Gamers of Houilles, grab your controllers! We're off to discover the new edition of Houilles Gaming Day, the meeting place for video game enthusiasts, at theEspace Ostermeyer The festival offers visitors a wide range of gaming-related activities This year's event will feature a wide range of experiences from retrogaming to the latest technological innovations will also enable visitors to rediscover classic titles The event will also feature virtual reality immersion with Meta Quest 3 headsets as well as a masterclass on a variety of themes including accessibility and inclusion in gaming prevention of online harassment and best practices for a healthy community with foodtrucks on hand for visitors to enjoy a bite to eat The day's entertainment will be provided by Benji ensuring continuity in the flow of activities The whole event will be punctuated by numerous surprises and the presence of several speakers from the gaming world. Live streaming will also be available on MK_RZA's Twitch channel This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here The Journées du Patrimoine historic sites all over France will be opening their doors to the public It's an opportunity to discover hidden treasures explore exceptional sites and experience history through guided tours The town of Houilles, located in the Yvelines department has a rich history that will captivate you Houilles has survived the centuries by preserving evidence of its history The 13th-centuryChurch of Saint-Nicolas and the ancient stone quarries that helped build Paris are just some of the jewels in the crown of this charming commune's heritage Cour de l'école Toussaint GuesdesAucun événement annoncé à ce jour le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.Hôtel de VilleAucun événement annoncé à ce jour le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles Jardinsde la maison SchoelcherAucun événement annoncé à ce jour Médiathèque Jules VernesAucun événement annoncé à ce jour Salle CassinAucun événement annoncé à ce jour Julien Wanders will be aiming to claim a second successive title at the 47th edition of the Corrida Pedestre Internationale de Houilles Last year Wanders led almost the entire race to win in 28:02 30 seconds outside the European record he set in October in Durban where he finished runner-up who also clocked also a half marathon PB of 1:00:09 in 2018 will target the course record of 27:47 set by Imane Merga in 2010 One of Wanders’ main contenders in this northwestestern suburb of Paris could be 24-year-old Cornelius Kangogo who is aiming to regain the form that propelled him to victories in Houilles in 2013 Kangogo finished fourth at last year’s edition in 28:54 and has a 28:34 season’s best to his credit this year 1:36 outside his personal record of 27:58 he set in 2013 the winner of the Boulogne Billancourt half marathon one month ago in a career best of 1:00:55 as well as the young Ethiopian pair of Berehanu Tsegu and Haftu Teklu and Albert Chemutai of Uganda could also come up trumps who was eighth in the 10,000m at this year’s European Championships the two-time European U23 cross country champion Helen Tola looks to be the favourite in the woman’s race In September she recorded a marathon PB of 2:22:48 in Berlin the year following her victory at the Barcelona Marathon She holds a personal record of 31:16 set last year and illustrated her current form in winning the 7.32km Course de l’Escalade in Geneva in early December.  the silver medallist in the marathon at the 2018 European Championships should be her main rival following her French record of 31:20 set in June in Langueux the Frenchwoman didn’t show her best form at the Marseille-Cassis 20km two months ago where she finished fifth more than four minutes behind the winner Gete Alemayehu improved her 10km PB to 32:08 in Langueux in June Not to be discounted either is Kenyan Susan Jeptooo who finished second at the Boulogne-Billancourt half marathon and second in Langueux in a best of 31:59 Kangogo regains Corrida Pedestre Internationa.. Kangogo collects third title in Houilles as K.. Wanders and Ndiwa triumph at Houilles 10km shows and tastings for a rich and varied immersion experience The festivities kick off at 12pm with the opening of the gourmet stands where you can savor authentic Chinese specialties all afternoon long These exotic flavors will delight your taste buds young and old alike can take part in a variety of interactive workshops Chinese drawing and an introduction to the spectacular art of acrobatics offer a glimpse into the ancestral practices that continue to shape China's cultural richness The highlight of the day takes place at 3pm with a program of traditional performances not to be missed will immerse you in a festive and symbolic atmosphere colorful performances embody the celebration of harmony and prosperity fundamental values of the Chinese New Year this event is a great opportunity to discover and share moments of conviviality around Chinese traditions so you might as well make the most of it and have a good time If ever you needed a clear demonstration of the whole-hearted commitment required to excel at the top level Julien Wanders served notice of this when lowering his European 10km record in the Parisian suburb of Houilles While many of the city’s residents were gearing up for a night of celebration on New Year’s Eve 2018 Julien was not targeting a night of indulgence but instead focusing 100 per cent on a good run at the Corrida Pedestre Internationale de Houilles to sign off a fantastic year Just two-and-a-half months earlier in Durban South Africa the Kenyan-based Swiss athlete recorded a blistering European 10km record of 27:32 to finish 16 seconds behind his NNRT team-mate Joshua Cheptegei which 12 months earlier he had won in a time of 28:02 “I was going for another European record but I was not confident,” he explains “The previous ten days of training had not gone well But I’d made the call to enter the race and I was going for the win.” The twisty course of three 3.3km laps was hardly conducive to running a fast time but competing in perfect conditions and without the use of a watch that day “because is slows down the rhythm” - Wanders made an ideal start Completing the first kilometre in a time of 2:41 – four seconds under European record pace – he led a group of six runners which included Kenya’s three-time former winner of the event – Cornelius Kangogo and the Ethiopian Berehanu Tsegu Approaching 3km in 8:12 - it was Tsegu who took the lead from the Swiss road running king but as the pace started to fade at the halfway checkpoint reached in 13:47 Wanders could wait no longer and surged to the front By 7km he only had Tsegu for company and Wanders running at 27:30 decided to up the tempo one Ugandan and one Eritrean follow me and I think I finally managed to drop the Ethiopian at 8km For the remainder of the race he was away and clear with only the continental record time in his sights Crossing the finish line first in 27:25 – 11 seconds clear of the field - he had chipped seven seconds from his European record time and was naturally elated with the performance “I was really happy as you can see from my reaction I was screaming “To set another European record over 10km and to do so alone and on a course that is not so easy was really satisfying “I was surprised but pleasantly surprised to set a European record in Houilles it certainly exceeded my expectations.” The performance was the ideal springboard for an outstanding 2019 season in which Julien went on to set a world 5km road record of 13:29 in Monaco and a European half marathon record of 59:13 in Ras Al Khaimah Gete Alemayehu of Ethiopia smashed the 10k course record at the Corrida Pédestre Internationale de Houilles today.  