Jakob Fuglsang kept the lead
Dylan van Baarle won the last stage, giving Team Ineos at least a little bit of consolation after the disastrous crash of Chris Froome. Jakob Fuglsang successfully defended his lead, arriving at the finish line 20 seconds ahead of Tejay van Garderen. The last GC hopeful, Adam Yates, was forced to abandon with less than 50km to go due to stomach problems.
Stage eight: Cluses to Champéry (113.5km)
1. Dylan van Baarle (Ineos) + 3:05:48
2. Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott)
3. Carl Frederik Hagen (Lotto-Soudal) + 50s
4. Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) + 1:12
5. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)
6. Sébastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ)
7. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) + 1:16
8. Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) + 1:59
9. Xandro Meurisse (Wanty-Gobert)
10. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe)
General classification results
1. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) 30:44:27
2. Tejay van Garderen (EF Education First) + 20s
3. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 21s
4. Wout Poels (Team Ineos) + 28s
5. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) + 33s
6. Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) + 32s
7. Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Pro Team) + 1:12
8. Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) + 1:21
9. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) + 1:24
10. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 1:38
Chris Froome is feeling better
“Firstly, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has sent their best wishes to me since the crash,” Froome wrote in a statement released by Team Ineos. “This is obviously a tough time but I have taken a lot of strength from the support over the last three days. The outpouring of support has been really humbling and something I would never have expected.”
“Whilst this is a setback and a major one at that, I am focusing on looking forward. There is a long road to recovery ahead, but that recovery starts now and I am fully focused on returning back to my best.”
Froome’s unfortunate crash is obviously a huge loss for Team Ineos. However, Geraint Thomas is still optimistic about their chances at the Tour.
“The team’s still strong and whoever comes into it to replace him will certainly add to the team and be able to contribute a lot. So we just need to stay positive, refocus and keep going,” the defending champion said after a Tour de Suisse stage.
Can he do it? Defend the title? What do you think?
