2015 Tour de France: urine thrown at Chris Froome as race leader extends advantage

WHEN a spectator yelling “doper!” hurled a liquid at Tour de France leader Chris Froome, it couldn’t have been more unwelcome. “No mistake, it was urine,” he said.

Great Britain's Christopher Froome (L), wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey rides behind Great Britain's Geraint Thomas rides in the pack during the 178,5 km fourteenth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 18, 2015, between Rodez and Mende, southern France. AFP PHOTO / JEFF PACHOUD

BEING doused in liquids by roadside fans goes with the terrain of being a Tour de France rider.

But when a spectator yelling “doper!” hurled a liquid at Chris Froome, it couldn’t have been more unwelcome.

“No mistake, it was urine,” the race leader said.

While stage 14 signaled a double celebration for British cycling, with Froome extending his lead and Stephen Cummings getting a first win for South African team MTN-Qhubeka on Nelson Mandela Day, the unpleasant assault dampened the leader’s mood.

Disappointing that a French “fan” ruined a great day for me today. Congrats @StevoCummings @TeamMTNQhubeka #MandelaDay @letour

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 18, 2015

Thank you to the real fans who come out to support all the riders every day. Pity such a small minority can have such a negative impact #TDF

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 18, 2015

Disgusting to hear @chrisfroome had urine thrown on him. Can't believe there are still people spoiling this beautiful race.

— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) July 18, 2015

Froome blamed “very irresponsible” reporters for turning public opinion against him and his Sky team. Just as he did in winning the Tour for the first time in 2013, Froome has faced pointed questions about his dominant performances - and those of his teammates - along with insinuations of doping.

He said he spotted the spectator acting bizarrely about a third of the way into the day’s 178km west-to-east ride from Rodez to Mende. The route through plains and hills on the fringes of the Massif Central region included a detour through the breathtakingly spectacular Tarn gorges.

“I saw this guy just peering around and I thought, ‘That looks a bit strange,"’ he said.

“As I got there he just sort of launched this cup toward me and said (in French) ‘Doper!’

“That’s unacceptable on so many levels.”

Chris Froome had an unwanted altercation with some urine.

His Sky teammate Richie Porte said another person, also seemingly a spectator, thumped him with a “full-on punch” a few days earlier on a climb in the Pyrenees. Porte suggested journalists may be putting riders in danger by “whipping up all the rubbish that they are.”

Froome echoed that thinking.

“I certainly wouldn’t blame the public for this,” he said.

“I would blame some of the reporting on the race that has been very irresponsible.

“It is no longer the riders who are bringing the sport into disrepute now, it’s those individuals, and they know who they are.”

Stephen Cummings took the stage win.

On a fiercely steep final climb, Froome again proved untouchable.

While other podium contenders labored up the 3km with an average 10-percent gradient, Froome caught Nairo Quintana and, to show who’s the boss, beat the Colombian with a finishing sprint.

“Every little second will help,” said Froome.

“I thought I might as well give a little nudge for the line, see if I could take another second or two.”

He took one second from Quintana and more from others who are, in effect, now competing for second and third spot on the Champs-Elysees podium.

Cummings ambushed two French riders, Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot, on a short flat section after riding at his own pace up the steep final climb.

“Pinot and Bardet were just ahead and I used them as the carrot dangling in front of me for motivation,” he said.

After reaching the summit together, the French pair made the mistake of dawdling, watching each other and neglecting the danger from Cummings - who used his speed on the flat to catch them from behind and claim the stage win.

Originally published as 2015 Tour de France: urine thrown at Chris Froome as race leader extends advantage