Cycling-Froome and Sky in perfect place after tricky Tour stages (Reuters)
By Julien Pretot CAMBRAI, France, July 7 (Reuters) – Team Sky were expected to be shaken by their rivals on the cobbles in the Tour de France, yet their leading rider Chris Froome emerged as the huge favourite after the opening block of racing on Tuesday. After a below-par time trial in the first stage, Froome was ahead of his main opponents in the second stage, where Nairo Quintana and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali were trapped behind a bunch split on Sunday. Froome was said to be vulnerable on the cobbles that were sprayed over the course of Tuesday’s fourth stage, but he resisted Nibali’s attacks and even upped the pace himself in the finale.