GAP, France (AP) — The Latest from the Tour de France (all times local):
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4:15 p.m.
The manager of the Movistar team says Nairo Quintana wants to strike a one-two attack with teammate Alejandro Valverde against Tour de France leader Chris Froome.
On paper, that’s the plan, Eusebio Unzue said before Thursday’s Stage 18 in the Alps.
“The reality is that the race is dictating otherwise,” Unzue said. “The yellow jersey is simply the strongest.”
Quintana, in second place overall, edged Froome by a second a day earlier in the race’s start into the Alps. Valverde rose to third from fourth overall after American rider Tejay van Garderen dropped out because of illness.
Quintana entered the day 3 minutes, 10 seconds behind Froome, while Valverde was 59 seconds slower.
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12:40 p.m.
Tour de France riders have started the second of four punishing days in the Alps with race leader Chris Froome keeping close watch on his main rivals for the yellow jersey.
The 186.5-kilometer trek from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in Stage 18 takes the peloton over a whopping seven climbs — most mid-sized except for the Glandon pass, one of the hardest in pro cycling.
Froome beat back several attacks during the previous day’s entree into the Alps. The 30-year-old Briton leads Colombia’s Nairo Quintana who is second by 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
The race finishes Sunday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
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