Lance Armstrong rides Tour de France route: ‘still some hurt feelings

“I understand people’s reactions”, Armstrong said.

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong returned to the Tour de France race on Thursday, three years after he was stripped of his wins for doping.

Of course, van Garderen has no easy task ahead if he hopes to overhaul Froome.

Some competitors in the race this year have reacted to Armstrong’s presence with indifference. To deal with that, Froome is willing to take testing even further.

Sagan, who retained the green jersey for the points classification, said: “I had nothing left in the last 100 metres”.

However, Armstrong declined to be drawn on Froome and the numerous questions about doping leveled at him.

The 30-year-old Team Sky leader has always denied doping and spoken of his wish to be a spokesman for clean cycling.

“I was simply answering a question”.

“If that were the rule, the caravan would nearly be empty”.

Afterwards, Quintana said he felt confident that his 3:09 deficit to Froome would be wiped out when the race hits the Alps next week.

But Kenyan-born Froome was expertly marshalled by first Richie Porte and then Geraint Thomas in chasing down those digs, although when Quintana tried, it was Froome himself who took no risks and set off after the diminutive Colombian.

There have been suggestions Team Sky are using controversial, but legal, ketones, which are said to have benefits for endurance athletes, such as by preserving energy stores and muscle while burning fat.

Earlier in the day, the 22-man breakaway group built a maximum 13-minute lead.

Letting Rodriguez and other breakaway riders go was a calculated risk by Froome: His bet was that they wouldn’t gain too much time on him over the 195-kilometer (121-mile) trek from Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille ski station.

Froome beamed: “I couldn’t believe it when I asked the guys to push a little bit harder and we were hearing on the radio the big names were getting dropped”.

The average speed in this year’s Tour in the first 11 stages was 42.46 kph. Contador is sixth, 4:04 off the Briton’s pace.

Froome fended off numerous attacks in maintaining his commanding lead on the final stage in the Pyrenees.

Livestock on the sun-baked, grassy mountainsides offered their own hazards for the speeding racers.

A number of Tour chiefs have labelled the 1999-2005 victor of the race “disrespectful” for taking part in the ride, which attacks each of the race’s 21 stages a day ahead of the competitors. He was the only rider able to closely shadow Chris Froome on the sharp finishing climb of the Mur de Huy on Stage 3, where Contador flailed.

Inevitably, though, another dominant performance on Thursday’s terrifically tough stage with four categorised climbs-a second, two firsts and an hors category to finish with – will obviously not silence the critics.

Froome came home in 10th at 6min 47sec amongst his principle rivals, including Nairo Quintana, two-time former victor Alberto Contador and reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali.

Defending champion Nibali (Astana) stayed 7:47 adrift despite appearing likely to lose contact. “Many others suffer, but I prefer this to rain”, Majka said.