Tour de France riders tackle Tourmalet climb in Stage 8

Fresh off his third stage win a day earlier, Mark Cavendish was involved in an early breakaway along with world champion Peter Sagan. “The Tour is the highlight of the season and from the first mountain stage, the objective is over”.

While Yates recovered his wits, the main group of some 60 riders including Chris Froome was forced to a halt; after they set off again leading figures could be seen slowing the peloton down to wait for their fellow riders.

“It scared me”, Team Sky director Dave Brailsford said.

Although that was on the track, he too adopted a unusual cramped position that gave him an aerodynamic boost before developing another, the “Superman”, when his first position was banned.

Chris Froome’s Tour de France rivals should be anxious because his sensational breakaway to win stage eight on Saturday was “just a bit of fun”.

Froome said his daring downhill attack had been a risk but something he’d come up with on the spur of the moment. I had a different condition from a year ago as I started the Tour riding for Mark (Cavendish) who is such a victor and an inspiration.

“I don’t want to make excuses”.

“I’m climbing with the best of the best, but the time loss still hurts”, he said.

“I had the right gearing, I had a 54 chain so I thought I will try”. The man, wearing a Colombia national football shirt, came too close to Froome, who responded by jabbing him in the face.

“(Team Direct Energie sports director) Jimmy (Engoulvent) yesterday reproached me for not having thrown my bike forward enough”, said the Olympic silver medallist from the omnium on the track in London.

“I’m not surprised. He’s a bit of a nutcase when it comes to that”.

Froome now leads by 16sec overall from young Briton Adam Yates and Rodriguez, while previous yellow jersey holder Greg Van Avermaet finished a long way back.

There was late drama when an inflatable arch indicating the final kilometre collapsed and knocked Yates off his bike, leaving him with a bloodied chin.

“With the next two days coming up I think people are pretty nervous for those two days, so I think we’ll see some fireworks on Saturday and Sunday”, he said.

“I normally know when I win or I lose. “It really did feel like just taking the race home and enjoying it”.

Froome’s Sky, with some help from Quintana’s Movistar, took up pace-setting in the peloton, mindful that Nibali, while nine minutes back from other favourites, could become a factor if given too much leeway. He finished 1:41 behind Froome and is now more than 3min behind in the overall standings.

He played down the significance of that gap but blamed himself for not following Froome’s attack.

The 31-year-old clocked up speeds exceeding 80kmh, with his lead reaching 22 seconds before falling slightly on the flat.

“In the last part it was me who didn’t pay attention”.

Frenchman Romain Bardet and Quintana both accelerated but neither showed any great commitment to attack. Then, approaching the summit of Peyresourde, Froome made his move, going over the top in first place then accelerating away and catching Quintana unaware just before the descent.