Romain Bardet (Ag2r) took his second Tour de France stage win in the most dramatic fashion when he soloed to victory in rainy and crash-marred stage 19 of the Tour de France. Having attacked on the final descent, the Frenchman held off the peloton on the final climb, crossing the line with an advantage of 23 seconds to Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Louis Meintjes (Lampre-Merida). Chris Froome (Sky), Richie Porte (BMC) and Bauke Mollema (Trek) all crashed and while the Brit limited his losses to Bardet to 36 seconds, Mollema slipped from second to 10th as Bardet took over his runner-up spot, 4.11 behind Froome.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Romain Bardet: I rode away without any kind of calculation

"It was just my bike rider’s instinct,” Romain Bardet said. “It wasn’t planned at all. The whole team put in an incredible performance. Mikael Cherel just pushed, and pushed and pushed me to do it. At first I thought about GC but when I caught Rui Costa I knew I was going to go for the stage win. That was all that mattered at that point. I have no more words.

 

"I had no idea what was going on out there. I knew that if Mikael Cherel and I did a good descent together then we had a chance before the final climb. I knew I that I could maintain my pace but you’re never 100 per cent sure. I’ve now won two stages in two years. I just hope can keep this going for two more days.

 

“I'm over the moon. It's beautiful to ride a bike instinctively. This attack was absolutely not planned. It's been a flash in Mikaël Chérel's mind. He said ‘let's go flat out in the downhill'. We're submitted to a lot of pressure all year so we need road captains like Sam [Dumoulin] and Mika [Chérel] to take decisions like that. He made ​​the descent. I trusted him but I told him not to take too much risk. 

 

”Climbing to the finishing line was pure emotions. I watched the public in the eyes and shared the emotions with the people. We're humans and humans need emotions. I ran away from any kind of calculation today. I don't know what happened behind me.

 

”The last kilometers were a bit long. There were still 9.8km to climb, for one rider it is quite long.I do not know how I did it, but I win my second stage in as many years. I have no words for this. Moreover, I do a good thing in the overall standings.

 

"It really was instinct. That's the kind of riding you want to be doing. The greatest emotions on a bike often come like a flash, and you say to yourself ‘this is the moment'.

 

"Mickael planted the seed today, I knew straight away that it was a good idea, and we gave it everything.

 

"I had no information about what was going on in the race, so it was just about enjoying myself on the bike. It was like having the wind behind my back with the support today – wherever I looked I saw so much emotion among the spectators. These are unique moments – we suffer so much throughout the year, so when things go your way and you have the chance to express yourself, it's simply amazing to be able take advantage.

 

“I had planned to attack in the steepest part of Bettex, the part that suited me best. The last kilometers appeared to be easy but this climb is long. Last year I could not have done it but with the stage win in 2015 and the accumulated experience, I became aware of what I can do in this event. It is fabulous.”

 

”We learn from mistakes. I had experienced this in the Criterium du Dauphine with Thibaut Pinot,” he said when asked about being with Costa who refused to work. “Today, I was master of myself. I was on the limit but I thought I had to give everything for the GC, that to finish second in the stage was not serious, that I should not focus on both. With an acceleration, I was able to get rid of him and it boosted me. I understood that I could stay away.

 

"I wanted to enjoy the fervor. I just wanted to get away from the calculations that constrain us in the race, and let the emotion take over.

 

”I'm glad to be second now. It's better to be sixteen seconds ahead of Nairo Quintana than sixteen seconds behind. Everything can happen in Joux-Plane tomorrow. I'll try to save a place on the podium in Paris. That would be fabulous.

 

"It's very complicated. On the Joux Plane anything can happen and I'll need to be at my best. I'm already thinking about holding onto a podium spot in Paris."

 

"With the stage win in 2015 and the experience I've gained, I've realised what I can do in this race, and to make it happen is amazing. It would be a fairytale to be second.  My Tour is already successful, but if I am on the podium in Paris it is a dream.

Mikael Cherel bounces back from disappointment to set Bardet up for victory

"We had the idea to attack on this descent, we know it well,” Mikael Cherel told L’Equipe. “We knew it would play a big role today. I told Romain: ’You keep my wheel and we will do something.’' He told me not to take too many risks. He knew that with the challenge and excitement you could make a few mistakes.”

