That's all from me for today ...
And for this year’s Tour de France, in fact. My esteemed colleague Niall McVeigh will be helming the live blog over the weekend. Enjoy the last knockings of this year’s Tour and thanks for your time and always welcome and often helpful correspondence.
Updated
Stage 19 wrap ...
Chris Froome crashed, but wasn’t hurt and retains a good overall lead of over four minutes. Behind him, Romain Bardet moves into second place on General Classification, replacing Bauke Mollema who had aterrible day at the office: crashing, losing touch with the leaders and finishing over four minutes behind the stage winner. He drops from second to 10th. Adam Yates won’t be too pleased either, as he’s slipped from third to fourth, nine seconds behind Nairo Quintana. Unless one of the trio ahead of him is forced to abandon, he’ll need to do exceptionally well tomorrow to get back on the podium.
Tom Dumoulin and Dan Navarro had even worse days, however. The former abandoned with a suspected broken wrist that could end his Olympic time trial dream for Rio, while the latter was forced to abandon with a broken collar bone.
Updated
General Classification after Stage 19
- 1. Chris Froome (Sky) 82:10:37”
- 2. Romain Bardet (AG2R) +4:11”
- 3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) +4:27”
- 4. Adam Yates (Orica) +4:36”
- 5. Richie Porte (BMC Racing) +5:17”
- 6. Fabio Aru (Astana) +6:00”
- 7. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +6:20”
- 8. Louis Meintjes (Lampre) +7:02”
- 9. Daniel Martin (Etixx-Quick-Step) +7:10”
- 10. Bauke Mollema (Trek) +7:42”
Stage 19 top 10
- 1. Romain Bardet (AG2R) 4:14:09”
- 2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) +22”
- 3. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
- 4. Louis Meintjes (Lampre)
- 5. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) +25”
- 6. Fabio Aru (Astana) +27”
- 7. Daniel Martin (Etixx-Quick-Step)
- 8. Wout Poels (Team Sky) +35”
- 9. Chris Froome (Team Sky)
- 10. Richie Porte (BMC Racing) +52”
To clarify: Mollema’s gap was 4min 25sec.
Mollema finishes the stage. Second on GC this morning, he crosses the line looking thoroughly depressed. I didn’t catch his time, but I think he was almost four minutes behind Bardet. It might even have been more than four minutes.
Bauke Mollema’s day was a whole lot worse: Mollema crashed once and narrowly avoided crashing twice and is slowly making his way up the mountain on his own. He’s going to lose an awful lot of time and plummet down the GC.
Chris Froome crosses the finish line 34 seconds behind Bardet: I think he might have lost a few seconds to one or two of his GC rivals, such as they are, but he won’t mind. Having crashed earlier, his day could have been a hell of a lot worse.
Romain Bardet wins the stage!
The AG2R rider is first past the finish line and gets a rapturous reception from the French public as he notches up his country’s first win of this year’s Tour. He raises his arms and salutes the crowd as he rolls over the line.
Updated
Chris Froome is dropped: He’s going to lose a few, insignificant seconds to his main rivals.
Romain Bardet passes under the flamme rouge: He has one kilometre to go and Dan Martin’s challenge appears to have ended as there’s been no sight or mention of him.
Fabio Aru attacks: The Astana rider looked knackered a couple of minutes ago, but now attacks off the front of the yellow jersey group.
Two kilometres to go: Richie Porte and Nairo Quintana attack again and Sky’s Wout Poels reels them in.
2.5 kilometres to go: Bauke Mollema is struggling badly as he tries to make his way up the mountain on his own behind the yellow jersey group. Adam Yates and Fabio Aru are struggling on the back of the yellow jersey group.
Three kilometres to go: Dan Martin sets off in hot pursuit of Romain Bardet, who has completely dropped Rui Costa. Behind Martin, Nairo Quintana and Richie Porte launch an attack, but Froome’s henchmen are sent to neutralise their effort.
Three-and-a-bit kilometres to go: Adam Yates continues to hang on the back of the yellow jersey group, where he has spent most of the afternoon. Nearer the front of it, Dan Martin attacks!
Romain Bardet has a question: The stage leader looks to his left and asks a nearby motorcycle rider and the TV camera man riding pillion what the gap to his nearest rival is. The answer to his question? Just 29 seconds.
Five kilometres to go: BMC take over at the front of the yellow jersey group, with Damiano Caruso leading the charge.
