Chris Froome cracked during a grueling climb to the finish and lost the overall lead in the Tour de France to Fabio Aru on Thursday after a demanding stage won by Romain Bardet.
Froome’s Sky teammates had controlled the race until the final kilometer leading to the ski station of Peyragudes, but Froome was dropped in a final section that featured slopes with a 20 percent gradient.
Bardet won Stage 12 ahead of Rigoberto Uran and Aru, who seized the overall lead from Froome, a three-time champion, by six seconds. Bardet is third over all, 25 seconds off the pace.