Sky’s Chris Froome attacked downhill at the crest of the final climb of Stage Eight of the 2016 Tour de France and led his pursuers over the finish line by 13 seconds, capturing a ten-second bonus and the race leader’s yellow jersey.
Froome didn’t attack on any of the stage’s four categorized climbs, content to conserve energy. With the 198-rider peloton reduced to a field of just 13, the Team Sky leader had only to mark his General Classification rivals to preserve sixth place overall, one place ahead of his prime competitor, Movistar’s Nairo Quintana.
Instead, Froome attacked unexpectedly at the crest of the stage’s final climb, the Cat 1 Col de Peyresourdes. Froome gained several meters’ advantage before anyone responded—he appeared only to be trying to grab some King of the Mountains points.
By the time his rivals realized that Froome was stealing the stage, it was too late. Froome descended like a demon, sitting on his top tube and pedaling all the way down the descent at 50 mph.