Seven kilometres to go: Bauke Mollema is on his own on the mountain, having lost touch with the yellow jersey after going off the road. Ahead of him, Froome is looking comfortable. He’s in a group with Fabio Aru, Nairo Quintana, Adam Yates, Richie Porte and assorted other Sky, BMC, Astana and Movistar riders.
Bardet catches Rui Costa: In a narrow, dark corridor lined on either side by trees, Romain Bardet pulls upsides costa, looks to one side to see what kind of state he’s in and pedals past him.
Eight kilometres to go: The road is narrow, windy and punishingly steep as the riders struggle up the early stages of the final climb to the finish line. Riders from Astana and BMC are at the front of the yellow jersey group, as ahead of them romain Bardet attempts to chase down Rui Costa. The Frenchman has his Portuguese rival in sight.
The climb begins: Chris Froome is on Geraint Thomas’s bike as he begins the nine-kilometre climb to the summit of Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. Rui Costa leads and has a lead of 1min 28sec over the now re-formed yellow jersey group, but Romain Bardet is hot on his heels. We haven’t a stage winner from France, Spain or Italy in this year’s Tour yet - can Bardet rectify the situation? No Tour in history has failed to throw up a winner from at least one of those countries.
Rui Costa passes the 10km To Go kite: What was the original yellow jersey group has been smithereened and the riders are all over the road. Romain Bardet and a fellow AG2R rider have stolen a march, while Trek rider Bauke Mollema after going off the road and into a ditch.
Froome crashes!!! On a descent before they tackle the final climb of the day, Chris Froome’s front wheel goes on the greasy, newly laid surface and he goes down and skids along the road. As his main rivals speed into the distance, he takes a bike from a team-mate and continues on his way.
12 kilometres to go: Dan Navarro goes down in a crash involving three other riders and sits up with the manner of a man who has broken his collar bone.
Updated
Today’s final climb: Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc is 1,372m above sea level, just shy of ten kilometres in in length with a gradient of eight per cent. The early stages of the climb are horrific: almost three kilometres at a gradient of 12%, while further up there are ramps that kick up at 15%.
Rui Costa continues to lead: He has a one-minute lead over the yellow jersey group. The rest of the original breakaway has completely disintegrated.
Updated
Porte is back in touch. The riders of BMC have done a great job to get Richie Porte back in contact with the yellow jersey group. It was an energy-sapping effort, however, which all concerned may pay for on the climb to the summit. Confusion reigns over what exactly happened to make Porte lose so much ground, with some saying he crashed and others saying he had a mechanical. Some reports suggest he suffered both misfortunes.
An email from Zack Gomperts-Mitchelson: Well, an edited version of a very, very long one. “In total agreement with Andrew Mullinder as to the murky moral quandary and mess that is as yet unbanned substances coupled with the slightly insidious world of ‘supplements’,” he writes. “However, in answer to his question, climbing speeds are way way down. The modern peloton is often minutes off the chemically assisted records set by the likes of Pantani and Armstrong at the peak of that whole mess. Flat speeds however, are going up.”
30 kilometres to go: Rui Costa leads the stage and has a 50-second lead over the breakaway group he was once part of. The gap between Costa and the yellow jersey group is 1min 24sec.
More on Richie Porte: With the worst of the descent behind him, Richie Porte is putting in some hard yards to get back in touch with the yellow jersey group. It seems he suffered the double-whammy of a mechanical and the aforementioned stop to avoid a rider who had hit the deck. His team-mates Damiano Caruso, Marcus Burghardt and Michael Schar wait to help pace him back to the yellow jersey group.
The rain is torrential: It makes for very entertaining racing, but it’s incredibly dangerous for the riders. Richie Porte loses a bit of ground after being forced to slow to a standstill to avoid a crash on a tight bend involving two FDJ riders.
The riders continue their descent of Montee de Bisanne: Rui Costa leads the charge. It’s now pouring with rain and the road is very, very wet. To add to the woes of the riders, very few of them have rain gear and are not in a position to get it just at the moment. Descending at speed, they’ll be freezing, with another big climb to come.
Rolland gets back up: Wow! Covered in mud, with his jersey and shorts torn, and his left hip covered in road rash, Rolland gets back on his bike and sets off in forlorn pursuit of the yellow jersey group, which whizzed past him while he sat disconsolately on the road side after coming a cropper. As one of the Tour moto-cameras lingers on him for a bit too long, he tells them to sod off and leave him alone.