The men’s race was won by Julien Wanders of Switzerland who also set a new European record for the race.  Alemayehu proved to be the strongest at the end as she just got the edge of compatriot Helen Tola The 20-year-old won in 31:12 to take 55 seconds off her previous PB who clocked a marathon best of 2:22:48 in Berlin in September who reduced the French record to 31:20 earlier this year Julien Wanders broke his own European 10km record at the Corrida Pédestre Internationale de Houilles while Gete Alemayehu smashed the course record as the 47th edition of the IAAF Silver Label road race was held in perfect conditions on Sunday (30) said before the race that he felt he could finish within 28 minutes if he could regain some freshness as he took seven seconds off the European record he set in Durban in October to win in a course of 27:25 the Swiss runner set out at an aggressive pace and covered the first kilometre in 2:41 He led a group of six runners that included Ethiopian duo Berehanu Tsegu and Haftu Teklu Uganda’s Albert Chemutai and Kenya’s Cornelius Kangogo Tsegu took the lead from Wanders as the pack reached three kilometres in 8:12 The pace faded slightly leading up to the halfway point but Wanders then decided to ramp up the tempo and the field broke up behind him Only Tsegu was able to stick with Wanders’ relentless rhythm with the bell ringing to signal it was the last of the race’s three laps The 22-year-old managed to press on with two kilometres remaining and forged ahead of Tsegu continuing his impressive display of strength sprinted hard in the closing stages to retain his title in 27:25 37 seconds faster than his winning time last year and 22 seconds faster than the previous course record of 27:47 set by Imane Merga in 2010 “My goal was to run at full gas,” said a delighted Wanders “I didn’t use a watch because it slows down the rhythm.” the two-time European U23 cross-country champion finishing seventh in a French U23 record of 28:13 While the men’s race was a clear-cut affair the women’s contest was a close duel that went down to the wire Ethiopia’s Gete Alemayehu proved to be the strongest at the end as she just got the edge of compatriot Helen Tola Men 1 Julien Wanders (SUI) 27:25 2 Berehanu Tsegu (ETH) 27:36 3 Albert Chemutai (UGA) 27:52 4 Filmon Ande (ERI) 27:57 5 Haftu Teklu (ETH) 28:09 Women 1 Gete Alemayehu (ETH) 31:12 2 Helen Tola (ETH) 31:13 3 Susan Jeptoo (KEN) 32:34 4 Karolina Nadolska (POL) 32:44 5 Ophélie Claude-Boxberger (FRA) 32:50 Geraint Thomas of Great Britain carries the flag of Wales during the 105th Tour de France 2018 Stage 21 stage from Houilles to Paris on Sunday cyclist Geraint Thomas crossed the Tour de France finish line on the Champs-Élysées Sunday to become the first Welshman to take the honor wearing the yellow jersey of the overall leader crossed the line arm-in-arm with teammate Chris Froome Sunday's ceremonial final stage came after Thomas's Saturday defense of a 1 minute 51 seconds lead over second-place finisher Tom Dumoulin Four-time champion Froome placed third overall According to Cycling News "After the customary champagne and photo opportunities during the first half of the stage things - as they usually do - got serious once the peloton hit Paris A six-man break got away early on the Champs-Élysées circuits but with the sprinter's teams keen to take the glory on the Tour's last day they were hunted down with 6.5km (4 miles) to go." "It's going to take a while to sink in," Thomas said before draping the flag of Wales over his shoulders during the podium ceremony "Normally that stage is really hard but today I just seemed to float around it To ride around wearing this (yellow jersey) is a dream." rode ahead of the pack as the first rider onto the Champs-Elysees World champion Peter Sagan matched Erik Zabel's record by winning the green jersey points competition for a sixth time French riders Julian Alaphilippe and Pierre Latour secured the polka-dot mountains jersey and best young rider white jersey Thomas was a support rider for Froome's four earlier Tour de France victories. As ESPN writes "This isn't the first time a loyal support rider has emerged from the shadow of his former leader." noting a "lack of tension" between Thomas and Froome over the role reversal says Thomas "prevailed because Froome wavered twice that of the next-richest organization) and correspondingly deepest bench in the business incandescent 21-year-old Colombian talent Egan Bernal worked for both men." As NPR's Bill Chappell wrote last week it had been "a race of misadventures." One incident came on Wednesday when Froome wearing a dark gray rain jacket over his racing jersey was yanked off his bike by a police officer who mistook him for a fan riding the course Become an NPR sponsor Britain's Geraint Thomas drinks Champagne during the 21st and last stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Houilles and Paris Champs-Elysees, Sunday, July 29, 2018. (Marco Bertorello, Pool via AP) Paris • The spits and the jeers. The eggs thrown at team cars. The attempts to unbalance riders while riding up the most grueling climbs. Geraint Thomas never flinched at whatever fans — or his rivals — threw at him or Team Sky. The Welsh rider was the steadiest rider from the start, the strongest in the Alps and the Pyrenees. On Sunday he concluded his transformation from a support rider into a champion of cycling’s biggest race by claiming his first Tour de France title. “With the boys, that’s the main thing for the whole three weeks, we stuck together through some tough times, stayed strong,” Thomas said. “Everything just clicked this race.” Thomas successfully defended his lead of 1 minute, 51 seconds over second-placed Tom Dumoulin in the mostly ceremonial final stage. Four-time champion Chris Froome, Thomas’s teammate, finished third, 2:24 behind. Froome rode next to Thomas as they crossed the line and applauded. Thomas was a support rider during Froome’s four victories but he emerged as Sky’s strongest rider in this race when Froome crashed early on and couldn’t keep up in the mountains. Sky — and consequently Thomas — became a target for many fans due to an asthma drug case involving Froome, stemming from last year’s Spanish Vuelta. Even though Froome was cleared of doping days before the start of the Tour, that didn’t stop some fans from abusing the British team’s riders throughout the three-week race. “When there is negativity like that, it brings us as a team closer together,” Froome said. “It feels like it’s us against the rest of the world. ... You can choose to let it get to you or you can choose to let it motivate you, and we let it motivate us.” Thomas stormed into the lead by winning back-to-back mountain stages in the Alps, including the iconic climb up Alpe d’Huez, then defended his advantage in the Pyrenees. During the podium ceremony, Thomas draped the flag of Wales over his shoulders, then ended his victory speech with a mic drop. “All I can say is that I do it the right way,” Thomas said when asked about concerns of alleged doping within Sky. “We train super hard and there’s nothing I can say that will prove it. