Stages 17 - 19: Froome Solidifies Hold on Yellow Jersey

Chris Froome (Sky) won the time trial for Stage 17, putting time into all of his rivals.  The GC top 10 saw a little juggling, with one departure and one new addition.  Jean-Christophe Péraud (ALM) did not start, and was replaced in the top 10 by Michal Kwiatkowski (OPQ).  Bauke Mollema (Belkin) fell the most (from 2nd to 4th), due in part to his near crash when he misjudged a turn and ran into a barrier.  Nothing changed in the standings for the Green Jersey.  Nairo Quintana (Movistar) tightened his grip on the white jersey, leading Kwiatkowski and Andrew Talansky (Garmin) by 4'12" and 8'15" respectively.  Of the top four in the Polka-dot Jersey battle, only Froome and Quintana added any points, increasing their margins for 1st and 2nd place.

Stage 18 showcased the famous Alpe d’Huez by climbing it twice!  Christophe Riblon (ALM) won the stage when Tejay van Gardern ran out of steam in the final 3 Km.  One minute Riblon is telling himself he will have to be content with second place, the next his team car is telling him in his ear-radio that Tejay is bonking.  So, Riblon finds inspiration and a new burst of energy in this report, catching and passing Tejay, and winning the stage by almost a full minute.  First stage win by a Frenchman in this year’s Tour!

Meanwhile, three minutes further back Froome is having his own energy crisis while being attacked by Quintana.  So, he gets an energy bar from teammate Richie Porte, eats it to restore his power, and salvages a finish only 1 minute slower than Quintana and 1 minute faster than Alberto Contador (Saxo).  Problem is, such feeding is prohibited so close to the finish line (for safety reasons).  But the penalty is only 20 seconds.  For Froome, it was an easy decision: grab the food for a 20-second penalty instead of collapsing on the final climb and losing possibly several minutes.  (There was also a financial penalty of 1,400 Swiss Francs, but again that was a cheap price for the benefit.)  Too bad Tejay didn’t grab an energy bar just when Riblon saw him falter!  Could he have held on for the stage win with such a last-minute supply of power?

Of course we know that performance-enhancing substances are forbidden and evil.  But is eating cheating?  An energy bar at the critical time in a steep climb like Alpe d’Huez would seem to be a performance-enhancing substance.  But if the only penalty is a paltry 20 seconds, why don’t all the riders ignore the no-feeding rule?  Why have the rule if the penalty is so small?  Froome’s excuse was that the team car had mechanical problems which prevented it from giving the Sky riders their food within the feed zone, so he felt justified taking the food in the prohibited zone.   Was Froome acting ethically?  Showing good sportsmanship?  Does anyone care?

Stage 19 featured two massive climbs through the Alps, with several smaller ones for good measure.  Rui Costa (Movistar) won again - second time this week!  Close behind were Andreas Kloden and Jan Bakelants (both RadioShack).  The Yellow Jersey’s peleton cruised in at 8'40" with Froome and his major challengers.  Cadel Evans (BMC) threw in the towel as he staggered home at 35'24"!

No change in the Green Jersey.  Quintana increased his cushion for the White Jersey over 2nd place Kwiatkowski.  Talansky did not lose time to Quintana today, but still trails by almost 11 minutes.

Pierre Rolland picked up 52 climbing points on the day, and now trails Froome for the Polka-dot Jersey by a single point - 103 to 104.  Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) gained 35 points and now ranks 3rd, leading Quintana 98 to 97.  Riblon, the winner of Stage 18 is in 5th at 93 total points.  There are enough points available tomorrow for any one of these five riders to win the Polka-dot Jersey.  The battle for the team prize is still open with RadioShack trailing Saxo by less than 4 minutes.  So, even though the Yellow Jersey, Green Jersey and White Jersey contests may not animate the race tomorrow, we should see aggressive riding by those two teams, and by the climbing contenders.  We will likely also see a determined breakaway by riders anxious for one last shot at a stage victory.  Sunday’s final stage to Paris will be largely ceremonial, except that the top 5 or 6 sprinters and their lead-out trains will try to capture the last stage victory in a spirited bunch sprint.

 Bird's-eye view of Bourg d'Oisans, starting village for Stage 19, and included in the route for Stage 18.

Street-level view of Bourg d'Oisans.  The bike shop where we rented our bikes is at the top of this street.

 Within a few minutes of climbing, Ashley Jensen had risen from the streets of Bourg d'Oisans to this overlook of the village.  Not even 25% of the way to the top yet!

 A little higher up, you can look down on some of the famous switchbacks (17 total) in the storied Alpe d'Huez climb.  Stage 18 of this year's race climbed these roads twice!

This is the place called "Dutch corner," because of all the Dutch fans who annually crowd the road here to act crazy and cheer on the riders as they struggle up the steep incline.  It looks so peaceful here in late May.  But in July, it is a madhouse!

As Nan Kennard rounds one of the last switchbacks, the snow-covered Alps provide the background.  Only 2 or 3 Km to go, Nan!  You can do it!