Updated
Rolland goes down! While descending at top speed, Pierre Rolland’s back wheel slips out from under him sending him to the floor, hard. Once there, he skids across the road and on to a muddy margin, where he’s looks fortunate not to be decapitated by a wire fence. It’s a horrible, horrible fall and a couple of spectators rush to his aid. Rolland sits up looking very dazed.
The gap goes back over two minutes: Pierre Rolland and Rui Costa have attacked off the front of the breakaway.
An email from Chris Thomson: “I‘m not entirely sure what your implication is calling the Astana riders ‘apparently tireless automatons’ after one afternoon pulling on the front?” he says. “But it seems unfair given that Team Sky have just ridden pretty much across the Pyrenees and the Alps at the front of the bunching tapping out a seemingly effortless 400w every day for the past fortnight.” A fair point, well made.
Oh dear! As the yellow jersey group cross the summit of Montee de Bisanne and begin their perilous descent, there are backroom team members from Astana on hand to hand out rain gear. As the riders struggle to put them on while whizzing down a mountain, the first specks of rain appear on the camera lens. This could make an already dangerous descent even more unpleasant for all involved. One thing in the riders’ favour is that the descent kicks up from time to time and isn’t entirely downhill.
Nearly there: The 12-man breakaway are a kilometre from the summit of Montee de Bisanne, passing a spectator blowing a sorrowful lament on a long Swiss horn. Rafal Majka sprints for the maximum points on offer and I’m fairly certain that guarantees him the polka dot jersey for the rest of the race. He streaks clear of his fellow escapees and opens a substantial gap as he crosses the summit.
In the yellow jersey group: A group of seven Astana riders lead the pack, followed by seven from Sky. Behind them are groups from BMC and Movistar. Further up the road, Rafal Majka will be confirmed this year’s King of the Mountains once he clears the summit of Montee de Bisanne.
In the breakaway: Emmanuel Buchmann (Bora) and Natnael Berhane (Dimension Data) are dropped. Back in the yellow jersey bunch, Adam Yates is hanging on for grim death, but it’s a big struggle for the man who is third on General Classification.
Halfway up Montee de Bisanne: The leading group has been reduced to 14 and the gap back to the yellow jersey bunch is just 1min 47sec. It’s a little over 52 kilometres to the finish, but there’s still a lot of climbing to be done.
More on Dumoulin: A Tour de France doctor has revealed his suspicion that Tom Dumoulin has a broken wrist. Obviously this won’t be confirmed until he’s had an x-ray. The look on his face and the manner in which he was sitting on the side of the road holding his wrist after his crash suggested his wrist was broken.
The race goes on for the other riders: The gap between the increasingly small breakaway and the yellow jersey group is 2min 04sec as the riders continue their assault on Bisanne. Majka leads the leaders, while Astana continue to lead the main bunch from the riders of team Sky. Adam Yates is struggling at the back of the yellow jersey group, which doesn’t appear to have any of his team-mates in it to give him a hand.
Dumoulin has abandoned: It has been confirmed - having won two stages, Tom Dumoulin has abandoned after sustaining an injury to his left arm in a crash. Here’s hoping it’s not too bad.
Dumoulin watch II: There are as yet unconfirmed reports that Tom Dumoulin has abandoned after that crash with a wrist and elbow injury.
Dumoulin watch: Tom Dumoulin is back on his bike but appears to have a problem with his left wrist. If that’s broken, it will almost certainly scupper his Olympic time trial ambitions. Here’s hoping he’s OK.
The gap is 2min 27sec: Both groups - leaders and the chasing posse - make their way up Bisanne shedding riders as they go. Rafal Majka is leading the breakaway, while the apparently tireless automatons of Astana are joined by their AG2R counterparts at the front of the yellow jersey group.
Some activity in the bunch: Tom Dumoulin and one of his team-mates go down after touching wheel and Dumoulin comes out of the crash the worse off of the pair. He appears to be holding his wrist and is either waiting for medical attention or a new bike. Adam Yates, who was not involved in the crash, is also forced to get a new bike and expend effort he’ll need for later making his way back to the bunch. Joaquim Rodriguez, who punctured in the neutral zone, also has another mechanical and needs to get another machine.
Our next mountain: Our next climb is the Hors Catégorie (beyond categorisation) Montee de Bisanne. It’s 12.4 kilometres in length, the summit is 1,723 metres above sea level and the gradient is 8.1 per cent.
