The French have a word for it: panache, encapsulating the flamboyant attacking charac-teristics of great Tour de France champions.
The problem is that, after a week of attritional racing, it is pragmatism that is more likely to win this year's event.
Except that yesterday, Chris Froome, an expatriate Brit, who spent much of his childhood fishing in the African bush and out-running rogue hippos, unexpectedly took a flamboyant stage win that meant his Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins had to share the spotlight as he took possession of the Tour leader's yellow jersey for the first time in his career.
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