Geraint Thomas extends Tour de France lead

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas has increased his lead in the Tour de France courtesy of a third-place finish in stage 17 this afternoon.

Colombian Nairo Quintana became the first ever winner of the brand new stage, with Dan Martin finishing second and Thomas holding off a late charge from Primoz Roglic and Tom Dumoulin to cross the line in third place.

© Reuters

Thomas's finish saw him pick up a four-second bonus in the general classification standings, leaving him now one minute and 59 seconds clear of Dumoulin, whose performance was enough to leapfrog Chris Froome into second place.

Froome, a four-time winner and three-time defending champion of the event, came home in eighth place to drop down to third overall, now two minutes and 31 seconds behind Yellow Jersey-holder Thomas.

Thomas is now a heavy favourite to claim his maiden Tour de France victory following his performance in stage 17, which is the shortest stage in the modern era of the race.