Photo gallery: 65km of suffering on stage 17
From well before the Tour’s first pedal-stroke, stage 17 was circled in calendars around the world as the one to watch. With 3,000m of climbing packed into just 65km, it was the race’s shortest road stage in more than two decades – but it was brutality rather than brevity that would ultimately define it. Add in the novel grid start, the question marks hovering over the Team Sky leadership, and the almost audible tick of time running out for the other GC contenders to make their mark on the race, and the stage was set for one of the most dramatic days of racing this year.
There were – as there tend to be – winners and losers. Movistar’s much-touted strength in numbers finally worked out, with Alejandro Valverde slipping into an early break and Nairo Quintana breaking free of the Sky-controlled pack of favourites to join him, and then soar off to a stage win and what felt like a long-overdue reaffirmation of his early promise at this race. Lotto NL-Jumbo, who’ve quietly worked both Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk into the top six, were up there too, with Roglic moving closer to the podium thanks to another attacking ride. Romain Bardet, meanwhile, will leave the French waiting a little longer for a homegrown winner – he looked rough from early on the final climb, and lost 2.35 by the summit. And as for Team Sky? Snakes and ladders. Geraint Thomas strengthened his grip on yellow, whilst Chris Froome had a rare moment of vulnerability and lost 1.35, boosting Tom Dumoulin into second overall.
With four stages remaining – including another Pyrenean mountain stage and a tricky time trial – the final outcome of the race is far from assured. Through the billowing clouds at the top of the Col du Portet, though, it felt like it was starting to slide a little more into focus.
- Owing to the stage’s short length and immediate climbing, riders were careful to warm up before the start. Here, Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) prepares for the tough day ahead.
- The calm before the storm for staffers in the EF-Drapac team bus.
- Gotta make those digits pop!
- A fifth yellow rhino seems unlikely to join the herd this year.
- Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors), stage winner from the day before, was enthusiastically received by the crowd on the way to sign on in Luchon.
- The starting grid at the beginning of the stage was eye-catching and novel, even if it had literally zero impact on the way the stage was raced.
- Norwegian fans wait for the race to pass them on the Col de Val Louron-Azet.
- Through the mist, the brutal route up the Col du Portet is revealed.
- Breakaway survivor Rafal Majka was briefly able to hold Nairo Quintana’s wheel, but drifted loose as Quintana soared closer to the summit.
- Team Sky again had plenty of cards to play, with Wout Poels and Colombian wunderkind Egan Bernal working for Thomas and Froome (not in picture) deep into the stage. Photo: Gruber Images
- Antwan Tolhoek (LottoNL-Jumbo) makes his way up the Col du Portet.
- Pierre Latour worked hard on the front for his team leader, Romain Bardet, and was able to defend his position as best young rider at stage’s end.
- With switchbacks working up the mountain, the Col du Portet was a natural amphitheatre for spectators.
- With each pedalstroke, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) moves closer to the stage win.
- Quintana nears the finish of a historically short day in the Pyrenees.
- Colombian cycling fans are among the most passionate in the sport, and would have something to cheer about on stage 17.
- Quintana in the last 500 metres of the stage.
- Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) near the summit of the brutal Col du Portet, ahead of Chris Froome but behind Nairo Quintana and Dan Martin.
- 350m to go for the trio of GC contenders.
- Nairo Quintana takes his first Tour stage win in five years.
- Third, fourth and fifth on the stage.
- Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) wouldn’t make much impact on the day, slipping a spot to 10th overall.
- The Col du Portet is the highest point of this year’s race, topping out at 2,215m. Here, Latour nears the top of le Tour.
- Countrymen Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) and Jay Robert Thomson (Dimension Data) ride together to the stage finish.
- The grupetto make their way up the brutal Col du Portet.
- Peter Sagan had a nasty (and rare) fall on the descent of the penultimate climb, and was in obvious pain on his way up the Col du Portet.
- A thorough checkover after the stage, however, would clear him of any major damage. In a statement, Sagan said that he was feeling “confident about the last four stages of the Tour”.