Chris Froome won’t win the Tour de France on foot, but the defending champion is willing to try.
Froome ran part of the Stage 12 route Thursday after damaging his bike amid a massive pile-up. Richie Porte caused the chaos by colliding with a motorbike on the Mont Ventoux portion for the race. Froome then crashed into Porte and lost the services of his trusty bike.
Rather than lose even more valuable time, Froome took off running toward the end line.
.@LeTour Leader, @ChrisFroome is forced to leave his bike behind and run after massive pile-up #TDF2016 https://t.co/gsBgOJ967n
— NBC Sports Bet (@NBCSportsBet) July 14, 2016
Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux after losing his bike in an accident. Incrediblehttps://t.co/4kXbrvJe8f
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) July 14, 2016
Eventually, someone gave Froome a bike, and he finished the stage seated as any good cyclist should. Froome lost 53 seconds because of the crash.
Froome was the Tour de France’s overall leader after 11 stages but lost the yellow jersey Adam Yates, according to The BBC. However, the results are provisional, as organizers determine how to address the bizarre scene.
Awaiting jury decision… @LeTour #TDF
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 14, 2016
Thumbnail photo via Bernard Papon/Presse Sports/USA TODAY Sports Images
