• Nairo Quintana climbs to victory on Col du Portet
• Froome finishes 1min down but Thomas adds to lead
Nairo Quintana overcame tyre and mechnical problems to win the shortest and spikiest stage of this Tour de France, a 65km rollercoaster ride from Bagnères-De-Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulon. Many had also expected Wednesday’s 17th stage to also puncture the yellow jersey chances of Geraint Thomas, yet it was Chris Froome who spectacularly blew up, losing 48 seconds to his Team Sky teammate in a dramatic finale up the Col Du Portet.
It means that Thomas now leads the Tour de France by 1min 59sec from Tom Dumoulin, with Froome 2min 31sec back. With just four stages remaining the yellow jersey is the Welshman’s to lose.
Written by Sean Ingle in Saint-Lary-Soulan
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/25/geraint-thomas-tour-de-france-yellow-jersey-chris-froome-stage-17 under the title “Geraint Thomas tightens grip on yellow as Chris Froome cracks on stage 17”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
