Sky braced for Nairo Quintana attacks as Tour de France hits Mont Ventoux
"We are ready for him," says sports director ahead of Thursday's race-defining stage
Team Sky say they are bracing themselves for a round of attacks from Movistar's Nairo Quintana when the Tour de France climbs Mont Ventoux on Thursday.
Colombian climber Quintana is considered to be the greatest obstacle to Chris Froome claiming a third Tour de France title, but the Movistar rider currently trails Froome by 35 seconds.
Quintana was dealt a double blow on Wednesday afternoon. First, Froome stole a march in the closing kilometres to bolster his lead ahead of tomorrow's climb. Then, the ascent of Ventoux was cut short by six kilometres due to adverse weather conditions at the summit.
For Sky, the moment is coming when Quintana and Froome must inevitably go head to head. And while the British rider has the option of waiting for Friday's time trial to extend his lead, the Colombian has to attack soon.
"For the moment, we are really focused on Nairo," Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said. "OK, we are watching others too, but we can feel a big battle between those two.
"Because the time trial is the next day, Chris has two stages where he can be good and gain time. You don't want to give everything for the first day on Ventoux and then lose time in the time trial, because if you have a bad day, you have a bad day from the start to the end. The challenge is to go through the two days very well and try to gain time on both days.
"Nairo will be strong in the time trial, but not as much as Chris, so he might go hard on Ventoux. When you need to gain some time and you're a proper climber, you are not going to wait for the time trial if you have Ventoux beforehand. We are ready for him."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The 12th stage will race from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, only covering 178 instead of 184 kilometres. Much of the punch has been taken out of the Giant of Provence with the often wind-swept and hot kilometres cut from the climb.
Watch: Cycling Weekly's guide to Mont Ventoux
On Friday, the Tour organiser has planned a rolling and technical time trial with a small climb to the finish in La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc.
"It's going to depend on how Froome feels on Ventoux. If he sees Nairo in a bad position, he will go if he can take time, but he will always have in the back of his mind that the next day will be an hour's effort. Real intense. It will be a big stage for Nairo. He needs to try to put Froome in a hard spot," Portal added.
"I don't know if Nairo will attack. In the last stage of the Andorra, he didn't attack, he just stayed there. If you are going well, you want to show yourself and try an attack to test yourself. It could be that he's not good or that he's saving himself for the last week."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Rapha lays off employees, closes North American office
Citing 'strategic realignment and current market dynamics' Rapha North America is reportedly closing its current Bentonville, Arkansas, and has laid off six out of the office's eight employees.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Trek USCX will host 4 consecutive UCI cyclocross race weekends on US soil
Trek becomes American UCI Cyclocross series title sponsor, adding a fourth race to the series in October at its headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Giro d'Italia 2024 start list: Geraint Thomas to lead 'aggressive' Ineos Grenadiers
All the teams and riders for the 107th Giro d'Italia
By Adam Becket Published
-
'It was time to change': No regrets for Rod Ellingworth after leaving Ineos Grenadiers
New Tour of Britain race director says he is still on good terms with Dave Brailsford after resigning from team last year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m just here to enjoy it': Tom Pidcock on his surprise Paris-Roubaix appearance
British rider was a late addition to the Ineos Grenadiers team for the race across the pavé
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
The art of peaking with Geraint Thomas: 'It’s easy to take for granted that 9 times out of 10 I hit my goals'
The Welshman also calls for better governance in the sport to help it grow further
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers’ 500th victory was claimed by a woman; why do they still not have a team?
The British squad is one of the richest in cycling - but Ineos still won’t stump up for a women’s team
By Adam Becket Published
-
'This is so much more than a number': Six of the best Ineos Grenadiers wins as team claims 500th race victory
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took the 500th team win at the weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'wouldn’t be surprised' to see attacks before the Poggio at Milan-San Remo
British rider will lead the line for Ineos Grenadiers alongside Filippo Ganna
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published