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. It will stand the test of time.” An all-around rider who began his career on the track, the 32-year-old Thomas helped Britain to gold medals in team pursuit at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics before turning his full attention to road racing. “I have my own goals and I kept doing what I’m doing and kept focused on that. ... Obviously it’s not nice to hear (the jeers) but I do what I do and focus on myself,” Thomas said. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in or get angry or depressed but I stay in my own world.” Riding a yellow bicycle to match his yellow jersey, Thomas shared glasses of champagne with his teammates during the casual ride into Paris before buckling down to keep up with the other leaders on the jarring cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees. “It’s going to take a while to sink in,” Thomas said. “Normally that stage is really hard but today I just seemed to float around it. I had goose bumps going around there. The support from the Welsh, British flags. ... To ride around wearing this (yellow jersey) is a dream.” Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff with UAE Team Emirates won the last stage in a sprint finish, narrowly beating John Degenkolb and Arnaud Demare. “I’ve dreamed about this victory for many years,” Kristoff said. “I’ve been close many times before but never managed to beat the faster guys like (Mark) Cavendish, (Andre) Greipel, or (Marcel) Kittel, but today they’re not here, they’re out after the mountains, and today I was the fastest, so I’m super happy.” The mostly flat 116-kilometer (72-mile) leg began in Houilles just outside Paris and concluded with nine laps up and down the Champs-Elysees. Many spectators along the Champs-Elysees held their arms high to record the riders on their smart phones as they went past on the cobblestones, and there were more cheers when 11 jets flew overhead leaving trails in the blue, white and red colors of the French flag. Street vendors sold chicken, sausages, waffles, cake and sweets, while the smell of crepes filled the air. Glenn Roberts, from Newtown in mid-Wales, was in attendance with his wife and children. The family timed its summer vacation to coincide with the Tour’s finish. “Thomas was in the yellow when we left Wales but we didn’t know if he was going to keep it. We thought Froome was going to win it, if I’m being honest,” Roberts said. “It’s the best thing a Welshman has ever done in sport.” For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune This work, Fire Department Thanks Soldier For Assistance [Image 3 of 3], by 1SG Jim Heuston, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright He said there was a Frenchman trying to contact her. He didn't know what it was about but passed along a phone number. Germain Choffart, a French professor at Duke University, had left the message. And when Osolin called, he told her, "We've been searching for you for 10 years." What she heard next was the story of a man named Jean Houille, a family friend of Choffart's, who had found a metal bracelet on a beach in France in 2008. It was engraved with the name Wallace H. Phillips. According to a French publication, Houille had found the bracelet half hidden under sand. He wiped it off and forgot about it for a while before he started to search for the owner. What he found was that Phillips had been born in 1921 in Indiana, and enlisted in the city of Winnebago, Ill. Houille found the name of his brother, James R. Phillips, and sent him a letter, but never heard back. Houille's search stalled, Choffart said, and the bracelet was put aside. But when Houille died earlier this year, his wife wanted to find the family, knowing that it had been important to her husband. She asked his close friend, Jacky Poinsot, for help. And Poinsot, in turn, asked Choffart, his girlfriend's son. Choffart, who had studied in the United States before he began working as a professor, wasn't close to Houille, but he wanted to help Poinsot, who was like a father. So one day in August, before the semester started, he sat down in his living room and picked up where Houille left off. He knew that Wallace was an Army veteran, and he knew where he was born. The only other clue was on the back of the bracelet, which read, "Always, Norma." "This is when the biggest riddle started," Choffart said. He checked with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, and then looked up the website for the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. There, he confirmed James R. Phillips as Wallace's brother, and found another name: Christine Phillips, James' daughter. Choffart called the memorial to find more information on her, but they had nothing. They suggested he check with City Hall in Rockford, Ill., their last known location. From there, he called about a dozen places, scribbling each down and drawing arrows to show how one led to another. "Everyone was really touched and really helpful," he said. Eventually, his search took him to the Rockford Public Library, where a librarian sent him newspaper clippings about whatever she could find on the brothers. An obituary from 2013 confirmed that Choffart had the right family. It was for James Phillips and listed his deceased wife, Doris Bookwalter Johnson. Choffart already had a marriage announcement for Doris B. Johnson and James R. Phillips, whose brother was listed as Wallace H. Phillips. Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. From there, he called the funeral home that handled James Phillips' service, and it was Osolin's number that was on file. Osolin couldn't believe he had tracked her down. Uncle Wally and her father had been inseparable after they returned from the war, and together, they were like twins, she said. She remembers her uncle as a funny man who would give Osolin and her sister a five-pack of spearmint Doublemint gum every time they visited. But Osolin's father hardly talked about his time overseas. Wallace died in 2006. He and his ex-wife, Norma, had a son, but he lost touch with the family. After Choffart's phone call, he arranged to have the bracelet shipped from France to Osolin's home. In the envelope, Poinsot included photos he had taken of him mailing off the bracelet. Osolin's hands shook as she took it out of the package. This is a sign from heaven, she remembers thinking. She offered to pay Choffart for his work, but he declined. He was happy to have made the connection. The war shouldn't be forgotten, he said. And though countries and people can seem so "separate and different," he said, "in the end, we're all one." You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed including Costa Rican cyclist Andrey Amador received the overall best team award on the podium after the 21st and last stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Houilles and Paris Champs-Elysees Geraint Thomas from Team Sky won the individual category with a time of 83 hours but Team Movistar was the fastest team with a total time of 250 hours They were 12 minutes and 33 seconds faster than their closest competitor Team Movistar’s