FOIX, France (AP) -- Crashes, falls, fractures - Bradley Wiggins has seen it all. Now increase tacks and nails to list. Still, nothing can break his stranglehold on the Tour de France.
On a day of harm in the Pyrenees, Wiggins had fitness on his side. He avoided the lawlessness and outlayed other trouble-free theatre as his Sky group tranquil his principal rivals to safeguard his yellow jersey.
At smallest 30 riders were disrupted by tire punctures at the tip of the last ascend after tacks and tiny nails were tossed on the road. Tour officials asked military to investigate.
Defending winner Cadel Evans was held in the havoc. He had to wait for 3 times for assistance. He mislaid scarcely two mins at a indicate before teammates arrived and gave the one-time world winner a back wheel.
But Wiggins respected cycling practice by not attempting to gain on Evans' misfortune. He urged the peloton to slow down to enable Evans to ! lapse to the pack. Wiggins and Evans ended in the same time - 18 minutes, 15 seconds at the back Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, who won the 119-mile, 14th theatre between Limoux and Foix.
This was the initial day of racing in the Pyrenees, and Wiggins kept his on the whole lead of 2:05 over Sky teammate Christopher Froome. Vincenzo Nibali of Italy is third, 2:23 off the gait whilst Evans waste fourth, 3:19 behind.
After crashing out of the race with a damaged collarbone last year, Wiggins has been enjoying the best Tour so far with the help of a group dedicated to his query for cycling's many worshiped prize.
With usually two large hill stages outstanding before the race ends in Paris next Sunday, and a long time hearing where Wiggins is approaching to blow his rivals apart, the one-time Olympic follow winner looks all but on trial to turn the initial Brit to win the Tour. Yet, he is good wakeful of the dangers that can movement anywhere.!
''What can you do? It's something you can't cont! rol,'' Wiggins said, referring to the harm that could have led to a reshuffle of the standings.
''There's nothing interlude more of that arrange of things happening. It's sad. The are the type of things you have to put up with as cyclists. I regard people take that for postulated sometimes, just how shut they can obtain to us. If that happened in a football stadium, or wherever, you'd be arrested.''
From time to time, deviate dogs or photograph-snapping fans obtain strike by speeding riders. On Friday, Wiggins was strike on the arm and received teenager consume from a light waved by a spectator. Three years ago, Oscar Freire and Julien Dean were strike by pellets from an air rifle.
''We're out there, truly exposed at times, really shut to the open on climbs,'' Wiggins said. ''We're just the riders at the finish of the day and we're there to be shot at, literally.''
Speaking on French TV, race executive Jean-Francois Pesche! ux commended Sky for enlivening the fill up to not speed ahead. He mentioned the finding is to law-breaker would be tough since thousands of fans were on the corner of the road.
''This could have had awful consequences on a skirmish similar to that,'' Tour executive Christian Prudhomme said. ''This is dangerous and dim-witted behavior.''
Astana supplement Robert Kiserlovski forsaken out of the race after violation his collarbone in an mishap connected to the tacks. Wiggins transient nonetheless he did change bikes in the last descent.
''We're really, really lucky, nobody punctured,'' Sky manager Dave Brailsford said. ''Brad altered his bike but no panic. It was without doubt something was wrong. So he motionless to slow down a bit and not take value of it. It's flattering without doubt that when something similar to that happens, it's not bike racing. I regard satisfactory fool around to Bradley. It was a really sportsmanlike gesture.'! '
Evans, his chances of winning are all but gone, mislaid ! the Spanish Vuelta 3 years ago after being delayed by a circle change during the 13th stage.
''That's the way things go in life. Karma hopefully comes around,'' Evans said. ''I couldn't see (the tacks) on the road. It happened to me 3 times and at major moments. This has happened to me before, two times in Spain, that's why I don't race in Spain really often. Sorry is to good Spanish people and my Spanish friends and people in Spain who encouragement me. But there's a couple of people that just take things as well far.''
Pierre Rolland of France was the usually supplement who pounded after Evans' puncture.
''I are unaware either he knew or not,'' Wiggins said. ''I knew true divided something had happened. I just thought it was a little bit coarse at that time. The theatre was gone. ... It didn't appear the honest thing to do.''
Rolland, ninth on the whole and 8:31 at the back Wiggins, mentioned he was not wakeful of what h! appened.
''I'm someone who respects the peloton and its codes and I would never have pounded a supplement who punctured,'' Rolland said. ''It saddens me a bit.''
Sanchez used his time hearing experience for his piece for one person victory. He was amid a group of 5 riders who pennyless divided on the Mur de Peguere, assumingly before the tacks were thrown.
He then done his wilful pierce 7 miles from the finish to win a Tour theatre is to fourth time in his career. Slovakia's Peter Sagan, who has the immature jersey as tip sprinter, ended second, 47 seconds at the back Sanchez. France's Sandy Casar was third in the same time.
''With Philippe Gilbert and Sagan in the breakaway, I knew that my usually chance was to try my fitness on my own from far away,'' Sanchez said.
Sanchez, hampered by a wrist damage during the initial week, crossed himself and sharp his fingers toward the sky as he went over the finish line! .
Sagan and two other riders transient from the peloton af! ter 22 miles during the skirmish after the initial climb. Eight riders, inclusive Gilbert, Casar and Sanchez, then pennyless divided in office of the contingent and bridged the hole whilst the second peloton held up with the yellow jersey's group. With nothing of the 11 escapees posing a hazard in the on the whole standings, they were given the liberty to continue.
Despite sleet and cooler weather, the ascent was uneventful. Wiggins' teammates set the dash at the front of the fill up whilst the Briton's rivals did not brave a move.
Associated Press writers Greg Keller and Jamey Keaten contributed to this report.
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