ARCALIS, Andorra (AP) — Defending champion Chris Froome held on to the yellow jersey and eliminated several of his main rivals in the toughest stage in the Pyrenees of the Tour de France on Sunday.
Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin won the ninth leg with a solo breakaway in a hailstorm on the uphill finish, a beyond-category climb.
Part of an early breakaway, Dumoulin attacked with 12 kilometers remaining in the 184.5-kilometer (115-mile) leg from Vielha d'Aran, Spain, to Arcalis in the principality of Andorra.
Two-time champion Alberto Contador pulled out with a fever midway through the stage.