top finisher was Mikel Landa Meana who finished the race in seventh and Nairo Quintana finished 10th Costa Rica’s Amador finished 50th overall While Amador couldn’t make his dream of winning a stage in the Tour de France come true at this event he was a key part in his team’s victory in France Amador stopped and gave his front wheel to his teammate after Quintana punctured his in the 17th stage Here are some more shots from Amador and Team Movistar’s 2018 Tour de France race Kristoff wins final sprint on the Champs-Elysees with Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) completing the podium Tour de France: Stage 21 finish line quotes Kristoff: Champs-Elysees victory saves my season Tour de France: Bernal wins Zwift Rider of the Day Tour de France: Tom Dumoulin and Sunweb looking to go one step further After the customary champagne and photo opportunities during the first half of the stage A six-man break got away early on the Champs-Élysées circuits A late move from Yves Lampaert threatened to ruin the sprinter's last hurrah with the Quick-Step Floors man coming agonisingly close to staying away Both Kristoff and Démare attempted to speed around either side of the German hugging the barriers to take UAE's second win of the race and his first Tour stage win since 2014 "It's a dream come true," Kristoff said after the stage "I've dreamt about this victory for many years I've been close many times but never managed to beat the faster guys like [Mark] Cavendish But today they're not here - they're out after the mountains - and today I was the fastest so I'm super happy." Tour winner Thomas was in a similar joyous mood after riding safely through the stage to confirm his overall victory this stage is really hard but today I just seemed to float around it - I had goosebumps going around there To ride around wearing the [yellow jersey] is a dream With the boys - that's the main thing for the whole three weeks we stuck together through some tough times Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) and Chris Froome (Team Sky) made up the final GC podium while Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) took a record-equalling points classification win and Julian Alaphilippe (Quick Step Floors) won the mountain classification Movistar took the team classification for the third time in four years while Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) won the combativity prize A processional stage of just 116km - at least until the peloton hits the Champs-Élysées - the final stage of the 2018 Tour de France started out in Houilles a commune 14km from the centre of the city The riders would go the long way around though taking in 54km before entering Paris and nine laps of the Champs-Élysées circuit the real racing began on the Champs-Élysées with 50km to go with Taylor Phinney (Education First-Drapac) Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin) and Guillaume van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) managing to escape from the peloton The depleted sprinter's field meant that only a handful of teams had a realistic interest in the finish but nevertheless it would be near-impossible for a breakaway to stay away to the finish The sextet built their way up to a 45-second lead Groupama-FDJ and UAE Team Emirates among the teams keen to ensure a sprint finish that gap would be the ceiling of their advantage Eventually caught after Cofidis joined the fray at the beginning of the final circuit the break saw Politt put up a final act of resistance from the break it would all come down to one last sprint as the German was brought back 500 metres later As leadout trains competed in the final 5km first by Marco Marcato (UAE Team Emirates) then by Daniel Oss (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Yves Lampaert (Quick Step Floors) but the Belgian champion was caught 300 metres from the line with Kristoff holding his arms aloft in celebration #Rider Name (Country) TeamResult1Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates2:46:362John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-SegafredoRow 1 - Cell 2 3Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJRow 2 - Cell 2 4Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension DataRow 3 - Cell 2 5Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits0:01:22126Dimitri Claeys (Bel) Cofidis Solutions Credits1:58:5444Michael Valgren (Den) Astana Pro Team1:59:2045Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis Solutions Credits2:00:3246Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott2:00:5347Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis Solutions Credits3:36:11117Michael Hepburn (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott3:36:30118Luke Durbridge (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott3:37:21119Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors3:37:31120Fabien Grellier (Fra) Direct Energie3:37:56121Jack Bauer (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott3:39:02122Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe3:39:20123Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert3:40:30124Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits3:41:55125Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain-Merida3:42:24126Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates3:42:54127Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJ3:49:03128Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky3:50:55129Tom Scully (NZl) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale3:50:59130Dimitri Claeys (Bel) Cofidis Solutions Credits32Row 52 - Cell 3 54Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors31Row 53 - Cell 3 55Mikel Landa (Spa) Movistar Team30Row 54 - Cell 3 56Silvan Dillier (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale30Row 55 - Cell 3 57Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin30Row 56 - Cell 3 58Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe30Row 57 - Cell 3 59Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis Solutions Credits19Row 81 - Cell 3 83Anthony Turgis (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits15Row 23 - Cell 3 25Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal14Row 24 - Cell 3 26Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors14Row 25 - Cell 3 27Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo14Row 26 - Cell 3 28Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic14Row 27 - Cell 3 29Anthony Perez (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits4:00:4613Trek-Segafredo4:09:3414Fortuneo-Samsic4:11:4915Groupama-FDJ4:13:1316Direct Energie4:24:1317Katusha-Alpecin4:25:4518Bora-Hansgrohe4:29:0819Wanty-Groupe Gobert4:40:1520EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale4:45:4821Dimension Data5:56:1022Lotto Soudal7:36:47  Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia Cornelius Kangogo clocked 28:19 to win the 45th Corrida Pedestre Internationale de Houilles 10km the 23-year-old Kenyan became the third most prolific winner in race history with three victories equalling the tallies of Fernando Mamede and Micah Kogo but behind Jacky Boxberger who won the event four times and well behind Khalid Skah Even though Kangogo lowered his 5000m lifetime best to 13:10:80 in May it was difficult to gauge his form as he hadn’t raced since early September.  