Tour de France leader Froome runs up hill after crash
Allowed to keep yellow jersey after bizarre incident
Chris Froome was allowed to keep the yellow jersey after the Tour de France race jury ruled he crashed and lost his bike in unfair circumstances during a wacky conclusion to the 12th stage on Thursday.
Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux after losing his bike in an accident. Incredible<a href="https://t.co/4kXbrvJe8f">pic.twitter.com/4kXbrvJe8f</a>
—@TelegraphSport"Ventoux is full of surprises. ... I'm very happy with the jury's decision," Froome said.
In a complete embarrassment for race organizers on Bastille Day, Richie Porte crashed headfirst into a motorbike carrying a TV camera and Froome, who was right behind his former teammate, also hit the pavement in the final kilometer on the wind-shortened climb to Mont Ventoux.
The motorbike appeared to have stopped because fans blocked its path.
"We took an exceptional decision because of this exceptional situation, an incident that might have never happened before in 100 years," said Tour director Christian Prudhomme, explaining that the wind prevented organizers from erecting the usual barriers at the end of most stages.
"There will be an investigation to find out why the TV motorbike was blocked and the riders fell," Prudhomme added.
Froome threw his mangled bike aside and began running up the road. He eventually was given a small yellow race assistance bike before his team car was finally able to provide him with a suitable substitute.
"I told myself, `I don't have a bike and my car is five minutes behind with another bike, it's too far away, I'm going to run a bit,"' Froome told French TV.
All of Froome's main rivals crossed ahead of him, and Froome shook his head in disbelief when he finally reached the finish.
As Froome ran through the crowds he attempted to communicate with his team via radio but the crowds prevented the Team Sky car from reaching him.
"It was a nightmare," Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said. "It took up to two minutes for him to get a spare bike but the pedals did not suit him. ... I can't understand how so many people were allowed there. It was mayhem."
Froome, who is seeking his third Tour title in four years, increased his overall lead to 47 seconds ahead of fellow British rider Adam Yates.
Two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana was third, 54 seconds behind, and Mollema moved up to fourth, 56 seconds back.
Thomas De Gendt won the stage after getting into an early breakaway and easily sprinting past fellow Belgian Serge Pauwels on the steep slopes of Ventoux.
Ventoux was also the site of an epic contest between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani in 2000, and where British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967 from a combination of amphetamines and alcohol.