Sir Bradley Wiggins has voiced fears Geraint Thomas' defence of the Tour de France could crumble.
'Wiggo', the first Briton on win the Tour in 2012, believes tomorrow's 15th stage to Foix Prat d'Albis in the Pyrenees will be crucial.
He spoke out despite pal Thomas still lying second in the fight for the leader's yellow jersey behind surprise package Julian Alaphilippe.
Thomas was distanced in the final kilometer of the 19km climb to the legendary summit finish on the 2,115m high Tourmalet, which is known as the giant of the Pyrenees.
He lost 30 seconds to Alaphilippe but, when bonuses were taken into account, the figure increased to 36.
It means Thomas, who made history last year by becoming the first Welsh rider to win the men's Tour de France, is now 2min 2sec behind Alaphilippe in the general classification.
Wiggins believes Thomas may have paid the price for his efforts in the individual time trial.
“Geraint will go deep, maybe too deep. Maybe yesterday caught up with him. I fear the worst for him after this stage,” he said on Eurosport.
"Maybe Geraint's true level is coming out. He has not had the perfect season he had last year. He's had sickness, he's had a crash."
Nevertheless, Wiggins, a teammate of Thomas in the British team which struck gold in the men's team pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, didn't write him off completely.
"If Geraint stays at this level he could still win the Tour," he added.
However, he needs French darling Alaphilippe to crack for the Deceuninck-QuickStep star didn't look like losing the yellow jersey during the 117.5km stage 14 from Tarbes.
Alaphilippe finished six seconds behind stage winner and compatriot Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ).
Dutch dynamo Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) was third to close the gap on Thomas in the overall standings to 12 seconds with the latter's Ineos teammate Egan Bernal in fourth a further 46 seconds in arrears at 3min.
Germany's Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and the dangerous Pinot are at 3min 12sec with Colombia's Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) seventh at 4min 24sec.
Thomas fronted up to the media soon after the finish and admitted he wasn’t at his best.
“I was quite weak. At the end I knew I just had to try and pace it. I didn’t really try to follow when they kicked in the final kilometer,” said the 33-year-old.
“I tried to limit my losses rather than chase and possibly blow up on the steep slopes.
“It was a tough day out there. It’s just disappointing but it’s what it is.
“From the start I didn’t feel great. I was hoping I would come around a bit. On the last climb I stayed there as long as possible.
“There’s still a lot to come. Hopefully, I will feel a little bit better tomorrow.”
He may need to be with the 185km leg to Foix Prat d'Albis having a category two climb, three category one climbs and a summit finish.
It certainly won't be a stage for the weak!
Geraint Thomas says he felt 'weak' as Tour de France chances take knock
Thomas fronted up to the media soon after the finish and admitted he wasn’t at his best.
“I was quite weak. At the end I knew I just had to try and pace it. I didn’t really try to follow when they kicked in the final kilometer,” he told reporters.
“I tried to limit my losses rather than chase and possibly blow up on the steep slopes.
“It was a tough day out there. It’s just disappointing but it’s what it is.
“From the start I didn’t feel great. I was hoping I would come around a bit. On the last climb I stayed there as long as possible.
“There’s still a lot to come. Hopefully, I will feel a little bit better tomorrow.”
Bradley Wiggins fears for Tour de France chances of Geraint Thomas
Sir Bradley Wiggins believes Geraint Thomas may have paid the price for his efforts in yesterday’s time trial.
“Geraint will go deep, maybe too deep. Maybe yesterday caught up with him. I fear the worst for him after this stage,” he said.
Geraint Thomas stays second but over 2 minutes behind yellow jersey
Thomas is now 2min 2sec behind Alaphilippe in the general classification.
Kruijswijk has closed the gap on Thomas to 12 seconds with Bernal in fourth a further 46 seconds in arrears.
Buchmann and Pinot are at 3min 12sec with Uran seventh at 4min 24sec.
Geraint Thomas finishes sixth but loses time to yellow jersey
Thomas struggled to limit his losses during the final kilometer and finished about 36 seconds behind winner Pinot.
Alaphilippe was second with Kruijswijk third.
Alaphilippe has increased his lead over Thomas, who remains second, to more than two minutes.
Geraint Thomas distanced at Tour de France
Thomas accelerated to move up some places as Landa attempts to get away but is quickly closed down.
Uran has been dropped while Alaphilippe has overtaken Thomas. Could the yellow jersey win the stage?
Thomas has been distanced with 1km remaining. He’s trying to limit his losses.
Yellow jersey group whittled down to seven key men
There’s 3.6km remaining and the yellow jersey group has been whittled down to seven team leaders.
