Comment: unprecedented but absolute correct to keep Chris Froome in yellow

Reigning champion Froome attempted to ride on after the collision, but was forced to ditch his bike and run up the final climb of the 12th stage on Mont Ventoux.

On Bastille Day, fans created havoc at the Tour de France like never before.

Chris Froome kept hold of the Tour de France race leader’s yellow jersey despite a crash with a motorcycle on Thursday that threatened to wreck his race hopes. The crowd on Mont Ventoux booed when Froome went on the podium to be recognized as the yellow jersey holder. “You always have to expect the unexpected at the Tour”. I don’t know what they are going to do but they have got to do something about it as it’s not fair. “It was just a mess”, he said.

“This is bike racing at its best”, Froome said.

“I expected guys to attack (on Wednesday) but I didn t expect Froome to be one of them”, said the 23-year-old Orica climber. I can’t believe what happened out there.

Monaco-based Froome – who seized the yellow jersey with his daredevil descent on stage eight – sprinted to the finish to eke out as much time as he could.

“There will be an investigation to find out why the TV motorbike was blocked and the riders fell”, Prudhomme added.

Froome initially seemed to have lost the race lead after his bicycle was broken by the crash leaving him at one point running desperately along the road waiting for a replacement bike. He eventually was given a small yellow race assistance bike before his team was finally able to provide him with a suitable substitute.

Howling crosswinds allowed Froome to take time out of his rivals on stage 11 from Carcassonne to Montpellier as he latched on to Peter Sagan’s stage-winning move 12km from the finish, coming home second and six seconds ahead of the chasing pack. “The crowd was on their own, I had to stop riding because I had nowhere to go and went straight over the motorbike”, he said.

Brailsford even afforded himself a joke, saying of Froome’s brief jog towards the finish: “Maybe next year he’ll run the Paris marathon!”

He took his time before resuming on a new bike, finishing well back in the field, more than five minutes behind Slovakian stage victor Peter Sagan.

The farcical scenes unfolded as the Brit crashed with Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema after Richie Porte collided with a motorbike, which had apparently stopped due to crowding on the road.

They awarded Froome the same time as Porte and Mollema – whose bikes were not damaged in the crash.

Germany’s Paul Voss, left, Netherlands’ Tom Jelte Slagter, center, and Italy’s Diego Rosa, center right, ride during the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 184 kilometers (114.3 miles) with start in Montpellier and finish on the Mont Ventoux, France, Thursday, July 14, 2016.

Dan Martin of Ireland is third overall, 31 seconds behind, and two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia is fourth, 35 seconds back. “I want to take every opportunity I can and to find myself in yellow by doing that is just an incredible experience”.

Sagan collected 67 points in the green jersey classification; 50 for winning the stage and 17 in an intermediate sprint. Froome took a few seconds by taking advantage of the moment but I want to remain positive.

News coverage showed footage of a rider slamming into a cameraman, and photos posted to social media show fans standing dangerously close to the course holding signs. “It is what it is”.

Lotto-Soudal teammates Andre Greipel and Thomas De Gendt are part of a 13-man breakaway early in the stage with a lead of almost 10 minutes on the pack.