thus far, with riders using every last bit of energy to make it to the finish.

Chris Froome Dominates

Today was a potential day for the general classification riders to have a go at gaining time on Froome. However, their attempts were unsuccessful on the final climb. Team Sky covered every move, and made life for the race leader much easier. At the moment it appears that Froome will cruise into Paris.

Richie Porte was the only rider that appeared to be able to match Froome.  The Australian rider went on the attack on the final climb, and Froome quickly closed the gap. They both rode all the way home together,  while doing so they both left the rest of the group behind. No one else had an answer for the two former teammates pace.

Riders In Trouble

Froome’s main rival Nairo Quintana had a difficult time on the final climb. The Colombian not only failed to stay with Froome, but also lost contact with five other general classification riders. It is beginning to look like the Movistar rider may not even make it onto the podium. He will need a strong time trial and solid effort on the final two mountain days in order to stay in contention. Losing more time in the next three days will all but relinquish any chance of a podium finish.

Bauke Mollema was another rider in trouble, as he finished behind Quintana.  He ended up losing 32 seconds to third place Adam Yates. The Dutch rider could very well lose his podium spot in the next few days.

The highest placed American Tejay Van Garderen had a nightmare day in the mountains. He ended up finishing 26 minutes back from the winner, and slipped to 17th place overall in the general classification. This looked a little like last year’s tour, when Van Garderen had a horrible day following a rest day. He has yet to figure it out in the mountains at the Tour de France.

Yates Continues To Impress

The Orica-Bike Exchange rider has been one of the surprises of the tour. He looked fantastic on the final climb today, as he retains his third place spot in the general classification. The next few days will be vitally important for him. There will be no pressure on him any more in the young riders competition, as his lead in that classification is well ahead of the other young riders.

Ilnur Zakarin Wins

Katusha came up just short on Monday with Alexander Kristoff, but they were victorious today with Zakarin. The Russian climber was one of the first breakaway riders to stretch his legs up the climb. Jarlinson Pantano was able to bridge over and join him for a brief time. Zakarin then threw in another attack and the IAM Cycling rider had no answer. This was the first stage win at the Tour de France for Zakarin.

Stage Highlights

Tweets Of The Day

 

Stage 17 Results

General Classification Standings

Mountain Classification

  1. Rafal Majka 173 Pts
  2. Thomas De Gendt 90 Pts
  3. Ilnur Zakarin 78 Pts
  4. Daniel Navarro 69 Pts
  5. Jarlinson Pantano 63 Pts

Points Classification

  1. Peter Sagan 425 Pts
  2. Marcel Kittel 228 Pts
  3. Bryan Coquard 156 Pts
  4. Alexander Kristoff 152 Pts
  5. Michael Matthews 143 Pts

Youth Classification

  1. Adam Yates
  2. Louis Meintjes +03’14”
  3. Warren Barguil +30’12”
  4. Emanuel Buchmann +33’06”
  5. Wilco Kelderman +01h 03’46”

Team Classification

  1. Movistar
  2. Team Sky
  3. BMC
  4. AG2R La Mondiale
  5. Astana

Stage 17 Data

 

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