Froome hits the deck ... but still retains overall lead in Tour de France
British rider quickly borrows teammate’s bike after crash to continue racing
Rain and crashes played havoc at the Tour de France on Friday as Chris Froome hit the ground and Romain Bardet posted the first French victory at this year’s race.
Froome quickly borrowed a teammate’s bike and kept the now torn yellow jersey after crossing the finish line 36 seconds behind Bardet, who climbed to second place overall.
Froome holds a lead of 4 minutes 11 seconds over Bardet, with two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia moving up to third, 4:27 back.
Bardet attacked on a descent moments before Froome slipped on road paint and hit the ground. The two-time champion was able to continue racing after Geraint Thomas gave him his bike.
Froome was descending at a relatively cautious speed of almost 45 km/h when he fell, but the crash left him wounded. With his yellow jersey torn, cuts and bruises on his back and blood on his right elbow, Froome looked uncomfortable on Thomas’ bike.