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ARCALIS, Andorra -- The Tour de France did more than challenge the peloton with its punishing menu of Pyreneans climbs on Sunday. The extreme conditions that suddenly switched from searing heat and humidity to rain and hail and a huge drop in temperature showcased what resilience is required to race in the world biggest and hardest bike race.Whether British race leader and defending champion Chris Froome (Sky) wins a third Tour title or not, the 184.5-kilometer ninth stage from Vielha Val DAran in Spain to Andorra Arcalis will be remembered for a long time -- especially for how the riders up front in separate battles for the stage win and overall classification still fought so fiercely despite the harsh conditions.Froome, who defended the yellow leaders jersey he took on Saturday with his Stage 8 win to Bagnères-de-Luchon, summed up what the experience he and his rivals experienced as the conditions suddenly shifted as they rode up the last of five mountains to the finish.That was a tough stage and the weather made it even tougher, Froome said after. One second there, we were pouring water over our heads and ice socks down the back, and then the next minute we literally had ice falling from the sky with the hail stones and the temperatures dropped right down to 10 degrees. So it was from one extreme to another.The day was still a success for Froome, with his overall lead again reflecting his teams brilliant work to control the stage before the finale, as much as his ability to account for a number of attacks on the last climb to Arcalis when the conditions were at their worst.The stage was won by Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpacin) with a daring solo attack that saw him cross the finish line in virtual darkness 38 seconds clear of Portugals Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Polands Rafael Majka (Tinkoff), who finished at the same time as Costa, then a string of other riders who were remnants from an earlier 20-rider breakaway.Froome was 11th at 6:35 and finished with Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) in 10th and Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) in 12th at the same time.Then, two seconds back, were three more riders who had been with Froome, Yates and Quintana up until the last 50 metres of the stage: Australian Richie Porte (BMC) in13th, Irelands Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) in 14th, and Spaniard Jesus Herrada (Movistar).As expected, the Queen Stage of the three in the Pyrenees impacted overall places.Froome still leads overall by 16 seconds on second-place Yates, while Martin has moved up from fourth overall to third at 19 seconds, Quintana from sixth to fourth at 23 seconds and Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) from ninth to sixth at 44 seconds after a day that saw him finish 17th at 6:56 but benefit from time losses by several higher-placed riders.The worst to fare was Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), the 2007 and 2009 Tour champion who abandoned with 100 kilometers to go despite showing signs that he might have recovered from his injuries in crashes on stages one and two by getting into an early break.Australian Richie Porte (BMC), who began the stage in 18th place overall at 2:08, is now 14th overall; however, he was at 2:10 after the stage in which he and Martin were the principal attackers in the yellow jersey group on the final climb.But left to lament were Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), who finished 23rd at 7:17 after getting in to a break with Valverde and fell from fifth overall at 19 seconds to 10th at 1:01; Italian Fabio Aru (Astana), who was 27th at 7:35 and dropped from seventh at 23 seconds to 13th at 1:23, and American Tejay van Garderen (BMC), who was 21st on the stage at the same time as Valverde, fell from eighth overall at 23 seconds to 11th and also at 1:01.It was long and super-hot and then it got super-cold at the finish, Van Garderen said. It was just a hard day off the back of a hard day, so I think Richie [Porte] and I did pretty well. Richie was obviously a lot better than me, but we just look forward. Its been nine hard days of racing, so fatigue definitely starts going into play, but its still the first week.The first real mountain day of the Tour I always tend to struggle [in] more than the other ones. So I think it can only get better from here. Any one of the stages could be an opportunity to gain back time, the mountains, the time trials, so Ill just take it as it comes.Froome had in fact hoped to gain time on the final climb Sunday, but when the rally of attacks came from the likes of Porte, Martin and Yates, he found himself needing to reel them in and be satisfied to just finish with his rivals and preserve the lead he has.However, he expected an attack from Quintana, his runner-up in 2013 and last year, and said he was surprised that the Colombian failed to react, other than follow him.I was waiting for his attack all the way to the last kilometre, he said. In the last kilometre I thought, He hasnt attacked, that he was saving it for one big move. Id like to think he was on his limit. It was a tough day. He stuck to my wheel like glue by the look of it.Froome will by no means leave the Pyrenees feeling a third Tour win is a fait accompli. Like all in the peloton, he will welcome the first rest day of the Tour on Monday.However, awaiting is Thursdays Stage 12 finish at the summit of Mont Ventoux, which is followed by the 37.5km Stage 13 time trial the next day, and some brutal days in the Alps.Before the Tours start, Froome rated this Tour campaign as his hardest. He reiterated that on Sunday, saying: I feel this will be the biggest battle of my career. I figure that is what it is turning out to be. By no means did I expect it would be easy and I would ride away from everyone. The level is higher. I am going to have to fight for every second.Froome is expecting he will also need his team to continue riding as it did on Sunday.It was a great day for us, happy to still be in yellow after such a tough two days like that. My teammates did such a good job ... They just took control of the race, even when we were under a lot of pressure at the start with Valverde and Contador going in that break, he added. 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