I am going to take a very quick break of 4min 47sec. But fear not - here’s a Tour of the Astana Team Bus to keep you amused while I’m away. Enjoy.
The breakaway extend their lead: The gap is out to 3min 57sec and the breakaway are descending the Forclaz de Queige at a ridiculously fast speed. Behind them, Astana have just led the yellow jersey group over the summit. On Eurosport, Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly are discussing descents and Kelly reveals that the fastest speed he’s ever clocked on a descent was 124km per hour. He adds that that was back in the days when he didn’t wear a helmet. These days, he is quick to say, he never gets on his bike without wearing one.
Andrew Mullinder is here with a thesis: “I suspect that riders are perhaps ‘legal doping’ (taking substances that aren’t on the banned list, but either might be at some stage or which closely replicate their effects when combined with other substances, diets, or training).
“For instance, Maria Sharapova tested positive for meldonium, which she had taken legally for years; it was only banned the year before she was caught out. Was she a despicable cheat found against the spirit of sport after it was banned, but just being assiduous about her training beforehand?
“If a rider is taking carnitine to help with weight loss, is that acceptable? What about a ketone substance? Both are legal, as far as I understand. But what if they were banned tomorrow? Would we accept that riders that had been taking them had been gaining an unfair advantage? It seems to me a moral and legal morass, and I struggle to work out where I stand, but I do know that as substances are banned, doctors and sportspeople find others that they can use to gain advantages.
“How many Tour riders have medical exemptions for asthma inhalers or glucocorticoids? I don’t know, but I bet it’s surprisingly high. Were the riders in the EPO years really going significantly faster than we did up to Finhaut-Emmoson on Wednesday?”
Interesting footage from the Tour broadcasters: They’ve just shown a replay of a moment where two Astana riders had a bit of a row at the front of the bunch. Andriy Grivko has been doing the hard work at the front, but his team-mate Diego Rosa rode upsides him and motioned to him to slow down a bit. Grivko reached across with one hand, put his hand on Rosa’s shoulder and appeared to tell him, in the most patronising way possible, to eff off and mind his own business. Rosa duly did so, but had some choice words Grivko first.
The breakaway and the main yellow jersey bunch continue the climb up the Col de Forclaz: The gap between the two groups remains at three minutes.
An email from Alastair Connor: “French professional cyclists have their health closely monitored by national authorities, and can be stood down from racing, with no fault alleged, if their parameters are too far out of line,” he explains to suspicion’s Jon Hawkins. “This is not the case for any other nationality, as far as I know. Just saying. On the other hand, the overall speed of the tour is way down on what it used to be. So it’s more subtle, at least.”
In the breakaway: Tony Gallopin and Thomas De Gendt are leading the breakaway up the Col de Forclaz de Queige. Both groups of riders are climbing now.
It’s been a short lunch break for the riders: A row of seven Astana riders and three Katusha riders are lined up at the front of the bunch, with team Sky behind them. The camera cuts to Chris Froome, who has a bit of a grimace on his face. His usual poker face is conspicuous by its absence and he seems to be blowing a wee bit hard.
The peloton passes through the feed zone: Assorted soigneurs and team staff are on hand to hand the riders their lunch. Musettes are slung over shoulders and the riders begin the process of transferring their contents into their pockets. Earlier today, I posted a Global Cycling Network video providing the skinny on what goes into those musettes. Here it is again ...
The original breakaway reforms: Majka, De Gendt and Vuillermoz have rejoined their former escape partners. I don’t know whether or not they were reeled in or just slowed down to let the others catch up and to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. The more of them that are in the breakaway, the merrier - they’re three minutes ahead of the main bunch and will stay clear for longer if they’ve more riders available to do a shift at the front.
An email from Rob Hammond: “I wonder if Froome will consider going with Porte in a two up time trial on the final climb with the result that Froome gifts Porte the stage win and also does the majority of the work to get his bessie on the podium?” he asks. “Possible, or am I talking out of my bottom bracket? Oh - and if you print this can you also say hello to Joe, please.” Hello, Joe.
90 kilometres to go: At the front of the race, Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R) have broken away from the breakaway and opened a lead of about 30 seconds on their former co-conspirators.
Another reply to Alastair Connor (12.23pm): “I’m absolutely not one of those who’s convinced Sky/Froome are up to loads of naughty business,” writes Jon Hawkins. “But I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re in ‘a post-doping world’.”
