Chris Froome extended his lead in the Tour de France on Sunday but was dealt a blow with his chief lieutenant at Team Sky, Geraint Thomas, being forced to abandon the race following a crash.
A chaotic stage nine in France saw Froome’s former teammate and main rival for the yellow jersey, BMC Racing’s Richie Porte, also exit the race following a serious crash on the final descent of the day.
The most mountainous stage Le Tour was won by another of Froome’s former teammates, Cannondale-Drapac’s Rigoberto Uran, with the Team Sky man finishing third, in the same time as the Colombian.
Great Britain’s Simon Yates was 11th on the stage, moving up to seventh overall and taking control of the white jersey competition for best young rider – a prize his twin brother Adam won last year by finishing fourth overall.
"Definitely mixed feelings today," said Froome. "Of course I’m happy to still be in the jersey but at the same time that was a crazy stage.
“I’ve just seen the images of Richie Porte’s crash and that leaves you with a horrible feeling. I really hope he’s alright and can make a speedy recovery.
“Of course my teammate Geraint Thomas as well, he crashed out today with a broken collarbone, so I’ve got mixed feelings after that stage today.
"The rest of my team – the guys did a massive job. A massive, massive job. To control that type of a race today is no easy task and they did it really well, so chapeau guys.”
The day’s crashes began with Thomas suffering a broken collarbone in his fall as the riders raced down the Col de la Biche.
The two-time Olympic team pursuit champion remounted and tried to ride on, but was forced to abandon once he reached the valley floor.
“Everyone was nervous, everyone wanted to be at the front and a few people were battling to get between myself, Froomey and the rest of the boys,” said a devastated Thomas after the stage.
“I let [Rafal] Majka in and then he came down right in front of me on a straight bit of road. I had nowhere to go, went over the top of him, and landed on my collarbone.
“Team doctor Jimmy [Juan Mercadel] said he thought it was broken but I got back on the bike and carried on down the descent, but when I got on the flat I knew something was wrong.
“Then the race doctor said exactly the same so I ended up stopping then, went for a scan, and it’s broken.”
Porte then suffered a serious-looking crash and was taken from the road in a neck brace, as a precaution, as the riders completed the final descent off the Mont du Chat to the finish line in Chambery.
Thomas and Porte’s abandonments leave Froome 18 seconds ahead of Italy’s Fabio Aru in the overall standings, with home favourite Romain Bardet third, 51s behind the Brit.
Monday sees the first rest day of the 2017 Tour, before a relatively flat 178km stage from Perigeux to Bergerac on Tuesday.
Sportsbeat 2017