 

"For me it was easier to do this descent than setting a big tempo on the last climb. I am very excited today because I've had a very difficult Tour. I asked myself during the two and a half weeks what was happening. I had nothing in my legs. Today, the goal was to stay with Romain as long as possible, which I had not been able to do over the last few stages and I was very disappointed.

 

"I had tears in my eyes in the last two kilometers, it gave me the chills. Really, I'm very happy. I tried to finish calmly to preserve some strength. Roman will still need us."

 

Joaquim Rodriguez: Valverde made me believe that I had won the stage

Friday’s stage 19 provided plenty of challenges in the mountains as the rain came down and added to the drama of the day. Team KATUSHA’s Joaquim Rodriguez was up to the task and rode a good race into the finish on Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, taking second place behind winner Romain Bardet.

 

”It was chaos today. There were so many crashes on the wet roads. It was slippery after the dry days. There was no radio communication because of the noise from the fans and being in the mountains. In the last 100 meters I saw on the big screen a winning Bardet – otherwise I would have put my hands in the air! I found it strange that Valverde was pulling so hard. He only does this when he goes for a stage win – so I thought we were first!” said an amused team leaderJoaquim Rodriguez.

 

Bardet’s time of 4:14.08 (34,470 km/h) on the 149 km stage was 23-seconds to Rodriguez and Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde.

Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez is eleventh and still hopes to break into the top ten on Saturday’s final climbing stage.

 

”We need to stay concentrated till the last day. A small mistake cost Mollema the podium and also Chris Froome could have lost a lot of time. In the end he was lucky. Bardet attacked just after Froome crashed but you cannot blame him. Here we cannot talk about lack of fair play. Chris Froome crashed because he tried to attack in the descent. He took too many risks,” added Joaquim Rodriguez.

 

”It was a chaotic stage and hard. The speed was high from the beginning. Then the rain came on the last two climbs. There were attacks from the beginning with two groups off the front. We wanted to chase down these groups because we were confident that Joaquim could do a good result in the end so we sent Vicioso to ride with Astana. On the final of the descent there were many crashes so we kept our riders as close to the front as possible to protect Joaquim and we saw Zakarin and Losada doing a great job. Joaquim defended very well. The idea was to go in the last kilometers to win some seconds. It was another second place for us but it was a good stage. We assumed our responsibility from the beginning and while he’s not in the top ten, he’s only 10 seconds away. Tomorrow is going to be hard especially with the predicted rain. Also the descent of the Joux Plane is very complicated and can make a difference,” said team directorJosé Azevedo.

The last day in the Alps brings another good one. At 146,5 km, the climbing stage begins in Megève and ends Morzine. It’s not an uphill finish this time, however, but rather a fast descent off the HC Col de Joux Plane and then the Col du Ranfolly into Morzine.

 

”Tomorrow is my last stage in the Tour mountains forever. I will go as hard as today,” said Joaquim Rodriguez. Rodriguez announced on the first Tour rest day that he will retire at the end of this season.

 

Nairo Quintana: It’s a miracle that I made it, I almost abandoned

Against all odds and under a storm which surprised the riders in the finale of stage 19 in the Tour de France (Albertville – Saint-Gervais / Mont Blanc - Le Bettex, 146km), Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) jumped into third overall following providential help by Alejandro Valverde. The Spaniard, 3rd across the line today, guided the squad’s leader while leaving behind two of the riders ahead of Quintana, Bauke Mollema (TFS) – crashed – and Adam Yates (OBE) – struggling – who did not make it into the front group at the crucial momento. A brandnew chance appeared, and the Movistar Team profited.

 

The ambitious turquoise train from Astana pushed hard all the way through until the final ascent of Le Bettex (1ª). At the Montée de Bissane (HC) - 12.4km at 8.2% - the Kazakh team’s pace put Yates into trouble. Difficulties would not end there for the favourites, as a brief, strong spell of rain on  the descent covered the peloton and caused several crashes, Richie Porte (BMC) being the first down.

 

After the Tasmanian, Bauka Mollema (TFS) – down to 10th after the day – took another tumble a few kilometers before the foot of Bettex, with even the race leader, Chris Froome (SKY), crashing together with Nibali (AST) a few minutes later. The yellow jersey kept his act together, even on team-mate Geraint Thomas’ bike, to concede just a few seconds at  the finish.