It’s an interesting one, Jon. As much as I’d like to believe we’re in “a post-doping world”, I’m not naive enough to think that after being up to no good for over 100 years, cyclists have just stopped cheating. There was one failed dope test in last year’s Tour, for cocaine and there haven’t been any this year. Either the cheats have stopped cheating or they’ve just got much better at it.
The next climb: It’s a Category 2 job, the Col de la Forclaz de Queige. It’s 5.6km in length, 870m high and has a gradient of 7.7%. More of a speed bump than a mountain, really.
The bunch reach the summit of Forclaz De Montmin: The gap between the yellow jersey group and the breakaway is 3min 31sec as they begin the descent, with 98 kilomtres of the stage to go.
In the breakaway: Thomas De Gendt makes a late play for the polka-dot jersey by beating Rafal Majka over the summit of Forclaz De Montmin to become the first rider in Tour history to cross that particular summit. I think he’s about 70 points behind Majka in the King of the Mountains classification and there are just 101 points up for grabs between now and the end of the Tour.
Re the emails from Alastair and Bev: “I am a biased Aussie,” writes Andrew Stockings. “But Porte would be second already if not for a flat tyre on a flat stage earlier in the race that cost him about 1min 44sec, so forgive me for not agreeing that the riders he has consistently beaten in the key stages deserve it more than he does.”
Rafal Majka is the current occupier of the polka-dot jersey. The Tinkoff rider is currently forcing the pace in the breakaway. Back in the bunch, Luis Leon Sanchez and Andriy Grivko are putting in the hard yards, as various sprinters and non-climbers, including Mr Marcel Kittel, are being shelled out the back. It’s going to be a long, long afternoon for those boys.
Halfway up the Forclaz Montmin: A couple of Astana riders continue to tow the bunch up the mountain, while the 20 riders in the breakaway are only being afforded the luxury of a 2min 47sec gap.
With 35 kilometres behind them: The bunch of 20 escapees are now just 3min 15sec ahead of the pack.
The scenery on the Forclaz De Montmin: It is absolutley stunning, with the overhead shots from the helicopter showing a beautiful lake down below the riders on the right, with lush forestry separating them. Back in the race, teams Astana and Katusha are driving the bunch along at a punishing pace and their efforts are starting to take their toll. The bunch is fracturing, with assorted riders already unable to keep up and getting dropped in dribs and drabs. Remember, this is just the first of four big climbs today.
An email from Bev Nicolson: “Re Alastair Connor’s email - yes it would, Alastair, yes it would,” writes Bev. “It’s not Froome or Team Sky’s fault if other teams don’t attack, though. I do very much hope Yates and Mollema hang onto to podium places. I rather feel they deserve them after the effort they’ve put in.”
The pace is fast today: BMC have a couple of riders in the breakaway, who will want to keep the escape party clear of the peloton for as long as possible so they can help their teammate Richie Porte if he launches an attack on the bunch later in the stage. Astan continue to drive on the peloton, working hard for their man Fabio Aru, who is in seventh place overall and must be feeling good today.
The breakaway approach the foot of the first categorised climb of the day: It’s the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin, a Category 1 beast whose summit is 1,157m above sea level. The final three of its 10 kilometres are at a punishing gradient of 11%. Rather them than me.
120 kilometres to go: We have a group of 20 riders leading the posse by 3min 55sec. Among them: Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R), Tony Martin (Etixx–Quick-Step), Michael Matthews (Orica BikeExchange), Andriy Grivko (Astana), Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), Laurens Ten Dam (Giant-Alpecin) and Natnael Berhane (Dimension Data). Michael Matthews wins himself a few bob in the otherwise uncontested intermediate sprint.
Order has been restored: The peloton is back together, but strung out over a long stretch of road. Astana are still calling the shots. The gap between the bunch and the 20 leaders is down to 4min 12sec.
The stage so far ...
Having tackled the first (uncategorised) climb of the day, a breakaway of about 20-25 riders has opened a lead of 4min 12sec on the peloton. Back in the bunch, a group of six Astana riders and several others have already started piling pressure on the rest of the pack. This could be a very interesting day’s racing and there’s still over 130km to go.
An interesting development ...
Three Astana riders moved to the front of the peloton, who seemed reluctant to follow them. Indeed, a couple of Movistar riders shout at them to come back. Looking mightily perplexed and unsure of what to do next, the three Astana riders - Paolo Tiralongo, Vincenzo Nibali and Diego Rosa - are allowed to sail clear of the bunch and are joined by two of their team-mates, one Katusha rider and a Cofidis rider. Back in the peloton, Astana’s Fabio Aru, who is in seventh place overall, will be delighted to have six of his team-mates ahead of him up the road putting pressure on the other GC contenders.
