Slovenia champion Matej Mohoric posted a second Tour de France stage win on Friday after surging free from a breakaway group with a darting attack.
Mohoric, who rides for the Bahrain Victorious team, made his move with 26 kilometers (16 miles) left and produced a tremendous solo effort after spending the day at the front.
Mohoric has stage wins at all three Grand Tours and is a specialist of long solo efforts. He had earned his first Tour stage win by claiming the marathon stage of this year’s race. a 249-kilometer hilly trek in central France.
On paper, Friday's 207-kilometer flat stage to the southwestern town of Libourne looked tailor-made for Mark Cavendish, but the British sprinter's team did not try to catch the breakaway when it formed.
After matching Eddy Merckx’s all-time record of 34 stage wins last week, Cavendish will have another chance to break it during Sunday's final stage, a mainly processional ride generally ending with a mass sprint on the Champs-Elysees.
With none of the breakaway riders a threat in the general classification, race leader Tadej Pogacar rode safely in the pack, about 18 minutes behind.
(AP)
