Dan Martin finishes the stage at Chalet Reynard having lost time on a chaotic final when Nairo Quintana attacked on the final climb (Photo: Sirotti)
Having shown some chinks to his armor for the first time since this Tour de France began, Dan Martin lost time on stage 12 to Mont Ventoux.
When the provisional times and general classification was published immediately the stage ended, Etixx-QuickStep’s Martin was in 9th overall some 1:09 down on new race leader Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange).
However, when the times were revised and Froome adjudged to have retained the yellow jersey; while Martin remains in 9th overall the time gaps are bigger to those ahead.
He is now 1:56 down on leader Froome, though the times between himself and everyone else in the top 10 remain the same.
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Froome is brought home by Sergio Henao; the final to the stage an epic for all the wrong reasons (Photo: Sirotti)
With a breakaway up the road today and Thomas de Gendt surviving from it to take victory for Lotto-Soudal just ahead of Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) the battle was on for the yellow jersey just over give minutes down the road.
The barren top of Mont Ventoux was regarded as too dangerous today – with storm force winds battering the mountain – to bring the race up but the lower slopes still sparked plenty of action.
And when Richie Porte (BMC), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Chris Froome (Team Sky) broke clear from the group of main contenders and were charging for the finish line they looked on top of their game.
But the crowds encroached onto the road inside the last kilometre that the TV motorbike just head of the yellow jersey and his fellow escapees was brought to a halt.
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The final climb was packed as the Mont Ventoux ascent proper was scrapped and those on the mountain or planning to go there massed on the revised final kilometre (Photo: Sirotti)
Porte ran into the back of it and Froome broken his frame. He abandoned the bike and began running up the road, with no team vehicles just behind to offer him help.
A neutral service car then have him a bike which was too small before Team Sky staff finally got him a bike with about 500 metres remaining.
When the general classification was released he had slipped to 6th, some 53 seconds behind leader Yates.
However, it was decided the time gaps at the time of the incident would count towards the overall and so Froome kept the race lead.
Martin would slip out the back of the yellow jersey group on the final climb as Nairo Quintana (Movistar) put in an attack.
Stage 12: Montpellier - Mont Ventoux (178km)
1 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 4:31:51
2 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data 0:00:02
3 Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:00:14
4 Stef Clement (Ned) IAM Cycling 0:00:40
5 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Direct Energie
6 Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:02:52
7 Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) Dimension Data 0:03:13
8 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:03:26
9 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Fortuneo - Vital Concept 0:04:23
10 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:05:05
11 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:05:24
12 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
13 Louis Meintjes (RSA) Lampre - Merida
14 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
15 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha
16 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:05:31
17 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
18 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:05:36
19 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:05:05
20 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:06:30
174 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon 18 0:28:24
General Classification
1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 57:11:33
2 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:00:47
3 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:56
4 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:01
5 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:15
6 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:39
7 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:01:44
8 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:54
9 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:56
10 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:02:11
11 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:02:22
12 Louis Meintjes (RSA) Lampre - Merida 0:02:29
13 Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky 0:02:36
14 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Tinkoff Team 0:03:14
15 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:04:28
16 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:05:51
17 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Cannondale-Drapac 0:07:35
18 Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) FDJ 0:08:02
19 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:11:20
20 Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky 0:14:15
190 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon 18 2:52:34
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