LA CAVERNE DU PONT-D’ARC, France — Amid reinforced security a day after the deadly attack in Nice, the Tour de France rolled on and defending champion Chris Froome extended his overall lead on Friday.
Thousands of people lined the 37.5-kilometer (23-mile) time trial route to celebrate the Tour and pay homage to the dozens killed and injured by a truck which drove through beachfront crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
Froome finished second to Tom Dumoulin on the 13th stage, but ahead of all other general classification contenders. A time trial specialist, Dumoulin was in a league of his own but Froome limited his time loss to 63 seconds.
“It’s terrible what happened and overshadows the day a lot,” said Dumoulin, who also won a mountain stage last week in the Pyrenees. “So you’re speaking to a man with two sides to his face today. Of course I’m happy with the win, but at the same time my thoughts are with everyone involved in the horrific attacks in Nice.”
Froome leads Dutch rider Bauke Mollema by 1:47 overall, with fellow Briton Adam Yates in third place, 2:45 back.
Froome’s main rival in the mountains, Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, was lagging 2:59. The first alpine stage is on Sunday.
