Stage 17 could well go down in history as the day that Geraint Thomas sealed his maiden Tour de France but there’s no danger of the man himself succumbing to that sort of complacency just yet.
The incredibly mountainous 65km stage from Bagnères-de-Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulan was Thomas’ biggest test to date and by every metric, he passed it with flying colours – extending his lead atop the general classification, meaning he will wear the yellow jersey for a seventh consecutive day.
He might not have won the stage – that honour went to Colombia’s Nairo Quintana – but the two-time Olympic champion finished third, 47 seconds back, and put five seconds into big rivals Tom Dumoulin and Primoz Roglic.
Fellow Team Sky rider Froome struggled somewhat up the French mountains, finishing 1:35 minutes behind Quintana and 48 seconds behind Thomas, leaving his quest for a fifth Tour de France title hanging by a thread.
Thomas now leads Dumoulin by 1:59 in the overall standings, with Froome third at 2:31 behind and Roglic a further 16 seconds back, but the 32-year-old knows the danger of getting ahead of himself.
“It was a tough day but I was feeling alright,” said Thomas, after what was widely considered the hardest stage despite its short length. “It was a hard start to that last climb – Quintana went, Roglic chased and Froomey was with him.
“It forced Dumoulin to ride a bit but then it settled down. I was feeling good so I made sure to react any time Roglic or Dumoulin attacked and that’s all I had to do.
“I don’t let myself think about the Tour de France opening up for me – it’s just day by day. I just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing.
“It’s a sprint day tomorrow, so I’ll rest up now and get ready for that. As soon as you start thinking too far ahead, bad things happen.
“Dumoulin and Roglic are still strong, they were active and they’re the closest to me along with Froomey. But I don’t really class Froomey as a rival, being a teammate.
“But it’s good to keep that advantage and the team are in a great position now.”
Froome is currently in possession of all three Grand Tour titles but his hold on Le Tour is starting to slip, with just four stages – one of which is the ceremonial ride into Paris on Sunday – to come.
The 33-year-old is trying to equal Eddy Merckx’s record by winning five Tours de France and defied the odds to come from miles behind and win the Giro D’Italia earlier this year.
So with his incredible pedigree, Thomas has warned against writing Froome off.
“He wanted to try something here, so he went early with Roglic and I just assumed he was going to be good but he wasn’t feeling too great towards the top,” explained Thomas.
“He’s still up there towards the top of the standings though. I doubt he has said his last word – he’s a fighter, so I’m sure he’ll fight all the way.” Sportsbeat 2018