Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana on Mont Ventoux

On stage 15, Chris Froome won cycling. I don’t mean he won at cycling, as in winning a race. I mean that even if he doesn’t go on to win the Tour, he won the sport of cycling.

The longest stage for 13 years, the 100th Tour de France, a stage finish atop Mont Ventoux, on Bastille Day and he finished first while wearing the yellow jersey. That is pretty much cycling perfection.

The preamble

There were almost 220km to get the legs warmed up before Mont Ventoux. Peter Sagan got into the break and claimed the 20 points available at the intermediate sprint. After that, he eased off and even found time to do some one-handed wheelies just before the peloton swallowed him up.

Wheelies are just one of Sagan’s tricks. Here’s how he parks his bike. You’ve got to love him.

No, I mean that literally. You actually do.

Nairo Quintana’s attack

Once the climb had begun, Nairo Quintana took off and quickly overhauled all of the day’s breakaway riders. Once again, he looked like doing so required precisely no effort whatsoever, but I’ll come back to that in a second.

Behind him, the whittling was taking place and riders were dropping off the back in a steady stream. When Richie Porte took a turn on the front, the lead group pretty much disintegrated and when there was just Porte, Froome and Alberto Contador present, Froome decided it was time to accelerate. For a second, Contador stayed with him, but then suddenly, in the space of a single corner, he disappeared from view as Froome’s manic seated pedalling took him away.

Froome v Quintana

Soon enough, Froome made contact with Quintana, but the Colombian wasn’t going down without a blank-faced fight. Froome attacked a couple of times, but Quintana responded, again looking like this demanded no effort. But the blank face was a red herring. Eventually he couldn’t follow any longer, his face betraying nothing even as Froome slid away from him.

I think we can safely say that Nairo Quintana has a non-expressive face. This was confirmed at the presentation ceremony when he still bore that same facial expression when receiving the white jersey for best young rider as well as for a subsequent interview.

Anything else?

Obviously, everyone lost time to Froome, but Joaquim Rodriguez finally showed his face, overtaking a bunch of people in the final kilometre or so to finish fourth. He’s eighth overall and while the yellow jersey is out of reach, perhaps he’s coming into form in time for the mountainous final week. Watch out for him. He’s fun.

Has Chris Froome won the 2013 Tour de France

No. There’s broken collarbones to be evaded, if nothing else. There’s also one final riding quality he still needs to display. We knew he could climb and time trial and on the race’s longest stage, he has proven his stamina as well. The final test is recovery. The mountain stages come one on top of another in the final week, so one day’s effort can have an impact the next day. You wouldn’t bet against him on current form though.

Rest day on Monday

I should probably do some sort of summary or a list of quirky highlights or something. More likely I’ll do sod all.


Comments

5 responses to “Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana on Mont Ventoux”

  1. I do love quintana, I always imagine him to be hawking pan pipe and CDs at the finish line

    1. Don’t buy one! His is not a face you can trust.

  2. daneel avatar

    Chapeau, Froomedog!

    Where you do think a 2012 TdF winning Wiggins would be in this race?

    1. That would partly depend upon team orders, but one of the main reasons why he’s not here is because the route doesn’t suit him.

      In his favour is the fact he actually gained time on everyone in the mountains last year – a fact which is sometimes overlooked. However, set against that, this year’s is a stronger field.

      I’d guess he’d be somewhere around wherever Richie Porte would have been without his bad day, if that’s not too evasive an answer.

      1. daneel avatar

        I bet Froome would like him here. I am still nervous that Sky are a little short-handed, I think Froome will find himself exposed again, presumably on Thursday or Friday. Porte and Kennaugh don’t seem to be able to stick around the whole stage.

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