22 July, 2017
- Belgium's Jens Keukeleire who finished third after going the wrong way round a roundabout.
"I could have won a sprint but I managed one last attack and I didn't have to have a photo finish so I'm happy about that", he added, referring to stage seven when he was edged out by Marcel Kittel despite inconclusive photographic evidence.
"Everybody else following me did the same". Just two more days. A number of attacks went and were dragged back, but Boasson Hagen surprised them all with his decisive attack with three kilometres left. "It's a bit disappointing, but that's how it is".
"Certainly, at this point, it's my race to lose", Froome said after an incident-free day rolling along at the front of the peloton on Friday's stage 19, behind a breakaway group from which Edvald Boasson Hagen claimed a solo victory.
"I've been getting confidence by seeing I could be so close so many times".
It was the Norwegian's 1st of the tour after twice finishing as a runner-up and the team's 1st win of the event.
The yellow skinsuit provided by organizers does not include the aerodynamic vortex technology that created controversy in the opening time trial in Duesseldorf.
Ofcouse Froome is the crowd favorite to win but you never know what's in the stock of these riders who are coming off conquering the toughest routes on the planet. However, the time trial stage on Saturday, is when everyone will make a run at Chris Froome.
A day after the final mountain test, the organisers threw the longest stage of the entire Tour at the riders as they rode 222.5km from Embrun.
Britain's Simon Yates wearing the best young rider's white jersey.
"Everything was going well until then, but s.t happens doesn't it?"
As such, they allowed a 20-man break - also including another ex-Sky man in the shape of Ben Swift - to go nearly 10 minutes up the road.
Italian Fabio Aru struggled mightily on the climb Thursday, conceding over a minute as the former owner of the yellow jersey has slipped into fifth place behind Froome's Team Sky mate Mikel Landa.
The Team Sky rider must now defend his lead over relatively flat territory on today's stage to Salon-de-Provence before tomorrow's time trial in Marseille, where he is expected to gain time.
The second and final day of La Course by the Tour de France will take place tomorrow, with Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten leading the event.
