Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) won the stage 13 individual time trial from Bourg-Saint-Andéol to La Caverne du Pont d’Arc with Chris Froome (Team Sky) finishing 1m03s down in second place and so extending his lead in the general classification. Dumoulin’s fellow Dutchman, Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), moved up to second overall after gaining around a minute on most of the other riders in the top 10.
The 37.5km individual time trial saw the riders tackling not just two climbs and a technical descent, but also more strong winds. The lighter riders in particular were greatly affected and the time gaps were significant.
Dumoulin was imperious and took his second stage victory of this year’s race after also crossing the line first on stage nine at Arcalis.
Speaking at the finish, he said he felt it had been the right decision to race in the wake of last night’s Nice terror attack.
“This morning I woke up with the terrible news from Nice, and it was a big question if the team would start. I think it was a good decision [to start], in general, these terrorists cannot decide our lives. I think it’s good that we showed that we are the modern world and we don’t say yes to these attacks.”
Froome gained around two minutes on Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) who drop to third and fourth overall.
Afterwards Froome, referring to Thursday night's terrorist attack in Nice, close to his home in Monaco, said: "I gave my everything today but, it's too sad. It's the strangest moment of my career.
"It's difficult to talk about today's stage. With what is happening in France, it gives a different perspective about the race. My thoughts go with all the families in Nice and those affected.
"I do a lot of training on those roads. To see the Promenade with all the dead bodies and the horrific scenes is devastating. I express my deepest sympathy and my condolences to those who lost their loved ones,” he added.
Here's the onboard footage of today's stage.
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