 

The Blues, conscious about Yates’ troubles to keep the pace of the GC group, put thirty valuable seconds into the young Briton and took Quintana into 3rd overall, behind the day’s winner Bardet (ALM, 2º) and Froome. Saturday will be their last chance to progress: 146.5km between Megève and Morzine, with the Joux Plane (HC) - 11.6km at 8.5% - as decider following two Cat-1 ascents in La Colombière - 11.7km, 5.8% - and La Ramaz - 13.9km at 7.1%.

 

Nairo Quintana said: 

 

“It’s almost an act of God, a miracle to be here at the finish today. I was feeling really bad - what is happening to my body is difficult to explain right now.

 

“We’ve fought a whole lot from the very start. I struggled a lot, and my team-mates helped me out immensely, they were phenomenal. Thanks to them, I’m still here, on my bike.

 

”I feel tired, my body doesn’t work right, my legs don’t work properly. When I finish the stage, it’s like normal for me, but my body just doesn’t do things right.

 

“More than condition, I profited from my class today. Class never leaves you. At some point of the race, I even thought about withdrawing.”

 

Alejandro Valverde: I saw that I was close to the stage win

Alejandro Valverde said: 

 

“It wasn’t just a hard day: it was complete carnage, even more than previous stages. Before Froome and Mollema crashed, the race was already full on - Astana was pushing before those incidents and continued, which is normal. We couldn’t ride faster today. Froome had those problems, yet he’s still the strongest in this race and recovered.

 

”To be honest, I saw the stage win so close - however, that attack by Bardet into the descent was courageous, hats off to him because the downhill was full of danger today.

 

“Tomorrow’s stage might be one for alliances between squads - Astana played it well today. I’m enjoying this race, even considering the suffering a Tour de France puts on us. I’m enjoying every single minute of this - it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to fight so strong after a hard Giro d’Italia.

 

”I rode more calm on yesterday’s TT, not going on full steam, and it really paid off today. We’ve still got some energies, yet the stage win seems out of reach for me, as I’m still close in the overall standings.”

 

Rui Costa laments Rolland’s crash after near-miss in the Alps

For Lampre-Merida, it was an impressive Meintjes and a combative Rui Costa in the great Alps climbs of the 19th stage of the Tour de France.

 

Rui Costa exploited once again his fighting spirit which has been  his companion during this edition of the French race, attacking in the very early kilometers and forming a breakaway of 20 riders.
 

Rui Costa completed the stage in 15th position at 1’17” and he was awarded as most combative rider of the day. This is the second time LAMPRE-MERIDA had won this prize in the Grande Boucle, the first one thanks to Arashiro in the 6th stage.

 

 “I had planned with the team to try to attack in the early part of the stage. This had been the best solution also in the previous stage for anticipating the battle among the contenders for the general classification,” Rui Costa explained. “I feel I delivereed a good performance, my legs were ok. Unfortunately Rolland crashed when we were leading the race. He could have give me important support in the sector between the last two climbs.

 

“On the final ascent, Bardet joined me very quickly and he asked me to cooperate, however I had spent much energy in the breakaway and he was very strong, so he deserved the victory just like Meintjes deserves to receive great congrats for the impressive results he’s achieving.

 

“I have not yet obtained victories even if my condition is good. Today I go to the hotel with the award as most combative which is a prize for the efforts I have done during this Tour by attacking almost in every demanding stage.”

 

Louis Meintjes on the verge of making history at the Tour de France

Meintjes was 4th and a main protagonist among the top riders of the Grande Boucle and he moved up one position in the general classification where he’s 8th at 7’02”. What is thrilling is the fact that for the South African climber there’s the prospect of becoming the first African cyclist to complete the Tour de France in the top 10. He needs to cover 259.5 km before achieving this amazing result.

 

Meintjes commented:

 

“I’m trying to deliver the best possible performances day by day, relying on my legs which are supporting me in an impressive way. I’m satisfied, my condition is constantly good and today I rode very well on the climbs and also in the downhill which caused some troubles.”

 

Fabio Aru: I am not satisfied with today’s performance

”We made a very tough race leading the peloton the entire day and to avoid that the attackers could gain a too big advantage,” explained Fabio Aru on the Team Bus after the stage. “Then in the final I’ve tried to attack at two km to go and I thought I could be second at the finish line, taking some seconds to my rivals for the GC. Unfortunately not everyone was distanced and a few of those passed me 600 meters from the finish line.

