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SPORTS Thursday 26 July 2018

Froome cracks in the Pyrenees as Thomas solidifies Tour lead

By ANDREW DAMPF second to third overall, a fall off his bike.
AP Sports Writer distant 2:31 seconds adrift He is attempting to match
S A I N T - L A R Y - S O U L A N , of Thomas. the Tour record of five vic-
France (AP) — His tongue The British rider’s day then tories shared by Jacques
dangling from his mouth, went from bad to worse as Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Ber-
his pedal stroke strained, he crashed when police nard Hinault and Miguel
Chris Froome’s hopes of a mistook him for a fan on the Indurain, but appeared to
record-tying fifth Tour de way down the mountain, concede defeat.
France title slowly drifted with his bodyguard also on “We’ve just got to look af-
away. a bike. ter (Thomas) now,” Froome
Up amid the thin and misty Froome had put a black said. “I’ve won the last
air of the Col du Portet — raincoat over his racing three Grand Tours and G
rated the second tough- uniform to keep warm and has ridden an absolutely
est climb in Tour history — when police ordered him faultless race this year, so
Froome cracked on the to stop, he lost control. he fully deserves to be in
feared 17th stage through Team Sky said the rider was the yellow jersey, and fin-
the Pyrenees on Wednes- not injured in the incident, gers crossed he finishes it
day, solidifying Sky team- which came a day after off and gets the job done
mate Geraint Thomas’s police used tear gas to in Paris.”
hold on the yellow jersey. disperse a farmers’ protest The stage was a strong Stage winner Colombia’s Nairo Quintana climbs towards the
finish line to win the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France
“Froomey said on the ra- that had blocked the road signal that Froome has cycling race over 65 kilometers (40.4 miles) with start in
dio @ maybe 5K or 4K to with bales of hay. reached his limit after win- Bagneres-de-Luchon and finish in Saint-Lary-Soulan, Col du
go that he wasn’t feeling Froome was among a large ning the Tour and Vuelta Portet pass, France, Wednesday July 25, 2018.
super,” Thomas said af- group of riders whose eyes last year, and the Giro Associated Press
ter increasing his lead to needed treatment due to d’Italia in May. three-week race ends Sun- not been possible to gain
nearly two minutes over the tear gas. “What you’ve got with day in Paris. time on him.”
Tom Dumoulin. “That gave He has been a repeated Chris is he’ll empty the Colombian rider Quintana, Froome was first put in dif-
me confidence because I target of fans after he was tank,” Team Sky principal a three-time podium fin- ficulty when fourth-placed
knew if Froomey suffered, cleared of doping five days Dave Brailsford said. “He isher in the Tour, finished 28 Primoz Roglic attacked
everyone suffered. before the race began. deserves a lot of credit hav- seconds ahead of Irish rider with 2.5 kilometers to go,
“I didn’t want him to have The four-time champion ing gone to the Giro ... He’s Dan Martin, while Thomas and then was dropped for
a bad day like he did had been racing under the a great, great champion. crossed third in the stage, good when Dumoulin ac-
but it just gave me confi- cloud of a potential ban for He’s not out of it necessarily 47 seconds back. celerated at the 2K ban-
dence knowing someone using twice the permitted ... If anybody can bounce Dumoulin moved up to ner.
of Froomey’s stature was level of salbutamol during back it’s Chris Froome — I second, 1:59 behind Thom- While Thomas followed Du-
struggling, and I just knew I his victory at the Spanish wouldn’t rule him out.” as, the Welsh rider who is moulin, Froome quickly lost
would be able to respond Vuelta in September. After a less arduous Stage seeking his first Grand Tour ground and had to be es-
to the attacks.” Froome said he has been 18 on Thursday, there is victory. corted up the rest of the
Froome finished eighth, 1 repeatedly spat at since another mountainous leg “Thomas has been the way by Colombian team-
minute, 35 seconds behind the race started, and that in the Pyrenees on Friday. strongest, and that’s the mate Egan Bernal, who
stage winner Nairo Quin- spectators have punched There’s an individual time situation now,” Dumoulin kept turning around to
tana, and dropped from him and tried to make him trial on Saturday before the said. “For me, so far, it has check on his team leader.

Serena Williams hits out again

at testing ‘discrimination’

getting tested the most. checked five times in 2018 who have had sustained
Discrimination? I think so. by June, more than other success in their sport — to
At least I’ll be keeping the U.S. women and men in be tested more often than
sport clean.” the sport. Williams returned others.
In a second message, the to competition this season Following her loss to Kerber,
36-year-old American add- after missing more than Williams said she had prov-
ed: “But I’m ready to do a year as a result of preg- en to herself that she could
whatever it takes to have nancy. She gave birth to a still compete to win Grand
Serena Williams of the United States is dejected after losing a
point to Germany’s Angelique Kerber during their women’s a clean sport so bring it on. daughter last September. Slams. Her next Grand Slam
singles final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in I’m excited.” As part of the U.S. Anti-Dop- title would tie her with Mar-
London, Saturday July 14, 2018. Williams has complained ing Agency’s “intelligent” garet Court for the most
Associated Press before at being drug-test- out-of-competition testing with 24. She already has
By The Associated Press champion took to Twitter ed more than other Ameri- program, it is not unusual the most major trophies in
Serena Williams has com- on Tuesday night after she can tennis players this year. for top athletes — those the professional era.q
plained on social media received another visit from “Just test everyone equal-
that it’s “test Serena” time a tester. Williams tweeted: ly,” Williams said on the eve
again as she once more hit “And it’s that time of the of this year’s Wimbledon,
out at the frequency with day to get ‘randomly’ drug where she lost to Angelique
which she is selected for tested and only test Sere- Kerber in the final.
anti-doping tests. na. Out of all the players it’s A report by Deadspin
The 23-time Grand Slam been proven I’m the one said Williams had been