Updated
138km to go: Still awaiting official identification on all those in the breakaway, but the following are all present in the escape party: Jarlinson Pantano, Thomas De Gendt, Tony Gallopin, Rafal Majka Alexis Vuillermoz, Tony Martin, Michael Matthews, Andriy Grivko, Rui Costa, Yuri Lutsenko, Moinard, Buychman, Laurens Ten Dam and Natnael Berhane. They’ve opened a lead of 4min 02sec on the bunch.
An email from Alastair Connor: “I’m pretty sure there hasn’t been such a tight five-way race for second, in the twenty-five years or so that I’ve been paying attention to the Tour (but will happily defer to any cyclo-anorak who can prove me wrong),” he says. “Not that Froome is home free – especially in a post-doping world, anyone can have an off day – but it would be wrong to pray for it, eh?
“I certainly hope Romain Bardet had cabbage and beans for breakfast (cf. Wednesday’s discussion of the legendary Cav). Not so much for the propulsion effect, more to get Richie Porte’s nose out of his backside.”
A total of 177 riders set off on today's stage
Approximately 20 of them have set off on an early breakaway. Jarlinson Pantano, Thomas De Gendt, Tony Gallopin and Rafal Majka are among them. Back in the bunch, Sky are in front and lined out across the narrow mountain road to prevent anyone else getting away.
An early mechanical for Purito
As the riders rolled through the neutral zone before racing proper begins, Joaquim Rodriguez got a puncture and had to get a replacement back wheel. Once he caught up with them, racing began. They’re uphill straight away. In case you don’t know, Rodriguez is nicknamed Purito because, as a rookie cyclist, he once mimed smoking a cigar as he dropped his more senior colleagues on a training climb.
Annoyed by his impudence and cockiness, his team-mates told him he’d have to smoke a real cigar at the team dinner that night, presuming their boss would go ballistic at the sight of one of his riders smoking. Rodriguez duly sparked up a “Purito” (a Spanish cigarillo) and has apparently lived to tell the tale.
What do professional cyclists eat?
An oldie but a goodie here, from the lads at Global Cycling Network, who give a detailed breakdown of what exactly goes into those musettes that are handed out to cyclists at the feed zones.
Today's stage begins at 12.10pm (BST)
And what’s more, we’ll be with the riders from the gun, to bring you coverage of every minute from start to finish. As always, your correspondence on today’s stage, the Tour in general or anything else that tickles your fancy is very welcome.
Jersey wearers after Stage 18
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Yellow: Chris Froome (Sky)
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Green: Peter Sagan (Tinkoff)
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Polka-dot: Rafal Majka (Tinkoff)
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White: Adam Yates (Orica BikeExchange)
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Team: Movistar
Backstage Pass with Orica BikeExchange
Yesterday was another big day for Adam Yates, the Briton who is in the form of his life and remains in third place on General Classification. He declared himself reasonably pleased with a performance. His team, as ever, were on hand to take us behind the scenes.
Will Fotheringham's Stage 18 report
Short but brutal, is the assessment of today’s stage by our man in France, who also points out that barring illness, accident or an act of God, the battle over the next two days - Sunday’s final stage will be little more than a procession with a sprint at the end – is for the minor places between second and fifth.
The top 10 on General Classification
- 1. Chris Froome (Team Sky) 77hr 25min 10sec
- 2. Bauke Mollema (Trek) +3min 52sec
- 3. Adam Yates (Orica) +4min 16sec
- 4. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) +4min 37sec
- 5. Romain Bardet (AG2R) +4min 57sec
- 6. Richie Porte (BMC Racing) +5min
- 7. Fabio Aru (Astana) 6min 08sec
- 8. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 6min 37sec
- 9. Louis Meintjes (Lampre) +7min 15sec
- 10. Daniel Martin (Etixx-Quick-Step) +7min 18sec
Stage 19: Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc (146km)
From our interactive guide: A scaled-down Alpine stage, never getting over 1,650m in altitude, which should make for an aggressive day’s racing thanks to four major ascents. The pull up from the start will be where the early move forms, but the main men will come to the fore on a new climb, the very steep Montée de Bisanne, which is 12km at an average of 8%. The ascent to the finish is a little shorter but equally steep.
Updated