 

“I’m not satisfied with my performance today because I was looking for the stage victory but I prefer to do the final balance of my Tour de France tomorrow evening.”

 

Diego Rosa told Eurosport:

 

“We knew that something was going to happen because everyone is at their limit. Aru showed he was feeling well yesterday in the time trial and so we decided to attack the stage today. We were proven right. And it also helped on the descent in the rain. We were safer up front.

 

“We kept saying that we’d take things day by day and try to pull something back. We’ve done it. It’s just a pity the Tour is almost over. But tomorrow is another tough day and we gave a lot today. Tomorrow we’ll see who has recovered and who hasn’t.”

 

Vincenzo Nibali: It wasn’t Froome’s fault

Vincenzo Nibali was involved in Froome’s crash but he hasn’t suffered serious consequences.

 

"Chris slipped in front of me,” he told Rai. “I tried to avoid him but I hit him. I have a few bruises, but nothing serious, we hope nothing broken. I have a bit of pain because I ended up on Froome’s bike.

 

"I saw that Bardet attacked. I went afer after him, but when he slipped, there was nothing to do.

 

"No, it wasn't Froome's fault. I saw him crash and there was nothing I could do behind.Everyone was crashing today, the roads were slick and wet, so Froome couldn't avoid it. I'm OK, I just have scrapes down my right side."
 

 

Dan Martin: I am one of the best climbers here

Dan Martin is 9th in the overall standings of the Tour de France with just two days left to go, after going to the attack on the tough Le Bettex climb. A rider who often earns praise for his aggressive approach regardless of the race he's doing, Martin powered away on the 9.8-km long climb, without being scared by the tough 8% gradients or Team Sky's relentless pace. At that point of the race, with just four kilometers to go, Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) – the lone survivor of the day's escape, were leading with a 1:20 gap, while the elite group was shattered as a result of Astana's hard tempo and of the slippery roads which led to many riders crashing out of the race.

 

Lying in 10th overall at the start of the day, which took the peloton from Albertville – the site of the 1992 Winter Olympics – to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc (146 kilometers), Martin made it safely over the wet roads and punishing climbs, tackling in good condition the final ascent, which was returning to the Tour de France after a 26-year hiatus. The surge he put in helped him open a gap on the chasers, who reacted only after seeing the Irishman's advantage was increasing at the 3km to go mark.

 

Caught by a small group driven by Movistar, the Etixx – Quick-Step rider didn't wave the flag and sticked with the others, who were going full gas in order to distance race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky). Martin crossed the finish line in seventh place, 36 seconds behind stage winner Romain Bardet, and at the end of the day saw his efforts pay off, as he gained a place in the general classification ahead of the race's final mountain test (Megève – Morzine).

 

"Some riders crashing in front of me and I was a bit more careful, but the Specialized tires are the best in the world, so I didn't have problems and wasn't nervous on that dangerous descent. I stayed relaxed all day, the guys helped me the best way they could and I had strong legs. I knew Bardet was up the road and and that's why I decided to attack. I felt I could go for the stage win, especially as I didn't think there was an interest in chasing me. Still, despite being caught, I'm glad I had this go", Martin explained his surge, the first to come on Le Bettex from the favourites' group.

 

Asked by the media about the feelings he has after 19 days of racing and his place in the general classification, 29-year-old Martin made a short analysis of his race, underlining that all that has happened gives so far him an extra boost of confidence for the future:

 

"The time I've lost comes down to experience, which is something you get with learning. I'm definitely one of the best guys on the climbs here in the race, so in the winter I will work more on my time trial, because I saw that I can fight for a good overall in the Tour de France."

 

Chris Froome: It could have gone either way with that crash

Chris Froome battled through a dramatic stage 19 at the Tour de France to retain the yellow jersey after crashing 10km from the line.

 

The race leader slipped off on a treacherous wet descent ahead of the final climb and had to take Geraint Thomas' bike, yet battled back to the GC group to come home ninth, just a few seconds down on his key rivals.

 

Froome came in 36 seconds back on Bardet, flanked by teammate Wout Poels, who produced a stunning effort on the first category Le Bettex to nurse his team leader home.

 

And, despite finishing ninth, Froome actually extended his yellow jersey advantage to four minutes and 11 seconds, after Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) both lost time and dropped out of the top three.

