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Chris Froome claims yellow jersey and Dan Martin finishes second following stage eight victory at Tour de France

Dan Martin was part of a group of seven that finished 13 seconds behind Chris Froome, who claimed...



Chris Froome claims yellow jer...
Golf

Chris Froome claims yellow jersey and Dan Martin finishes second following stage eight victory at Tour de France

Dan Martin was part of a group of seven that finished 13 seconds behind Chris Froome, who claimed the yellow jersey following a stunning performance in stage eight of the Tour de France.

Froome distanced himself from the chasing pack on the final descent, with Martin Romain Bardet, Richie Porte, Fabio Aru and Nairo Quintana, all coming in after him.

And after BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet dropped earlier, Froome went on to take the overall lead as well as make it a fifth victory for a British rider in the first eight stages of this Tour. The reigning champion cut an usual figure on the descent, leaning over the handlebars while pedaling, which is something a lot of riders have done over the years.
 
The 31-year-old clocked up speeds exceeding 80kmh, with his lead reaching 22 seconds before falling slightly on the flat. But speaking after today's performance, Froome confessed that it wasn't something he planned on happening.
 
"It wasn’t really planned. I thought I’d give it a try in the downhill as the few tries on the climb didn’t work out. They were sticking to us. So I decided to give it a go in the descent. It was cool."
 
In his previous tour wins in 2013 and 2015, Froome took control of the general classification battle by winning the first summit finish of the race, but this time, it appears he has made his move a day early.

 

 

 

 

 

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