Tour de France: Chris Froome tackled from his bike by French policeman in case of mistaken identity
CHRIS Froome’s Tour De France nightmare has reached new levels. Having been punched, spat on and sprayed with tear gas, the Sky rider has now been tackled off his bike by a policeman. WATCH THE VIDEO
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CHRIS Froome has endured a nightmare day at the Tour de France.
Not only did the champion Brit see his bid for a fifth Tour title all but go up in smoke after losing time on Stage 17, he was then crash-tackled by a policeman mistaking him for a fan.
In a bizarre postscript to a dramatic day in the Pyrenees, Froome was riding off the top of the final climb of the day - the Col du Portet - after the race had finished when he was grabbed by an over officious gendarme.
Via @marcvisa14 Froome very angry after a gendarme throws him to the ground on the descent after the end of the stage. The policeman confuses the British with an amateur. Annoyed and the fat ones.#teamsky #froome #chrisfroome #letour #letourdefrance #gendarmerie #ironmannews pic.twitter.com/fHzrpxOlBX
— ironmannews🎥Next IMMaastricht (@Ironmannews) July 25, 2018
The police are charged with keeping the roads clear for the riders, particularly on a summit finish when their lavish team buses can’t navigate their way to the finish line.
With temperatures falling and riders desperate to avoid sickness, Froome was wearing a nondescript grey rain jacket on the ride down.
Despite riding alongside his bodyguard, Froome hit the bitumen when the officer suddenly grabbed him by the arm, thinking he was a member of the public.
Video and photos posted to social the media show the pair exchanging heated words before Froome continued on his way to the Team Sky bus.
Froome is alive! @esciclismo @CiclismoInter @RadioMARCA @ProCyclingStats @sergi_lopezegea @BorjaCuadrado @Ciclismo2005 #tourTVE pic.twitter.com/sxqoGUEQ0Z
— Albert Secall (@albertsecall) July 25, 2018
The incident comes a day after Froome was accidentally pepper-sprayed by police - along with most of the peloton - desperate to clear protesting farmers from the road.
Froome has also been pushed and spat at by spectators in what has been a hostile response from the French public towards Team Sky.
Now, it seems even the long arm of the law is having a say.
It marked the end of a frustrating day for Froome with his bid for a fifth Tour crown and fourth Grand Tour victory was all but shot down when he cracked inside the last 3km after the impressive Primoz Roglic launched.
The Tour picture got a lot clearer, with Geraint Thomas answering every challenge on a decisive Stage 17.
Nairo Quintana snatched some redemption from an underwhelming campaign when his bold attack was rewarded with a solo win atop the brutal Col du Portet.
It was the Colombian’s first Tour stage win in five years, with dogged Irishman Dan Martin holding on for second.
“I wanted to win for my people in Colombia after months of hard work. All the support I’ve had from everyone, as well as my family and friends, really helped me today. We were a bit down in the last days, so we needed this win,” Quintana said at the finish.
Sensing the opportunity, Tom Dumoulin then made his move to finish 43 seconds ahead of Froome and leapfrog him into second place.
Thomas was unflappable, and after surging clear of Dumoulin at the line, now leads the Tour by 1min59sec. With one more mountain stage and an individual time trial the only decisive stages to come, only a complete disaster will stop Thomas claiming the biggest win of his life.
“I think that I’m in a good position now,” was Thomas’ blunt assessment.
“I’m not going to change my mental approach, and I’m just going to go day-by-day, try and recover as best as possible and do the small things right. I’ll worry about tomorrow, because as soon as you take your eye off the ball or get carried away, that’s when it goes downhill.
“It was a tough start to the climb, and I think that everyone was on the limit but it’s a climb that I know. I was feeling better and better, and Egan Bernal and (Wout) Poels did a tremendous job, as ever.
“Then with 4km to go Froome was on the radio and said that he wasn’t feeling super. That gave me confidence because if Froome is suffering then everyone is suffering, and I was feeling good. Obviously, I didn’t want him to have a bad day like he did, but it gave me confidence that someone of his stature was struggling.”
Dumoulin was happy with his day’s work in dislodging Froome, but downplayed any chance that Thomas could be reeled in.
“I always keep a little bit of faith and hope, but so far, over the last two-and-a-half weeks, Thomas has been the strongest. So far it has not been possible to gain time on him. That’s it,” Dumoulin said.
The shortest stage of this year’s Tour, at only 65km, was far from dull as the peloton faced three huge climbs.
But the descents were just as confronting. Peter Sagan crashed hard in an accident not caught by cameras, but rode the rest of the stage with a ripped and bloodied jersey and shorts.
Sagan went for precautionary x-rays but was given the all-clear and vowed to fight on until Paris where he will be crowned with a sixth green jersey.
Asked what had happened, the triple world champion said: “I was braking, but it was not enough. After I fly through the forest and I hit a big rock with my ass.”
Results from Stage 17 of Tour de France
STAGE 1. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) 2hr21min28sec
2. Daniel Martin (IRL/UAD) 28
3. Geraint Thomas (WAL/SKY) 47
4. Primoz Roglic (SLO/TLJ) 52
5. Tom Dumoulin (NED/SUN) same time
6. Steven Kruijswijk (NED/TLJ) 1:05
7. Egan Bernal (COL/SKY) 1:33
8. Chris Froome (ENG/SKY) 1:35
9. Mikel Landa (ESP/MOV) s.t.
CLASS STANDINGS POINTS
1. Peter Sagan (SVK/BOH) 452.
2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/UAD) 170.
3. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/QST) 134.
4. Arnaud Demare (FRA/GFC) 133.
5. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL/BMC) 130.
6. John Degenkolb (GER/TFS) 128.
7. Andrea Pasqualon (ITA/WGG) 100.
8. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 78.
9. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA/TBM) 76.
10. Thomas De Gendt (BEL/LTS) 71.
KING OF THE MOUNTAINS
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/QST) 140.
2. Warren Barguil (FRA/FST) 73.
3. Rafal Majka (POL/BOH) 31.
4. Geraint Thomas (WAL/SKY) 30.
5. Bauke Mollema (NED/TFS) 29.
6. David Gaudu (FRA/GFC) 25.
7. Pierre Rolland (FRA/EFD) 23.
8. Tom Dumoulin (NED/SUN) 23.
9. Tanel Kangert (EST/AST) 22.
10. Rudy Molard (FRA/GFC) 22.
Originally published as Tour de France: Chris Froome tackled from his bike by French policeman in case of mistaken identity
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