Sky ruled favorite field with an iron grip.
On Thursday royal stage of the Tour de France. On paper the toughest mountain stage of them all. A unique opportunity to attack Chris Froome in the yellow jersey
But the main field went the long quiet, and a violation did make up for the stage win.
There was Katjusjas Joaquim Rodríguez strongest in final, which consisted of 15.8 kilometers of climbing up outside category mountain Plateau de Beille (7.9 percent average gradient).
Overall captain at Katjusja is out of the fight for a top position overall after a couple of weak mountain stages. In thunderstorm up the mountain he hit dog back and took his second stage win in this year’s race.
– I knew that I had a better step than the others. and tried to conserve strength in the first elevations. I knew that I was among the strongest towards the end, and this victory means a lot to me, explains Rodríguez victory interview.
relives you stage.
Danish Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) was the second man with Romain Bardet (Ag2r) third. All were part of the outbreak that crossed the finish several minutes ahead overall favorites.
Skys iron grip
Behind the quarry held Team Sky an iron grip on events. It towed the peloton all day and ensured that the favorites were gathered at the foot of the Plateau de Beille.
Up the mountain did Froom helpers Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte a great job. Porte sourced attacks Valverde, Nibali and Contador, and then Quintana went with about six kilometers to go, it was Thomas who refused him weed.– It was a tough day. The team did a fantastic job of controlling it. Having Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas with me was amazing. Geraint did a fantastic job and set all the way, explains Froom in the official interview after the race.
The Colombian climber tried several times to distance froom, but none of the attempts succeeded. Thus they came together to the finish, and Froom still have about three minutes down to both Tejay Van Garderen and Nairo Quintana overall.– There is still fight for the overall win. They’re going to try and attack me every single day they have the opportunity. I’m just glad that I have a fantastic team around me. They have done a great job for me so far, says Froom.
Monster Break
Lotto Soudal set from the start by a high pace as between spurt came after 20 kilometers. They managed to keep it together, and André Greipel was first over the line. Peter Sagan came in third, making the Slovakian head battle for the green jersey with two points.
Shortly after spurt came 22 riders away and formed the leg fracture. They were:
Lieuwe Westra, Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Matthieu Ladagnous, Jérémy Roy (both FDJ), Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-QuickStep), Romain Bardet, Mickaël CHEREL, Cristophe Riblon (Ag2r), Jan Barta (Bora Argon 18), Bryan Coquard, Romain Sicard (Europcar), Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida), Daniel Navarro (Cofidis), Sylvain Chavanel Jérôme Coppel (IAM Cycling), Joaquim Rodríguez (Katjusja ), Frédéric Brun, Anthony Delaplace (Brittany Seche), Louis Meintjes (MTN QHUBEKA), Georg Preidler (Giant-Alpecin) and September VANMARCKE (LottoNL-Jumbo).
Team Sky was pleased to give them a solid lead. At the foot of the leg first mountain, second category Col de Portet d’Aspet (4.3 km à 9.7 percent) with more than 14 mil in the distance was around six minutes.
Siesta in the
It was, however, only a small taste of what is expected. The 197 kilometers long stage also contained the first category Col de la Core and Port de Lers before outside category mountain Plateau de Beille (15.8 km à 7.9 percent) ended stage.
Up Col de la Core increased fracture spacing The distance down to the main field only increased, where froom teammates sat a controlled speed. Over the top with 102 kilometers left was the eruption nearly nine minutes ahead of the field. Durasek was first over the climb sprint and took ten points in the battle for polkadottrøyen.
75 km from the finish line, there were more than ten minutes from the front down to the main field. A leader had Kwiatkowski, VANMARCKE and Preidler attacked violation mates and got weed before Port de Lers. But even if the lead netted a double-digit number of minutes, did not peloton sign to start the hunt.
It was only on the leg penultimate mountain that Sky riders sped up the field with 64 kilometers left. Eventually, the Port de Lers turned the best climbers who belonged to the outbreak up the pace, but it was not enough to recoup VANMARCKE and Kwiatkowski, who dived over the top with ten minutes down to the main area but only a few seconds ahead of Fuglsang, Bardet, Meintjes , CHEREL, Sicard, Izagirre and Rodríguez.
Discussion The game
At the foot of the Plateau de Beille was no doubt that the peloton was a chance. They were more than eleven minutes behind Kwiatkowski and VANMARCKE. The duo had a half minutes down to the nearest pursuers.
It was Rodríguez, Fuglsang and Bardet who was the fittest of the behind Kwiatkowski up the mountain, and the strongest Spaniard.
Katjusjas overall captain sped past world champion, determined to grab his second triumph in this year’s Tour de France.
That he succeeded, for neither Fuglsang elller others as never Spaniard again.
Behind the favorites neutralized Porte attacks who came from Froom competitors, before Thomas took over as Quintana went with about six kilometers to go.
Read the detailed report from the attacks filled finals here!
Also Quintana tried several times, but the Briton in the yellow jersey controlled trials with very good help from Thomas.
So they came together to the finish, and Froom still a safe distance competitors overall.
Results:
1. Joaquim Rodríguez (Katjusja) 5’40’14
2. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) + 1’12
3. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) + 1’49
4. Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) + 4’34
5. Louis Meintjes (MTN QHUBEKA) + 4’38
6. January Bart (Bora Argon 18) + 5’47
7. Romain Sicard (Europcar) + 6’03
8. Mikaël CHEREL (Ag2r) + 6’28
9. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 6’46
10. Chris Froome (Team Sky) + 6’47
Total:
1. Chris Froome (Team Sky)
2. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) + 2’52
3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) + 3’09
4. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 3’58
5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) + 4’03
6. Alberto Contador (Saxo Tinkoff-) + 4’04
7. Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) + 5’32
8. Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) + 7’32
9. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) + 7’47
10. Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing) + 8’02
Score Competition (green jersey):
1) Peter Sagan, Slovakia (Tinkoff) 254, 2 ) André Greipel, Germany (Lotto) 252, 222, 3) John Degenkolb, Germany (Giant) 201.
Norwegian: 14) Kristoff 50, 16) Boasson Hagen 45.
Climbing Competition (rødprikket jersey):
1) froom 61, 2) Rodriguez 52, 3) Fuglsang 41.
Youth Competition (white jersey):
1) Quintana 46.53.41 2) Warren Barguil, France (Giant) 06.34, 3) Bardet 13.56.
Team competition:
1) Movistar 141.52.29 2) Sky 5:19 min. behind, 3) Tinkoff 25.27.
Create the Norwegian riders: 7) MTN QHUBEKA 45.27, 12) Katjusja 01.17.43.
The race ends in Paris on July 26.
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