 

A relieved Froome talked through the crash after the stage, and praised the fantastic work of his teammates who got him to the line.

 

"I think that I hit one of the white lines on the road and lost my front wheel.

 

"I'm okay. I'm lucky nothing is seriously injured, I just lost a bit of skin obviously and banged my knee a bit but today is a day when I’m grateful for that four-minute advantage to fall back on a bit. It was great for me to have teammates all the way up until the finish there with Wout in particular and all the guys. It was a great team effort and it feels great to be one day closer to Paris.

 

"Today showed exactly why ... A crash like that could have gone either way and I’m grateful that nothing is injured.

 

"There's never a quiet day at the Tour! It's ironic really. I was just trying to stay up front, safe and out of trouble. I think I just hit one of the white lines on the road and lost my front wheel.

 

It briefly looked as though Froome would take a spare bike from the team car before the climb, but in the end he rode Thomas' bike to the finish.

 

He added: "I finished on Geraint Thomas' bike. I knew the car was quite far back and mine wasn't rideable after the crash. Thanks a lot to Geraint for his bike! I rode that to the finish and it was all right.

 

"Tomorrow is going to be really hard. I'm sure I'm going to be a bit sore and stiff after today. But hopefully I can rely on my teammates for one last push to get through the stage."

 

“Chris finished the stage as best he could. He was with the best, so it's not dramatic. The only thing that is a bit worrying is that after a crash, he is usually not 100%. It proves that the Tour is not won until the last meter. With the rain, we had to be vigilant. Finally it was not too bad since he is now even further ahead of the runner-up than yesterday,” sports director Nicolas Portal said.

 

"We didn't have television pictures but I know he switched bikes with G because they have more or less the same measurements. We were a long way back with the car. We thought we might have time to get up to Chris and give him a new bike before the final climb, but it wasn't possible so he did the whole climb on G's bike. It wasn't quite the same set-up in terms of handlebars and so on, but he was able to go up the climb on it. I spoke with him on the radio to see if he wanted a change of bike, but it was difficult to communicate.

"It's the same for any rider in the yellow jersey at the Tour a couple of days from the Champs. There's always the risk of a bad crash or a mechanical problem, and like today, it wasn't possible to get him a spare bike. There were lots of crashes today for a lot of riders. These are things that you can't plan, and that's part of the beauty of our sport."

 

Geraint Thomas added:

 

"I could see Froome on the front and he was saying chill on the radio but he doesn’t do chill, does he?All of a sudden he’s on the floor and going ‘I need a bike, I need a bike,’ so I gave him mine. Then I waited for the team car although they did drive past me. I wasn’t going to run to the finish but luckly they stopped a few hundred meters laters and I got on this, and that was that."

 

Wout Poels: I was amazed how long Froome could keep up with us

"My power-meter was not working anymore so I had to go on feeling," Poels told Cyclingnews and NOS. "I was always looking and I could see a little bit in his face how he was, so I tried to make the pace not too hard but also not too slow. It worked pretty well."

 

"You're always afraid when he crashes, you never know what injury he might have but I think he was ok. He had scratches on his back. I think in the end, if he makes a good night, with the physio and everything, he should be ok for tomorrow. One more day of fighting and hopefully he should be ok."

 

"Fortunately, he gets yet another yellow jersey. Falling is never good but he managed to get back on the bike of our teammate Geraint Thomas. He has not lost much time. It was a little stressful, but fortunately we could limit the damage

 

"I was amazed how long he could keep up. If he goes to bed tonight, he can do it again tomorrow.”

 

Richie Porte: It was so slippery that it was difficult to attack

Stage 19 of the Tour de France saw a crash-marred day in the mountains, with Richie Porte crossing the line in 10th place and moving up to fifth on the General Classification.

 

Marcus Burghardt and Amaël Moinard made it in the day’s breakaway of 20 riders which proved crucial for Porte in the final 50km of racing.

 

The breakaway started to disperse on the Montée de Bisanne as heavy rain started to fall, making for slippery conditions and causing multiple crashes.

 

Porte crashed with 25km to go and chased hard, thanks to Damiano Caruso, Michael Schär, Amaël Moinard and Greg Van Avermaet, to return to the yellow jersey group before the final summit.

