PAU, France (AP) — The Latest from the first rest day of the Tour de France (all times local):
___
12:20 p.m.
Tour de France leader Chris Froome says it’s time for the race favorites to lay their cards on the table.
Speaking Monday on the first rest day, the Sky team leader says the high mountains that start Tuesday with an ascent into the Pyrenees will offer the first true gauge of his rivals’ fitness.
Froome described the mountains as “the heart of the race” and “where the real race for yellow truly starts” because “we are going to see who has done their homework, who has got what.”
When he won in 2013, Froome made an immediate impression on the first Pyrenean stage, with a swashbuckling ride that left rivals eating his dust. This time, he is not obliged to attack thanks to the already sizeable time advantage he built up in the first nine stages over some other main contenders.
That puts the onus on them to make up the lost minutes. Froome needs only to ensure that they don’t ride off ahead of him on the uphill roads.
Froome’s team manager Dave Brailsford noted that “if nobody attacks, we’ve won the race.” He says Sky wants to attack, “but we’re not going to be reckless.”
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.