After three weeks of highs and lows, it all came down to the race of truth to decide the final classification. Would it be stirred or shaken? It was a fitting, nail-biting finish on today’s penultimate stage with a testing, rolling parcours made trickier by partially dry roads but Tom Dumoulin, resplendent in his white world champion’s skinsuit, beat Chris Froome by a single, solitary second to cement his runner’s up spot. Froome rode like a defending champion to dislodge yesterday’s stage winner, a weary Primoz Roglic, from the podium and reclaim his third place. Meanwhile race leader Geraint Thomas, third on the stage, only eased up once he knew the title was in the bag, though we all had our hearts in our throats as he wobbled around a corner en route. That just leaves tomorrow’s largely processionary stage for the GC but a trophy win on the Champs Elysees for one of the few remaining sprinters. Continue reading →