Spaniard says cobbled fourth stage will be matter of 'survival'
Monday 6 July 2015 19:58, UK
Alberto Contador has described Chris Froome as “very strong” and admitted the cobbled fourth stage of the Tour de France will be a matter of “survival”.
Contador crossed the line 18 seconds down on Froome as the Briton finished second behind Joaquim Rodriguez on stage three.
Froome picked up six bonus seconds and has now moved into the overall race lead, 36 seconds ahead of Contador, who is eighth.
Contador, who was unable to match Froome on the steep final climb of the Mur de Huy, said: “Froome is very strong. He nearly won the stage today. But there are still many days of racing. You must stay positive.
“The yellow jersey gives you confidence, you tell yourself you are well, but it also gives pressure and responsibilities. Still I would love to hold it.”
Stage four contains 13.3km of cobbles on its 223.5km route from Seraing to Cambrai.
Contador struggled badly on last year’s cobbled stage and fears he could suffer again.
He added: “Tomorrow on the cobbles, it will be a matter of survival. It's an incredible Tour with a lot of stress, tensions and nerves every day.
“Every year the stress is stronger and you leave a lot of energy. We must be very careful. Anything can happen.”
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