 

Caruso put in a stellar effort on the climb to deliver Porte to the front of the group with 3km to go, from which point Porte attacked. It was a tough battle of the General Classification contenders, multiple of whom who had crashed, and Porte eventually rolled across the line just under a minute back from solo winner Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale).

 

The battle for the podium comes down to the final day in the mountains on stage 20, which includes four category climbs and a descent into the finish in Morzine.

 

Richie Porte said:

 

“I left a bit of skin out on the second descent. I just crashed in the descent, quite a lot of guys did, but I think I was the first one down. I think it’s just a bit of skin missing, it’s one of those things.

 

“It was such a hard day and it was a mess out there in the final. I think everybody came down. But I think I worked well with what I had and tomorrow’s another day. Today, even up hill around the corners, it was a bit slippery, so we’ll see how tomorrow pans out. I gave it my all today.

 

“The team were just amazing out there. The way they brought me back to the group after the crash and their work on the climbs was phenomenal.

 

“And then on the climb, they also did a lot of work. It was so slippery that you couldn't really attack. When I did try to attack my tyres were slipping, so I tried to ride my tempo and hope that I cracked a few but it didn't quite work out.

 

"I think it's going to be hard for me now. I've had my ups and downs here but for next year I can take away quite a bit of confidence."

 

Damiano Caruso added:

 

“The final was really good for me. I was happy with my work for Richie. At the end we lost some time, just some seconds, but tomorrow we will try again. The Tour de France is not over yet.”

 

Yvon Ledanois, Sports Director, said:

 

“I am so proud of the way the team worked today around Richie. To say they were incredible is the absolute truth. Tomorrow is another day and as we saw today, anything can happen out there. Rain is forecast again which means it will be another hectic stage. We are ready for one last fight to get Richie on the podium.”

 

Mechanical costs Adam Yates Tour de France podium

A wet and difficult stage 19 of the Tour de France saw White Jersey Adam Yatescross the line in 13th place for ORICA-BikeExchange moving to fourth on the general classification after fighting hard through an attack and crash laden finale.

 

Yates still leads the best young rider category after giving absolutely everything as the attacks flew on the tough summit finish of today’s 146kilometre mountain stage that saw an almost complete shake up of the overall top ten.

 

Needing a bike change on the approach to the last two climbs Yates was paced back to the favourites group by ORICA-BikeExchange teammates before South AfricanDaryl Impey took up the tempo at the front and stayed with Yates until ten kilometres to go.

 

Romain Bardet (AG2R) won the stage from a late attack and moved into second place on the general classfication with Nairo Quintana (Movistar) eleven seconds ahead of Yates in third ahead of tomorrow’s stage 20.

 

“I lost some time today but it was definitely the hardest day of the last three weeks,” said Yates. “I think it was still a good performance, we are eleven seconds off third place and if an opportunity comes along to reclaim those seconds and get on the podium then certainly I will try to take it.

 

“Like I’ve said throughout we’ve been racing day to day and the team have been fantastic the way we have competed every day, obviously I’m tired now but we will see what happens tomorrow.

 

“I started to struggle in the Montée de Bisanne. I managed to come across but I couldn't follow at the end so I lost a bit of time. It's my first bad day at the Tour de France, so I can be satisfied. I didn't come to the race for riding GC and I'm fourth overall with the white jersey on my shoulders. It's not that bad. Now I have to keep it until Paris. I know I've lost a bit to Meintjes but I have to hang on for one more day.

 

“It was a bit of a tough one. It was all good until I had to change bikes.  I had a mechanical; I was having a couple of issues with my gears. It happened at a critical moment where you had to be in the front, and you had to be in a good position.

 

“I spent a lot of energy getting back to the front and obviously we had the big climb, the longest climb of the day straight afterwards. Maybe it was energy that I could have used in the final to not lose these seconds, but it is what it is.

 

“Maybe I am a little disappointed but at the end of the day I’m still in a good situation. This is the Tour de France; this is the first bad day that I’ve had in the Tour de France so far. This is just the beginning; I’m still 23. It’s only my second Tour de France so we can still be satisfied with fourth.

 

“Tomorrow isn’t a mountaintop finish it’s a descent finish, so we’ll see what happens. I’m pretty tired now, not just me but everyone so it’s just one more day to fight.

 

“We don’t give up, but it’s not too easy after three weeks of racing hard. This is the Tour de France, it’s the hardest race in the world. It’s only my second attempt. I wasn’t supposed to ride GC in the first place. We’re fourth with one day to go so we can be satisfied with that no matter what we get tomorrow.”

