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| Froome Reasserts His Control, and a Young Rival Makes His Mark | Froome Reasserts His Control, and a Young Rival Makes His Mark |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| VAISON-LA-ROMAINE, France — With a burst of power on the steep final slopes of the imposing Mont Ventoux, Chris Froome won the 15th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, re-establishing the dominance that had been predicted for him before the Tour — and that had come into question only days ago. | VAISON-LA-ROMAINE, France — With a burst of power on the steep final slopes of the imposing Mont Ventoux, Chris Froome won the 15th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, re-establishing the dominance that had been predicted for him before the Tour — and that had come into question only days ago. |
| Froome, the race’s leader, not only sprinted away from the young Colombian climbing sensation Nairo Quintana, but he also gained more than a minute and a half on his two closest rivals for the overall title, Bauke Mollema and Alberto Contador. | |
| “To win the way so many big names have won on this climb is really special to me,” Froome said, calling the stage victory the biggest of his career. | |
| Some cycling watchdogs speculated online that Froome’s stunning final acceleration suggested he might have used performance-enhancing drugs. Froome, of Team Sky, has rejected such suggestions before and did so again Sunday. | Some cycling watchdogs speculated online that Froome’s stunning final acceleration suggested he might have used performance-enhancing drugs. Froome, of Team Sky, has rejected such suggestions before and did so again Sunday. |
| Told after the race that some people were comparing him to Lance Armstrong, the American rider whose seven Tour titles were stripped from him last year after he admitted to doping, an unperturbed Froome smiled and said, “I’m only going to take that as a compliment.” | Told after the race that some people were comparing him to Lance Armstrong, the American rider whose seven Tour titles were stripped from him last year after he admitted to doping, an unperturbed Froome smiled and said, “I’m only going to take that as a compliment.” |
| The stage was a watershed for Quintana, 23, a Movistar rider who crossed the line 29 seconds behind Froome. | The stage was a watershed for Quintana, 23, a Movistar rider who crossed the line 29 seconds behind Froome. |
| Wearing the poker face that has become his signature look on lung-disabling climbs, Quintana burst away from the peloton with about 15 kilometers, or nine miles, to go and held the lead until Froome caught him with about six kilometers, or 3.73 miles, to go. | Wearing the poker face that has become his signature look on lung-disabling climbs, Quintana burst away from the peloton with about 15 kilometers, or nine miles, to go and held the lead until Froome caught him with about six kilometers, or 3.73 miles, to go. |
| Yet even when Froome tried to pedal off, Quintana hung on to his wheel for several more miles, at times edging ahead, if only for a moment. At one point, Froome turned to Quintana to urge him on, and for a short while, the two worked together. But in the final two kilometers, Froome said he noticed Quintana was flagging and pulled away. | Yet even when Froome tried to pedal off, Quintana hung on to his wheel for several more miles, at times edging ahead, if only for a moment. At one point, Froome turned to Quintana to urge him on, and for a short while, the two worked together. But in the final two kilometers, Froome said he noticed Quintana was flagging and pulled away. |
| “I honestly thought Quintana was going to win the stage today,” Froome said. “I tried to distance him a couple of times and each time, he followed me relatively easily. I thought I’d have to surrender the stage to him.” | |
| At the finish of the 242.5-kilometer (150.68-mile) stage, the longest of the Tour, Froome and Quintana were administered oxygen for several minutes. Froome said it was the first time he had needed to do that. | At the finish of the 242.5-kilometer (150.68-mile) stage, the longest of the Tour, Froome and Quintana were administered oxygen for several minutes. Froome said it was the first time he had needed to do that. |
| The riders will rest Monday before entering the Alps for five days. | The riders will rest Monday before entering the Alps for five days. |
| Earlier in Sunday’s stage, a group of eight riders escaped from the pack, hoping that no one would bother to give chase. Among them was Peter Sagan, a Slovak sprinter from Cannondale who pulled a wheelie for a television cameraman aboard a motorcycle when the peloton caught him on the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux. | Earlier in Sunday’s stage, a group of eight riders escaped from the pack, hoping that no one would bother to give chase. Among them was Peter Sagan, a Slovak sprinter from Cannondale who pulled a wheelie for a television cameraman aboard a motorcycle when the peloton caught him on the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux. |
| But as he has throughout the race, Sagan cagily used the break to win points toward the green jersey award for the race’s top sprinter. He holds a commanding lead over Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step in the competition, with few opportunities left for the sprinters before the flat finish on Sunday in Paris. | But as he has throughout the race, Sagan cagily used the break to win points toward the green jersey award for the race’s top sprinter. He holds a commanding lead over Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step in the competition, with few opportunities left for the sprinters before the flat finish on Sunday in Paris. |
| Quintana’s runner-up finish allowed him to reclaim the white jersey worn by the best young rider. With the Alps ahead, he seems a near lock to win that competition. He is sixth in the overall standings, 5 minutes 47 seconds behind Froome. | Quintana’s runner-up finish allowed him to reclaim the white jersey worn by the best young rider. With the Alps ahead, he seems a near lock to win that competition. He is sixth in the overall standings, 5 minutes 47 seconds behind Froome. |
| “He may be 23, but in his head, with his mental strength, he’s like a 30-year-old rider,” José Luis Arrieta, Movistar’s chief sport director at the Tour, said of Quintana in a recent interview. “He has the physique of someone his age, but a savvy that’s beyond it.” | “He may be 23, but in his head, with his mental strength, he’s like a 30-year-old rider,” José Luis Arrieta, Movistar’s chief sport director at the Tour, said of Quintana in a recent interview. “He has the physique of someone his age, but a savvy that’s beyond it.” |
| Optimal power-to-weight ratios are crucial for climbers. Quintana is listed at 1.66 meters, or 5 feet 5 inches, and he looks tiny next to the 6-1 Froome. But he seems able to power effortlessly up big climbs, a skill honed during childhood rides in the Andes. His hometown, Tunja, is at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. | Optimal power-to-weight ratios are crucial for climbers. Quintana is listed at 1.66 meters, or 5 feet 5 inches, and he looks tiny next to the 6-1 Froome. But he seems able to power effortlessly up big climbs, a skill honed during childhood rides in the Andes. His hometown, Tunja, is at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. |
| Now that Movistar’s team leader, Alejandro Valverde, has fallen to 15th place, 14:42 back, Quintana will be able to ride the final mountain stages unfettered by team responsibilities. | Now that Movistar’s team leader, Alejandro Valverde, has fallen to 15th place, 14:42 back, Quintana will be able to ride the final mountain stages unfettered by team responsibilities. |
| Arrieta said: “There’s no pressure on him. If he does a great Tour, that’s good. If he has a bad day or two, that’s going to be O.K. He’s just here to understand a bit about the race and the tension that comes with riding the Tour. Anything else is extra.” | Arrieta said: “There’s no pressure on him. If he does a great Tour, that’s good. If he has a bad day or two, that’s going to be O.K. He’s just here to understand a bit about the race and the tension that comes with riding the Tour. Anything else is extra.” |
Jon Brand contributed reporting. | Jon Brand contributed reporting. |