Thomas and Alaphilippe are towards the back as the gradient increases. This is hard to call with Dutch team setting the pace for Steven Kruijswijk, who is third in the overall standings.
More casualties as Geraint Thomas begins to move up
There’s more casualties with Mas and Australian Richie Porte having been dropped.
Alaphilippe is still marking Geraint Thomas, whose teammate Wout Poels has just been distanced.
Thomas is rocking from side to side with 5km remaining but has moved up the bunch as Alaphilippe hangs on at the back.
French champion and Pinot up the tempo
Ineos have slowed the pace with French champion Warren Barguil having gone on the attack.
That’s prompted my tip for the day Pinot to up the pace. He’s been guided by one of cycling’s most exciting prospects in David Gaudu.
Inoeos have closed them down but Barguil has a gap of 19 seconds.
Alaphilippe is locked on the back wheel of Thomas.
Thomas' Ineos team have taken over pace-setting
This is incredible with Quintana, who has twice finished runner-up to Chris Froome at the Tour, having been distanced by his own team Movistar.
They must have been riding for Mikel Landa. Alaphilippe is still in the group of about 17 riders as Thomas’ Ineos team begin to set the pace with 8.7km remaining.
Dan Martin latest big name in trouble but Geraint Thomas looks comfortable
Irishman Dan Martin, a past winner of the Junior Tour of Wales and a stage winner at the Tour de France, is the next big name to go out of the back door.
It’s a war of attrition with riders unable to stick with the pace being set by Movistar.
Yates has already lost a minute to the peloton. The good news is Geraint Thomas is still sitting comfortably.
Podium chaser Adam Yates has cracked
The Briton, whose aim was to finish on the podium in Paris, was below par during yesterday’s time trial and he’s slipped off the back of the yellow jersey group.
He looks in major trouble and you can safely say he won’t win this year’s Tour. Konrad has also been dropped again.
Lull before the storm as peloton start climb
Sicard is 26 seconds ahead of Gesbert on the lower slopes of the Tourmalet with the peloton having let the gap stretch to 1min 7sec.
You sense it’s the lull before the storm!
Breakaway being shut down by pace of peloton
Romain Sicard, Gesbert and Lilian Calmejane have to be caught from the breakaway with the yellow jersey group having just passed Nibali and Wellens.
Sicard is about 100m ahead of his nearest chasers.
Geraint Thomas composed as big battle awaits in 7km
There’s 7km to the start of the 19km climb to today’s finish. The stage has been ridden fast and I’d expect there to be some casualties on the Tourmalet.
Riders who were dropped on the Soulor but who have rejoined the yellow jersey group are likely to be in trouble early on.
The gap to the breakaway is just 36 seconds and it could be caught before the climb starts.
Geraint Thomas is looking composed but he, along with his rivals, is in for a severe test with the Movistar team attempting to set up a stage win for Nairo Quintana or Mikel Landa.
Briton Adam Yates makes it back to the group of Thomas
Adam Yates, who was paced by his twin brother Simon and Australian Jack Haig, Konrad and Bauke Mollema have made it back to the yellow jersey group on the descent.
But the gap to Bardet has grown with the AG2R leader 4min 35sec behind. His hopes of winning this year’s Tour have gone.
Tourmalet is a real brute of a mountain
I rode the Tourmalet a couple of years ago and it just goes on and on.
The roads ramps up during the final 4km of the 19km while the altitude, with it being over 2,000m high, is a factor.
The temperature is warm again today and some riders had problems dealing with it yesterday.
If they didn’t re-hydrate and eat properly, that could have a negative effect on their performance.
Word is there’s a tail-wind on the Tourmalet today, which means it will be blisteringly fast.
Movistar are doing some damage as big finale approaches
Nibali and Wellens have been joined by French prospect Elie Gesbert at the head of the race.
I will be amazed if they stay away to the end though because the yellow jersey group have closed the gap to 1min 27sec.
Movistar are continuing to pour on the pressure at the front of a dwindling band of favourites.
Alaphilippe is still there and there’s sure to be some fireworks on the big climb to the finish on the Tourmalet.
Casualties mount as pressure increases with some star names in trouble
Nibali is battling it out with king of the mountains Wellens to be the first over the top of the Soulor.
Wellens has out-sprinted him and there’s riders all over the place with the yellow jersey group having closed the gap to 1min 30sec.
Spanish team Movistar are pouring on the pressure with France’s Romain Bardet, who was among the favourites before the Tour, Adam Yates and Austrian champion Patrick Konrad all dropped.