 

"I acknowledge that this was my worst day in three weeks. I am not inconsistent. I'm still young, this is the Tour and we have been ridingfor almost three weeks. Today was very hard,.

 

"It remains to be seen what I can achieve. I am now fourth in the standings. Even though that's not the best situation I can still be happy here, and there is one day left for me to fight for the podium. Saturday will again have bad weather. It is a strange race. As you saw today the rain can make another race. I'm not very far from the podium, I will not give up like that. I still have a chance. 

 

Sport director Matt White reiterated that the race is not over yet and there is another epic mountain stage to contend with tomorrow.

 

“For sure it was a hard stage today,” said White. “Everyone is tired and that’s normal at towards the end of the Tour de France, but there is still a way to go and the race is far from over.

 

“It’s going to come down to the last hour of racing on tomorrows stage and I’m sure it will be a spectacular finale, we saw that the change in weather conditions played a part today and there are heavy storms predicted for tomorrow too.

 

“A lot will depend on who recovers well from today, there were quite a few guys involved in crashes and tiredness will no doubt be a factor, either way it’s going to be an exciting stage.”

 

Warren Barguil: My aim was to follow as long as possible

After a fast start a large breakaway group of 20 riders went clear including Laurens ten Dam for Giant-Alpecin.

 

With 50km to the go, Tom Dumoulin was involved in a crash and as a result has now abandoned this year’s Tour de France with a broken radius.

 

Warren Barguil climbed to a strong 14th position.

 

Warren Barguil said: “In the finale, with the wet roads there was no point in taking any unnecessary risks and everything went well for me during the descent. I didn’t need to attack, my aim was to follow the GC group and to hold on as long as possible.

 

“Romain did a great job on the final climb, it is cycling just the way we like it. It’s very beautiful what he did today and he deserved his victory.”

 

Coach Marc Reef added: “At the start, there was a breakaway of 20 riders with Laurens being part of it. However, the front group never got more than four minutes as the peloton was controlled by Astana and Katusha.

 

“With 50km remaining, Tom suddenly crashed in the bunch at high speed. A rider quickly moved in front of him and he crashed over the wheel. Tom felt immediately that he was in pain. He tried to continue but unfortunately he had to stop.

 

“For the rest of the race, the break was caught back by the first bunch with Warren still in there. He was able to follow the GC group until the last 4km then he took his own pace, to finish in 14th position.”

 

Rafal Majka proud to win his second mountains jersey at the Tour de France

After days of sunshine and intense heat, storms of wind and rain whipped the peloton on today’s stage. If the parcours itself wasn’t hard enough – a 146km stage with four categorised climbs – the weather was bound to demoralise the riders and make a hard day in the saddle even harder. Riding in the break for the third successive road stage, Rafal Majka confirmed his position as King of the Mountains taking points on the first three climbs of the day and is set to carry the jersey into Paris on Sunday.

 

The next two stages would be pivotal for the Polish national road champion, and from the start Rafal Majka went on the attack to claim as many points as possible in the mountains contest. In the breakaway, and quickly building an advantage on the peloton, Majka was joined by Robert Kiserlovski to ensure he was supported on the climbs to take as many points as possible. The large group included his main rival in the KOM contest Thomas De Gendt and so it was essential that the Tinkoff riders took control. Pushing hard and setting a fast pace, Kiserlovski forced several of the break to drop out, unable to maintain the high speed of the Croatian rider.

When Majka saw the break forming and his main rival for the climbers’ jersey escaping, he knew he had to go with him.

 

“Mathematically I knew I had to go when I saw De Gendt go in the break. He took the first two so before the last climb we went a bit faster and I took the points there. Robert gave me a lot of help today and my teammates supported me in the earlier stages.”

 

Taking points on the first two climbs, and the full set on the Hors Catégorie climb, Majka cemented his position as King of the Mountains, and while there is still one mountain stage to race, it was confirmed that his lead in the contest was insurmountable.

 

Majka had nothing but praise for the entire team after his successes in the race.

