15-07-2019, 23:53
A frantic sprint finish saw Wout van Aert win the stage by a tyre width from Elia Viviani, followed by Caleb Ewan, Michael Matthews and Peter Sagan.
Julian Alaphillippe, recording the same time as the winner, consolidated his GC leadership, now leading by 1m12s from Geraint Thomas, with Egan Bernal another 4 seconds behind. The biggest loser today was George Bennett, losing almost 10 minutes when he missed the break while he was back at the support car picking up water bottles. With a rest day tomorrow, there will be plenty of time for the inquest.
Now that there are a few riders out of the GC reckoning (only 23 are within 5 minutes of Alaphillippe), look out for some fancied riders making a name for themselves with a stage win. George Bennett certainly has something to prove, Vincenzo Nibali is always a danger, Tony Martin and Michael Matthews are others to watch out for.
Some say the TdF doesn't really start until the second week and this will be true with the fierce mountain stages in the Pyrenees on the horizon and then the Alps in Week 3.
Julian Alaphillippe, recording the same time as the winner, consolidated his GC leadership, now leading by 1m12s from Geraint Thomas, with Egan Bernal another 4 seconds behind. The biggest loser today was George Bennett, losing almost 10 minutes when he missed the break while he was back at the support car picking up water bottles. With a rest day tomorrow, there will be plenty of time for the inquest.
Now that there are a few riders out of the GC reckoning (only 23 are within 5 minutes of Alaphillippe), look out for some fancied riders making a name for themselves with a stage win. George Bennett certainly has something to prove, Vincenzo Nibali is always a danger, Tony Martin and Michael Matthews are others to watch out for.
Some say the TdF doesn't really start until the second week and this will be true with the fierce mountain stages in the Pyrenees on the horizon and then the Alps in Week 3.
Cabbage is still good for you