The world’s most gruelling cycle race is certainly living up to its name this year, with Saturday seeing riders tackle the 183 kilometre eighth stage.

The climbing section peaked at 1 569 metres, and from then on it was all downhill. The man who made the most of that opportunity was Chris Froome, who decided ‘spur of the moment’ to leave the field in his wake.

What really caught the attention of the watching world was his unique position on the bike, with this below from the Guardian:

Using a slightly higher gear than normal meant Froome was able to pedal in his aerodynamic tuck position with less risk of becoming unstable, and his skill through the sweeping bends on the descent came, he said, from the competitive nature of Team Sky training camps, where the riders vie to be the fastest downhill.

“It’s like going back to being a kid again. We always mess around, race each other on descents, it’s why you ride a bike, that adrenaline, that rush. We train like that a lot, a group of boys who want to race each other, and it paid off today.”

It has, rather predictably, been dubbed the ‘Froome tuck’, and culminated in a top speed of around 84 km/h.

When I first heard the term I thought it would be something to due with the spandex cycling pants, but thankfully that’s not the case.

He also had a run in with a Colombian fan earlier in the race – ‘roid rage, maybe?

Thanks, Evan

[source:guardian]