Tour de France 17th stage report, with bike shop Downey

Nicolas Bouvy / EPA / July 18, 2012

Our bike shop Downey is following the Tour de France, in its final stages!

In the yellow jersey, Bradley Wiggins of Britain endured the tough, mountainous 17th stage of the race on Thursday, and said he is sensing this race is "pretty much over". 

With just three days remaining in the Tour de France of 2012, Wiggins seems secure in his lead. Wiggins finished third in stage 17, with an overall lead of two minutes five seconds  ahead of his teammate Christopher Froome, who came in 2nd in the 17th stage, ahead of Wiggins. 

The remaining stages in the Tour de France are two flat stages and a time trial, which Wiggins is predicted to do well in. With any luck, Wiggins will, in three days, be the first Briton to take home the Tour de France yellow jersey.

Alejandro Valverde of Spain enjoyed an emotional victory in the 17th stage. He is returning from a two-year doping ban, and survived a rough start to the tour, with no less than three crashes. A teary Valverde said of his win, “It erases all of the past.”