Yellow jersey standings as riders on lower slopes of first big challenge
Yesterday’s time trial caused a shake-up at the top of the standings, with Mitchelton-Scott’s Briton Adam Yates and UAE Team Emirates’ Irishman Dan Martin among the losers.
Martin finished 33rd, 2min 6sec down on Alaphilippe, with Yates one place and two seconds further back.
Yates dropped from seventh to 10th, 3min 55sec down, with Martin 11th a further 20 seconds adrift.
Thomas’ lieutenant Egan Bernal slid from third to fifth at 2min 54sec, Germany’s Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) is sixth at 3min 4sec, Pinot is seventh at 3min 22sec, Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First), who finished runner-up to Chris Froome two years ago, is eighth at 3min 54sec with his fellow Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) nihth at 3min 55sec.
Thomas is 1min 26sec behind Alaphilippe in second with Kruijswijk third at 2min 12sec. and Mas fourth at 2min 44sec.
The breakaway has an advantage of 2min 41sec on the lower slopes of the 11.9km Col du Soulor.
French President has prime seat for mountain battle
French President Emmanuel Macron was at yesterday’s time trial stage in Pau and has a prime seat today from the race director’s car.
It’s the 100th Tour de France and the President attended a dinner yesterday honouring past winners.
There's a hectic pace with a big breakaway
Seventeen riders have established a lead of 2min 34sec over the peloton, which has picked up the pace in order not to let the gap get too wide.
Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) aren’t the only big hitters in it with Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida), Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Sergio Henao (UAE Team Emirates), Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Lilian Calmejane, and Rein Taaramëe (both Total Direct Energie), Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) and Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) quality riders.
There’s a hectic pace with the Groupama-FDJ team of Thibaut Pinot, who is my tip for today’s stage, driving the chasing peloton along.
That’s a sure sign Pinot, who is seventh overall at 3min 22sec after losing time in cross-winds last Monday, is up for it.
Leaders have crested first categorised climb and a break is away
Nibali and Sagan are being chased by a second group of escapees on the opening climb of the day, the Cote de Labatmale.
About 15 riders are in pursuit of the pair as they crest it and begin the descent.
The pair have eased up and are waiting for their pursuers because the more riders in the break the easier it is with more hands to share the workload, particularly if they are riding into a headwind.
Stage is under way with stars on the offensive
The stage has started later than planned and it’s uphill immediately with attacks starting as riders attempt to breakaway.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali, a member of an exclusive club of seven riders who have won all three Grand Tours - France, Italy and Spain , and three-time world champion Peter Sagan have distanced the peloton.
Nibali suffered from stomach problems during the first week and slipped out of contention for the yellow jersey.
Start delayed by a demonstration
The neutralised zone has been extended because of a demonstration on the course.
They are being shepherded to the side of the road by police.
Geraint Thomas' thoughts at the start of today's stage
Thomas spoke just before the riders set off for the start of today’s stage from Tarbes.
He said: “Alaphilippe has been super-strong this season but is even better here.
“We haven’t really seen him as a top climber climbing with the top GC (general classification) guys before.
“If it’s a sustained pace day after day, hopefully he will start to crack at some point.
“Hopefully, we can start to get a bit of time back but it’s not just Alaphilippe we have to consider, there’s 10 or 15 guys behind us who are threats as well.”
The riders are pedaling through the neutralised section before the flag drops on the start.
Leader plays down chance of becoming first Frenchman to win Tour in 34 years
Five-time champion Bernard Hinault was the last home winner of the Tour de France, in 1985.
But hopes are soaring Julian Alaphilippe or France’s other darling, Thibaut Pinot, can break the losing habit.
Deceuninck-QuickStep star Alaphilippe attempted to play down expectations, claiming: “We don’t have the team to win.”
But he added: “We ride really aggressively and we try to win.”
And his argument about the strength of his team doesn’t stack up because Spaniard Enric Mas is lying fourth in the yellow jersey race at 2min 44sec.
Mas, 24, finished runner-up to Briton Simon Yates in last year’s Vuelta Espana (Tour of Spain) and his challenge can’t be discounted.
Geraint Thomas shocked by strength of yellow jersey rival
Defending champion Thomas admitted yellow jersey wearer Alaphilippe has emerged as a genuine contender to dethrone him.
“He’s obviously going incredibly well. He’s certainly the favourite, the one to watch, for sure the way he is riding. If he can keep that up he will win.”
But Thomas warned: “There’s long way to go - there are some hard stages to come.”
And today’s - the 14th of the 21 stages - is the hardest the peloton has to tackle in the Pyrenees.
