Team Sky said they are ready to adapt their strategy for the remainder of the Tour de France after the “war” of stage nine shook up race leader Chris Froome.
After the euphoria of Froome’s stunning victory atop Ax-Trois-Domaines gave the Kenyan-born Briton the race lead on Saturday, Sky were put to the test on Sunday’s second day in the Pyrenees as teams colluded to loosen their grip.
By the end of the stage Froome was still in command but aggressive racing by Sky’s rivals saw Australian teammate Richie Porte, sitting second overall at 51secs overnight, tumble to the nether regions of the overall standings.
Sky’s spectacular collapse left Froome on his own and exposed to attacks by rivals like Alberto Contador (Saxo) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). Froome ultimately weathered the storm, and team principal Dave Brailsford gave him a pat on the back.
“To use a boxing analogy, he’s taken the biggest right hook on the chin and he didn’t flinch,” said Brailsford. Faced with suggestions that Sky had hit too hard, too soon and have upset rivals who will pounce later in the race, Brailsford was defiant.
“We’ve learned some lessons and there are some valuable lessons to be learned that we will take into the rest of the race,” he said.
Brailsford was hesitant to elaborate but added: “We will adapt our strategy for the rest of the race. I’m not going to go into the details of what we’re going to change.”
While Froome did not lose any time on stage nine, the loss of Porte as a potential podium finisher is a major handicap for Sky in terms of tactics.
Attacks by either rider in the coming mountain stages would likely prompt rivals to spend energy counter-attacking, allowing Sky to save energy and attack when they decide the time is right.
Froome admitted: “From my side it’s a huge shame that we don’t have that card to play now, and of course it’s a shame for Richie.”
Porte, meanwhile, put his collapse down to an ‘off-day’, a common occurrence for riders on the demanding three-week Grand Tours.
“Anybody here who’s been a bicycle racer knows on the Tours you have good and bad days,” said the Ausssie, the reigning Paris-Nice champion.