Chris Froome’s accident gives Team Ineos clarity in most unfortunate way
Losing the four-times winner is a blow but it leaves Geraint Thomas as the team’s clear leader for the Tour de France
To seal the destiny of the 2019 Tour de France, the organisers have devised a final week with some of the toughest climbing ever seen in the race’s history. It is highly likely, however, that the defining moment may turn out to be Chris Froome’s horrendous accident on Wednesday while warming up for a time trial, which has stymied his attempt to win a fifth Tour before he even glimpsed the starting blocks.
That is not to belittle Froome’s erstwhile fellow competitors, least of all the defending champion, Geraint Thomas. A multiple Tour winner is a key reference point in every Tour he rides, who weighs heavily on the racing each day, even when, as last year, a teammate ends up heading seamlessly for the win.