SPORTS Friday, July 21, 2017 23 Brajkovic, Grmay Froome: Let best on stage 18 Aidan Payne/DTNN [email protected] Bahrain Merida positions: Results from stage 18, a 179.5km Manama run: ahrain’s Merida Pro 45. J Brajkovic (SLO, one hour 57 Landa take Cycling Team rider, Janez B minutes 22 seconds) Brajkovic (Slovenia) and 61. Cink (CZE, 2:31:50) Tsgabu Grmay (Ethiopia) 72. T Grmay (ETH, + 2:36:25) finished 43rd and 44th respectively in joint times of 108. Y Arashiro (JPN, +3:15:17) Janez Brajkovic (file pic) four hours 49 minutes and 120. J Moreno (ESP, +3:27:34) 25:46), Sonny Colbrelli (Italy, on next year three seconds on the 18th stage 123. S Colbrelli (ITA, 3:33:28) 111th, +25:46), Grega Bole France yesterday of the 104th Tour 147. G Bole (SLO, +3:52:41) (Slovenia, 126th, +28:33) and ikel Landa can come de France from Briancon to 164. B Bozic (SLO, +4:15:09) Borut Bozic (Slovenia, 154th, back next year and Izoard over 179.5km in the last +28:33). challengeM Chris Froome for of the Alps mountain range. The tour resumes today Tour de France victory, the Brajkovic and Grmay were the tour, Bahrain’s other six with the 19th stage (and current champion believes. eight minutes and 30 seconds riders classified were - Yukiya longest of the tour) taking the Landa was lying fourth at behind the stage winner, Arashiro (Japan. 105th, + remaining (169) riders onto the Tour after yesterday’s final Frenchman Warren Barguil 23:50), Javier Moreno (Spain, a relatively flat course from mountain stage at 1min 36sec, (4:40:33) of Team Sunweb. 109th, +25:46), Oldrej Cink Embrun to Salon-de-Provence despite working for Sky team During the latest stage of (Czech Republic, 110th, over 222.5km. leader Froome throughout the race, and having ridden in 19 th stage Friday July 21 222.5 km May’s Giro d’Italia. PARIS Barguil sews The 27-year-old Basque has Embrun ▶ Salon-de-Provence already said he’s leaving Sky 785 m 76 m up mountains at the end of the year to look for a role as a team leader, and 3 Tour jersey Col Froome has no doubts he will Lebraut come back in 2018 to challenge 1,110 m 3 the Briton, who is on the brink Cote of a fourth overall success. de Breziers Banon 3 “He did have a tough first Great Britain’s Christopher Froome celebrates his overall leader 842 m 782 m Col yellow jersey on the podium du Pointu week in this year’s race but, Sisteron 499 m keeping in mind he did the Landa has already set was third. It was one of the 479 m Mallemort Giro d’Italia, he’s come up out his stall: he wants to be reasons he then left Astana to 109 m through the race remarkably number one.“Let’s be clear join Sky, ostensibly to be the well,” said Froome. about this, this can’t happen team leader at the Giro. Warren Barguil “He’s really been there for to me again. I won’t go back However, illness cost him Km 26 43 82.5 136.5 177.5 206 me in the moments when it’s to being a number two,” he and he quit the race after 10 Briançon, France been tough up there in the told journalists on the second stages when sitting eighth Source: ASO Sprint x Category of climb or pass arren Barguil mountains. I’m extremely rest day. overall in 2015 and earlier this became the first grateful for that. In 2015 he played second year, as co-leader with Geraint riderW to sew up a Tour de “He’s got the engine to ride fiddle to Fabio Aru at the Thomas, a crash in stage French will fight France jersey yesterday with the best in world and he’s Giro d’Italia, giving up his nine ended his overall hopes, as his lead in the king certainly capable of coming own aspirations to help the although he battled back to of the mountains back to contest the overall Italian, who finished second to win the mountains jersey. for Tour for competition became victory.” Alberto Contador while Landa (AFP) insurmountable. The 25-year-old years to come Frenchman needs only to reach the Tour finale France in Paris to claim the omain Bardet believes French cycling is in a strong polkadot jersey. place and has several young riders who can challenge Barguil started the Rfor Tour de France glory for years to come. day with a 49-point lead Bardet took third place on the epic over Primoz Roglic in 18th stage of the Tour yesterday. the competition with Warren Barguil moved up a a maximum 58 points place to ninth overall and secured available before Paris. victory in the king of the mountains But Roglic failed to competition. With Thibaut Pinot score a single point on having finished third on the Tour the first category Col in 2014 and fourth in May’s de Vars climb during Giro d’Italia, French cycling Thursday’s 179.5km is in a great place on the 18th stage, where a Grand Tour scene, and maximum of 10 were a first victory in the available. Grand Boucle since It meant Sunweb rider Bernard Hinault in Barguil maintained his 1985 is getting closer. 49-point lead with only “In the next few 48 points left. years there will be Barguil’s teammate several Frenchmen Australia’s Michael Riders of thz USA’s Cannondale Drapac cycling team (From R) Australia’s Simon Clarke, fighting to win the Matthews is also close USA’s Taylor Phinney, Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran and USA’s Andrew Talansky ride dur- Tour de France, and to tying up the sprinters’ ing the 179,5 km eighteenth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France cycling race France’s Romain that’s good,” said green jersey, which he yesterday between Briancon and Izoard, French Alps (AFP) Bardet rides in a Bardet. (AFP) should do on today. breakaway (AFP).