Yet from the outset he illustrated his ambitions as the man to beat He took the lead about two minutes into the race along with 20-year-old Franco-Swiss Julien Wanders The large leading pack hit the first kilometre in 2:51 suggesting a possible finish time of about 28:30 After passing the three kilometre checkpoint in 8:35 Kangogo made his first move Nine runners were then at the front including Kangogo Ethiopians Jemal Yimer Mekonnen and Dawit Fikadu Ugandan Abdallah Kibet and the British pair Dewi Griffiths and Ben Connor Kangogo then slowed the rhythm leaving Wanders in command The lead pack hit the midway point in 14:20 with Kangogo appearing strongest He tested his opponents with another big move in the sixth kilometre but the pace again slowed allowing the pack to regroup A kilometre later the lead runners waited to see who’d make the next move Wanders ratcheted up the pace but didn’t manage to pull away The race came down to a fierce sprint over the final 300 metres Kangogo unleashed a strong kick to win in 28:19 just one second separated the first five across the line “I’m very happy to win for the third time,” said Kangogo who was credited with the same time as Mekonnen “I tested the other athletes several times and then I awaited the sprint.”  “I’m very happy because I beat the senior Swiss record of 28:25,” said a delighted Wanders who shouted with joy when crossing the finish line “I wasn’t that far from the victory but they were too strong Viola Kibiwot produced an impressive solo run in her first 10km on the roads.  who was fourth at the 2015 World Championships over 5,000m promptly established a huge lead over Briton Katrina Wooton a gap that she extend to more than twenty seconds after seven kilometres.  Kibiwot didn’t fade in the waning stages eventually crossing the line in 31:14 to smash the previous course record by 14 seconds Her performance ranks her as the ninth fastest over the distance on the roads this year “I felt very good and I took the lead from the start It was a very fast 10k,” said Kibiwot who clocked a 5000m PB of 14:29:50 earlier this year Wooton came home second in 31:37 with Kenya’s Carolyn Jepkosgei rounding out the podium in 32:54 Cornelius Kangogo of Kenya will be looking to win for a third time at the Corrida Pedestre Internationale de Houilles whose 45th edition will take place in the north western suburbs of Paris on Sunday (18) Last year Kangogo sprinted away from Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alewe to regain his crown over the 10km course clocking a 28:10 personal best Even if Alewe won’t be in the running in Sunday’s race Kangogo will nevertheless face tough opposition prevailed in 10km contests in Rio and Casablanca earlier this year improving his PB by eight seconds in the latter in May with his 27:56 run Fikadu has already shined on French roads as he won the Paris Versailles 16 km last year He appears to be the main protagonist to counter Kangogo’s bid but it’s hard to gauge his form Kangogo hasn’t raced since early September but he did improve his lifetime best in the 5000m on the track to 13:10:80 earlier this year who was runner-up at the Istanbul 15km in November cannot be ruled out in the battle for the podium Other podium contenders include Kenya’s James Kangogo who won the Cross de Hyères last month and Abdallah Mande of Uganda Mande finished third in Houilles last year with a 28:20 career best and showed good form in early October with his victory at the Giro Al Sas in Trento in 28:47 Not to be discounted is Thierry Ndikumwenayo finished fifth in the competitive Cross de l’Acier three weeks ago and will line up for the first time in a 10km contest.  Another man to watch is the young Franco-Swiss Julien Wanders The 20-year-old set a French junior record of 28:49 in Berlin in October and will be aiming to stick with the leaders as long as possible Other French hopes rest on the shoulders of Bouabdellah Tahri and Yoann Kowal has moved to road running after a track career that included a bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2009 IAAF World Championships Kowal was fifth in the steeplechase at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and will be looking to improve his best of 29:01 set in Houilles five years ago A Frenchman hasn’t won in Houilles since Paul Arpin in 1987.  The field also includes Britons Dewi Griffiths and Ben Connor The course record is 27:47 set by Imane Merga in 2010 Ethiopia’s Zerfie Limeneh won’t be returning to defend her title leaving Kenyan Carolyn Jepkosgei Her countrywoman Viola Kibiwot looks to be her main rival While she hasn’t yet contested a 10km on the roads the 32-year-old comes armed with solid credentials: a 14:29.50 career best in the 5000m set in Rabat this year and fourth and sixth place finishes over the distance at the 2015 IAAF World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games Uganda’s Stella Chesang was the runner-up in Houilles in 2015 and will be attempting to move up this year Italia’s Fatna Maraoui and Ukraine’s Yuliya Shmatenko should also be in contention for the podium Kelly Major Green has been an investment adviser by day and an alto by night She is part of a 75-person Detroit choir whose members on Sunday will participate in a retelling of 500 years of black history in music song and spoken word — all to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Charles H A Musical Journey Through African American History," led by Grammy award-winner Patti Austin will kick off a seven-month celebration that culminates with the Wright Gala in October — the theme will be the legacy of the now-defunct Ebony Fashion Fair the stellar traveling show that church and community groups across the country cosponsored as local fund-raisers and the best thing we as citizens and supporters can do is to bring our time talent and treasure to the celebration," Green said of the musical performance that begins at 7 p.m "I'm happy to bring my voice to this celebration It's a wonderful tribute to Black History Month for the nation's largest African-American history museum to be bringing such a notable cast and musical reflection to Detroit." The museum is commemorating more than a half-century of history It also is celebrating its very survival a year after it almost closed its doors paid for three-quarters of the $40 million cost to build the museum on East Warren Avenue the city pledged to pay half the museum's operating costs each year The city's contribution finally dropped to 48% in 2010 to just 21% in 2014 a year after Detroit's financial crisis grew so bad that it had to declare bankruptcy the museum ended the year with a six-digit surplus Make A Million campaign is $435,000 toward its goal of $1 million and the museum created an endowment to stave off future problems but it needs to be at least $75 million," said Moore Supporters worked to sustain the dream of Dr the obstetrician and gynecologist who established the museum in 1965 in a house on West Grand Boulevard Wright drove his artifacts around the city in a converted mobile home until it became too small for its donations Moore and her board spent the past year conducting fund-raising campaigns membership drives and pleas that resulted in $100,000 donations from the museum's architect board member Jon Barfield and businessman Sid Taylor And we're really excited about this whole year." but we're still in the hospital," she said and we're committed to never go back to that brink I'm confident we have the right pieces in place to do it ■ " 'Oh, Freedom!" the musical that retells African-American history. 