PINEROLO, Italy — Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway won the 17th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, the first of three days in the Alps, while Thomas Voeckler retained the yellow jersey but lost time after riding off course on the final descent.
Defending champion Alberto Contador made repeated attempts to get away from his rivals, but was caught on each occasion. He finished in the same time as Cadel Evans, the Schleck brothers and Samuel Sanchez.
Voeckler lost 27 seconds and is 1 minute, 18 seconds ahead of Evans.
Boasson Hagen completed the 111 miles across the Alps in 4 hours, 18 minutes.
Voeckler went too fast on a hairpin turn, skidded onto the shoulder of the forested road, then raced back to try to catch Contador and Sanchez after they sped by.
“It’s a pity, because I saw that Contador, Evans and the Schlecks finished together. If I’d taken fewer risks, I would have finished with them,” Voeckler said.
The high-speed pursuit led to another mishap in which he jumped a curb, rolled into a small car park and almost crashed.
“It was a fraction of a second, but it seemed like an eternity. I closed my eyes and lifted the front wheel and when I opened my eyes, I was still on the bike,” Voeckler said. “So I said, ‘OK, here we go: U-turn and back to the race.’ “
Tour de France
A brief look at Wednesday’s 17th stage:
Stage: The first of three Alpine mountain stages that may well prove decisive took the riders into Italy. The 111-mile route from Gap to Pinerolo contained five climbs, including a first-category climb to the ski resort of Sestrieres, ending with a short, steep climb and treacherous descent into the Italian town.
Winner: Norwegian rider Edvald Boasson Hagen crossed the line alone after dropping his breakaway companions to finish 40 seconds ahead of Dutchman Bauke Mollema.
Yellow jersey: Thomas Voeckler of France remains in yellow, but he lost 27 seconds to all his main rivals.
Where’s Alberto Contador? He finished 22nd in the stage and remains sixth overall, 3:15 behind Voeckler.
Garmin-Cervelo: Tom Danielson had the best finish of the day for the team, finishing 30th at 4:26, with Christian Vande Velde finishing 32nd at 5:03. Danielson remains ninth overall.
Quote of the day: “I’ve got a good advantage over Alberto now, but Alberto has shown in years gone by what he can do when he’s really at his top.” Cadel Evans
Today: The 125-mile 18th stage includes three “beyond category” climbs in the race’s second half, starting with Col Angel and the Col d’Izoard, and finishing atop the legendary Col du Galibier. The finish at 8,700 feet above sea level will be the highest ever in the Tour’s 108-year history.
The Associated Press
