PEYRAGUDES, France (AP) Frenchman Romain Bardet won the first Pyrenean stage of the Tour de France on Thursday, as Chris Froome lost the race leader’s yellow jersey to Fabio Aru.
Froome’s Sky teammates controlled the race until the final kilometer leading to the ski station of Peyragudes, but the three-time champion cracked in the grueling final section featuring slopes with a 20 percent gradient.
Bardet won the stage ahead of Rigoberto Uran and Aru, who seized the race lead from Froome by six seconds according provisional results.