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $25 and are available at the Detroit Opera House box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. For more information visit TheWright.org/ohfreedom ■ The annual Ford Freedom Awards "are bigger and better this year," Juanita Moore said "The theme this year is Techpreneurs to encourage more young people to embrace coding and entrepreneurship." May 5 at the Max Fisher Music Center & Orchestra Hall ■ The Call of the Drum Festival: The Wright will host an international drum summit with drummers from different cultures July 25-26 on the grounds of the Wright Museum ■ The African World Festival: The Wright will host the annual international celebration of culture from across the African diaspora Aug ■ The 50th Anniversary Wright Gala: The Wright will host a 50-year celebration of the Ebony Fashion Fair As an agent in Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive in the second world war Maloubier was tasked with sabotage and spying on Nazi forces He was one of Winston Churchill’s last living French secret agents and one of the most colourful heroes of the second world war Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier, who died on Monday night aged 92, was an agent in Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret army created to “set ablaze” occupied Europe Its hand-picked members were tasked with sabotage and spying on the Nazi forces then a teenager and trained in weapons and demolitions including blowing up a power station and a steel plant requisitioned by the Germans long regretted that the SOE role was largely eclipsed by the resistance in the postwar period “The influence of the SOE, experts who came over to train the French, has had very little coverage in France,” he said in an interview four years ago Maloubier went on to become a founder member of the French equivalent of the US Navy Seals He joined the French intelligence services and also designed the famous Fifty Fathoms diving watch worn by the celebrated oceanographer Jacques Cousteau Between May 1941 and August 1944 more than 400 Section F SOE agents were dropped into occupied France then Algeria from where he travelled to Britain and spent six months training how to kill He was then dropped into France on two occasions including an account of his wartime exploits called Winston Churchill’s Secret Agent At home in Houilles holding up a photo of the members of his unit during the second world war Photograph: Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty ImagesIn it he described how he and a companion were on their way to pick up equipment and supplies that had been dropped by parachute when their motorbike was stopped by a German field gendarme in December 1943 but Maloubier was ordered to drive to the police station with the German riding pillion holding a revolver to his neck throw the bike at him and run for his life but crossed a field and dived into a frozen ditch to throw the pursuing dogs off his trail before lying low in a field Nobody gets shot in the intestines and lung and survives,” he recounted A resistance surgeon operated on him in secret and he was flown back to Britain a few weeks later by an SOE “moonlight squadron” bomber Maloubier was one of only three surviving members of Section F Last year he received an MBE from the Queen during her state visit to Paris before the 70th D-day commemorations a familiar figure among war veterans with his perfectly trimmed handlebar moustache The 2019 Tour de France starts in Brussels on Saturday The biggest race on the pro calendar has a deep list of contenders for the yellow Canadian cycling fans won’t want to miss the action over the next three weeks especially with Canadians Hugo Houle (Astana) and Michael Woods (EF Education First) lining up for their first career rides at the Tour de France Tuning in to live coverage of the Tour legally can sometimes be a challenge so here is how to watch the 2019 Tour de France in Canada RELATED: Michael Woods: ‘I want Canadian fans to see a Canadian at the front of the best race in the world’ There’s always the last resort of cycling fans seeking to see the Tour de France: dodgy and unreliable illegal streams the threat of viruses and the only reliable feature being that the feed will skip or freeze entirely as the days racing enters the final kilometres To avoid those free features as you watch the 2019 Tour de France you’ll have to look for more legitimate coverage options In 2019, to watch the race on your television set you will need to be a subscriber to Sportsnet for English coverage or RDS for French-language coverage Both networks will be showing all 21 stages and replays between July 6 and 28 Stages will appear on Sportsnet and Sportsnet 1 for English viewers and RDS and RDS 1 for French viewers depending on the day’s programming schedule Replays of the stages will be shown on Sportsnet and RDS at different times over the course of the day and into the evening you will have to subscribe to Sportsnet’s online streaming service Sportsnet Now It costs $19.99 a month but as the Tour takes place entirely in July you can cancel the service once it’s over If you do want to watch the Tour on your laptop or mobile device and will be away from your TV set where you already are a subscriber to Sportsnet Sportsnet Now could also already be part of your TV package Sportsnet Now is a direct to consumer service available for tablets When you subscribe you get a 7-day free trial so if it doesn’t live up to expectations you have a week to cancel without being charged but it is only available to American customers If you can figure out how to convince FuboTV that you’re in America the online streaming service will be covering the Tour Due to the time difference to Europe, many Canadians may not be able to tune into the race live. For highlights keep an eye on the Tour de France Youtube channel, and Velon which will have onboard GroPro’s capturing footage from the bikes of partner UCI teams in the peloton Velon package up these videos into highlights after each stage With four-time champion Chris Froome and last year’s runner-up Tom Dumoulin out with injury the race seems more wide open than it has in past years Adam Yates amoung others have aspirations to win or at least place in the top-5 at this year’s edition of La Grande Boucle Additional stage and jersey contenders include Peter Sagan who will be riding for a sixth career green jersey Julian Alaphilippe who has a shot at defending his polka dots from one year ago and Vincenzo Nibali who will be hunting stages Woods won’t be targetting the general classification but is intent to enliven the race which should be music to the ears of Canadian fans who will tune in every day the road tilts upwards to check if the world championship bronze medalist is in the breakaway with a chance to contest the stage win “I’m here to be active and influence the outcome so that some Canadian kid back home can watch and say: ‘That’s Mike Woods I want to grow up and race like Mike Woods.’ That’s what motivates me,” Woods said Houle will line-up as a support rider for Fuglsang’s overall bid The Dane is enjoying the best year of his career at 34-years-old and has already won the Criterium de Dauphine and Liege-Bastogne-Liege making Fuglsang a real threat for the GC The Tour is not the only big race happening in July. The 10-stage Giro Rosa is the biggest stage race in women’s cycling and begins on Friday with a TTT. Newly crowned Canadian road champion Karol-Ann Canuel (Boels-Dolmans) and ITT champion Leah Kirchmann (Team Sunweb) start and the race will have one-hour daily highlights show Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" and personalized announcements filled the morning we spent with the employees who look after passengers in 37 stations in the western Paris region Ms. Aparicio is the 41-year-old manager of the passenger information and assistance unit. Assisted by her deputy, Nolwenn Prigent, she’s led a team of 79 employees at the Asnières-sur-Seine PIVIF in the Hauts-de-Seine department since 2016. 23 of those staff are team leaders in charge of local passenger information. You’ll hear their voices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the 37 stations that dot the western Paris region served by the Transilien L and RER A lines. “Your attention, please. A replacement bus is available and traffic is expected to resume at 7:20 am.” Suggestions for alternate itineraries, incident updates, general and specific notices—the team has already delivered around 30 announcements since the Houilles incident began. Asnières-sur-Seine PIVIF employees definitely don’t hold back, making an average of 300 audio announcements during each 7-hour 43-minute shift. In addition to the operations log, teams stay on top of the news with reports from their colleagues in stations and monitor social media with care. “If we hear from a customer on X that they don’t have enough information or that they can’t hear the announcements, we take immediate action,” says Ms. Aparicio. PIVIF employees also have access to images from video surveillance cameras. Each workstation is able to make announcements in 5 to 7 different stations in the sector. average number of announcements delivered daily by each employee stations in western Paris region get their announcements from the Asnières PIVIF live announcements by PIVIF passenger information & assistance crews To bring a human touch to our announcements, SNCF employees receive training from journalists experienced in public speaking. As the PIVIF manager explains: “We do personalised, one-on-one coaching sessions at our various workstations to define each RLIV’s vocal style”. This site is in partial compliance 98,53% (with RGAA 4.1 standards) Log in for full access to stabroeknews.com Only one active session is allowed per subscriber (Reuters) – Geraint Thomas tightened Team Sky’s grip on the Tour de France when he handed the British outfit their sixth title in seven years yesterday and there is no sign that their domination will end anytime soon Thomas produced a near flawless performance to become the third British and Team Sky rider to triumph after Bradley Wiggins (2012) and Chris Froome (2013 Dutchman Tom Dumoulin finished second for Team Sunweb after also taking the runner-up spot in the Giro d’Italia won by Froome Norway’s Alexander Kristoff won yesterday’s final stage largely a 116km procession from Houilles to the Champs-Elysees during which Thomas enjoyed some champagne before heading to the finishing line in a bunch sprint I remember running home from school to watch the end of the Tour de France and the dream was always just to be part of it and that came true back in 2007,” Thomas told the crowd during the victory ceremony “Now I’m stood here in the yellow jersey and it’s just insane It’s incredible and it’s a dream come true “To be riding round (the Champs Elysees) and winning it It won’t really sink in probably for a few months I seem to be floating around on cloud nine.” Froome’s failure to beat Thomas also showed how difficult it is to complete a Giro-Tour double with Marco Pantani being the last man to achieve the feat in 1998 during the doping-tainted era who won two mountain stages – including one on the top of the iconic Alpe d’Huez – emerged as the strongest man in the race as he gained ground on his two rivals after taking the yellow jersey at the end of stage 11 Only in the final time trial did he lose time on Dumoulin and Froome but he had already virtually wrapped up the title in the mountains “Thomas was the absolute strongest over the last three weeks,” said Dumoulin he was never put into trouble by anyone – including me – in the mountains or in any stage.” “The strongest rider won the Tour de France,” Froome said Geraint was in better condition than I was.” Thomas’s victory will come as a relief for Sky especially in the wake of Froome’s popularity nose-diving in France after he was cleared of a doping offence months after testing positive for excessive levels of an asthma drug were booed by the crowd standing on the side of the road throughout the three-week race The four-time champion was the main target of the jeers with one spectator even slapping his shoulder in the climb up to l’Alpe d’Huez While team principal Dave Brailsford hit out at the locals saying booing and hitting the riders was ‘a French thing’ both Froome and Thomas kept their composure who was cheered during the podium ceremony also had a message for riders aged 5-18 at the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club in Wales Don’t let anything hold you back,” he told them “You’re going to have ups and downs but keep the faith and keep fighting just go for it and don’t let people put you down With hard work everything pays off in the end,” added Thomas whose victory was marked in his home town with Cardiff City Hall being illuminated in yellow Thomas and Froome focused on bike racing over the past three weeks making no mistakes and being well protected by the strongest team in the field Pundits agreed that the 21-year-old Egan Bernal who produced some amazing work in the mountains for his leaders on his Tour debut Sky’s domination left the others picking up crumbs confirmed his huge potential by winning two stages and taking the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification World champion Peter Sagan ground through the last days after a heavy crash to secure a record-equalling sixth green jersey for the points classification and France’s Pierre Latour emerged as a possible podium finisher in the near future by winning the white jersey for the best under-25 rider a disappointing race for France as Romain Bardet showed his limits when he ended up sixth overall after two podium finishes in 2016 and 2017 No Frenchman has won the race since Bernard Hinault took his fifth title in 1985 A FREE roundup of top news from Guyana you might otherwise miss Damien Gaudin (Europcar) took an unexpected win in the short sharp Paris-Nice prologue in Houilles on Sunday The technical 2.9-kilometre route favoured the brave and the powerful and Gaudin used his track skills to nail the corners at speed to take the win Fellow frenchman Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) placed second with last year's overall runner-up Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) in third In the absence of last year's winner Bradley Wiggins Sky leadership duties have been taken up by Richie Porte but only just managed to get inside the top 40 in 39th spot nine seconds adrift of the marker set by Gaudin Twenty-six year old Gaudin has won several French track titles in the individual pursuit and Madison His previous biggest road win was the 2007 edition of the Under-23 Paris-Roubaix it was a good start to the race for the French with five of the top ten positions taken by riders from the host nation British riders David Millar (Garmin-Sharp) and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Sky) finished in 82nd and 151st positions respectively The race continues tomorrow (Monday) with the first road stage a 195-kilometre trip from Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Nemours it's a day that should suit the sprinters and presents an opportunity for the race lead to change hands.  Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 1 sec Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM at 1 sec Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 3 secs Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Leopard at 3 secs David Millar (GBr) Garmin-Sharp at 12 secs Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (GBr) Sky at 19 secs Winning with the help of helmet adhesive tape: Damien Gaudin takes the prologue Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.  List of the 50 Transilien stations which are stopping the sale of magnetic t+ ticket books at vending machines from October 13 Choose Navigo Liberté + for your journeys by metro each trip you make is counted and you are charged the following month for the total amount of your trips rechargeable from vending machines or via your smartphone single t+ tickets and dematerialized t+ notebooks (up to 3 notebooks) Obtain a Navigo Easy pass use your smartphone to buy your tickets and validate them by swiping it directly at the validation terminals the Ticket t+ will gradually be replaced by two new single-fare tickets .. Do you travel occasionally in the Île-de-France region and are looking for a single travelcar.. Do you live or work in the Ile-de-France region and travel occasionally the Île-de-France Origin-Destination ticket will change store and validate your Île-de-France tickets from your smartphone Transilien is committed to making passenger information accessible to all Accessibility: partially compliant 93% (RGAA 4.1)  Read the report Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines View the discussion thread. The final stage of the 2018 Tour de France got underway in Houilles. It would be a ceremonial procession to the Champs-Élysées in Paris where the sprinters would contest the win. Otherwise, it was a festive affair for the peloton. Particularly the classification winners and all the worn out riders happy to make it to the end of the three week Grand Tour. Three of the classification winners were aboard custom painted bikes for the final stage. Let’s have a look at what polka dot winner Julian Alaphilippe, six-time green jersey winner Peter Sagan and yellow jersey Geraint Thomas were riding onto the Champs-Élysées: When dreams come true… @iamspecialized @iamspecialized_road Polka Dot #Tarmacdisc ♥️ #TDF2018 #TheWolfpack Photo: @sigfrid_eggers A post shared by Deceuninck – Quick-Step Team (@deceuninck_quickstepteam) on Jul 29 Alaphilippe was aboard a polka dot adorned Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6 disc White bar tape and red polka dots made sense for the Tour’s top climber — BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) July 29, 2018 Peter Sagan has become accustomed to riding green bikes into Paris and 2018 will be the three-time world champions record-tying sixth green jersey win Sagan’s bike got a black to green fade finish a much more mature look for the Slovak who used to ride a green Hulk bike into Paris the first year’s he won The yellow jersey has his bike! Thanks to @Pinarello_com for an incredible DOGMA F10 to take @GeraintThomas86 onto the Champs-Elysees #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/8y1Ay7Sjxc — Team INEOS (@TeamINEOS) July 29, 2018 Pinarello have seen yellow versions of their bike ride into Paris underneath three different British winners since 2012 Team Sky have claimed six yellow jerseys thanks to the efforts of Bradley Wiggins Chris Froome four times and now Welshman Geraint Thomas who ads his name to the list While Dan Martin won’t be on a special bike for the final stage Martin was awarded the most aggressive rider award for the Tour de France The Irishman rode to gain back time on his rivals getting up the rowheneverver he could Completely stunned. Most aggressive rider award for @LeTour and get to stand on the podium in Paris. Did not expect that at all. Wow. Thankyou #speechless — Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) July 28, 2018 Petite photo avec le vainqueur de mon dernier @LeTour mes félicitations @GeraintThomas86 @TeamDEN_fr pic.twitter.com/Wv3XNjBHOz — Sylvain Chavanel (@chava_sylvain) July 28, 2018 Sylvain Chavanel has ridden over 60,000-km on his record-setting 18 Tour de Frances the aggressive Frenchman announced his retirement at the end of the season Geraint Thomas tightened Team Sky's grip on the Tour de France when he handed the British outfit their sixth title in seven years on Sunday and there is no sign that their domination will end anytime soon Dutchman Tom Dumoulin finished second for Team Sunweb after also taking the runner-up spot in the Giro d'Italia won by Froome Norway's Alexander Kristoff won the final stage after 116km from Houilles to the Champs-Elysees largely a long procession during which Thomas enjoyed some champagne before heading to the finishing line in a bunch sprint Froome's failure to beat Thomas also showed how difficult it is to complete a Giro-Tour double who won two mountain stages -- including one on the top of the iconic Alpe d'Huez -- emerged as the strongest man in the race as he gained ground on his two rivals after taking the yellow jersey at the end of stage 11 "Thomas was the absolute strongest over the last three weeks," said Dumoulin he was never put into trouble by anyone –- including me –- in the mountains or in any stage." "The strongest rider won the Tour de France,” Froome said Geraint was in better condition than I was." Thomas's victory will come as a relief for Sky especially in the wake of Froome's popularity nose-diving in France after he was cleared of a doping offence months after testing positive for excessive levels of an asthma drug were booed by the crowd on the side of the road with one spectator even slapping his shoulder in the climb up to l'Alpe d'Huez saying booing and hitting the riders was 'a French thing' who produced some amazing work in the mountains for his leaders on his Tour debut would probably soon win the three-week race Sky's domination left the others picking up crumbs World champion Peter Sagan ground through the last days after a heavy crash to secure a record-equalling sixth green jersey for the points classification and France's Pierre Latour emerged as a possible podium finisher in the near future by winning the white jersey for the best under-25 rider a disappointing race for France as Romain Bardet showed his limits when he ended up sixth overall after two podium finishes in 2016 and 2017 please register for free or log in to your account.