 

“We have a great team in Tinkoff and we’re so happy to have two jerseys. It’s our way of saying thank you to Oleg Tinkov for all his support. We’ve had some great results in the race and I’ve come in the top three myself a few times. I’m happy because we fought for two jerseys – the Polka Dot Jersey for me and the Green for Peter, and in the end even with the bad luck early in the race, we should have two jerseys in Paris. Without Alberto we were still able to ride a good race, but we needed to fight and we fought hard.”

After taking the points on the climb and a hard effort in the break for a third road stage, the weather took a turn for the worse and the roads became slippery and treacherous. Opting to stay safe than jeopardise his jersey by crashing, the Polish national road champion dropped back to the chasing peloton, his and Kiserlovski’s work done for the day. After working so hard for the jersey, the Polish rider wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardise it now.

 

“When it started to rain, normally in the mountains it’s nice weather, but at the end it was slippery and I saw a lot of crashes and I didn’t want to risk it, so went easy behind and followed the bunch on the last climb. I saw Nibali and Froome go down and I just wanted to go easy and not crash. I crashed ten days ago and know how much it hurts so I just took it easy. I was tired from the break too and had expended a lot of energy.

 

“I'm very happy because we fought as a team to conquer two jerseys, the polka dot for me and the green for Sagan. Today we're assured of winning them, it's a relief. The race has become very stressful as soon as it started raining. The road must have been dry for a long time and it became very slippery and dangerous.”

 

With several riders crashing, including the yellow jersey, attention turned to the GC race, where Roman Kreuziger was riding with the peloton and the favourites. The Czech national road champion had pushed hard throughout the stage, staying in touch with the GC riders on every climb of the day, but as the pace rose and more and more dropped off the yellow jersey group, so too did Kreuziger, with just a few kilometres still to race.

 

From the finish, Sport Director, Steven De Jongh was pleased with Majka’s strong performance confirming his place as King of the Mountains, but in spite of his best efforts, Kreuziger had suffered.

 

“Another strong ride by Rafa today, and he secured the polka dot jersey which is great. On the other side, Roman wasn't having a good day, and wasn't feeling good from start, so he lost time today. The other guys were ok, it was a really tough day, but no crashes for us luckily which is good and we will go to Paris with the Green and Polka Dot jerseys which is nice.”

Looking back on the race and his season, Majka had every reason to be happy.

 

“I’m happy with my performance. Today I felt good and won the last climb and took the jersey for Paris. I wanted to take the points to close the jersey contest so we could take both Green and the Polka Dot to Paris. Maybe I didn’t win a stage but I’m happy with my performance. After taking the top five in the Giro and now the Polka Dot jersey, it’s been a great season.”

 

It’s another hard day’s riding in the mountains tomorrow, with only one stage before the traditional procession into Paris for the race’s finale on Sunday. At 146.5km – similar to today’s stage – it’s another fairly short stage, but what the day lacks in distance, it makes up for with climbing. Four categorised climbs dot the stage, with the Hors Catégorie Col de Joux Plane the final climb of the Tour before a descent into Morzine. 11.6km long with ramps of up to 11.5% in the middle section, De Jongh knew it was going to be another hard ride.

 

“It was a tough day in the office today and we have another tough day tomorrow. We have to see how the legs are tomorrow - there's a tough start with an early climb. There are still some big teams without a stage win and they will probably want to go for it so we could see a big group go again.”

 

Disappointed Bauke Mollema: My GC is gone

After 18 stages of magnificent racing, everything unraveled in a few kilometers for Trek-Segafredo and Bauke Mollema at the end of stage 19.

 

It all began with an unfortunate mishap at the worst possible moment when Mollema, sitting in second position, slid out in a wet, slick corner in the descent ahead of the finish climb. As the rest of the GC rivals sailed by, Haimar Zubeldia and Pete Stetina waited and then led the chase.

 

However, a few corners later another crash had three riders splayed on the tarmac, delaying them further. The rain had made the roads ice-like. There was carnage everywhere.

 

Stetina, Zubeldia, and Mollema picked their way through the fallen riders and continued the pursuit until three corners later Zubeldia overshot a turn, leaving Stetina the only man to pull Mollema back to the yellow jersey group.

 

Stetina chased furiously with Mollema on his wheel and closed the deficit to around 20 seconds at the base of the 9.8-kilometer climb, but there was no easing into the uphill. The first two kilometers were brutally steep.

 

"I was in second position of the peloton as there was a really tricky part coming up," explained Mollema. "I felt good in the descent, and I followed Chérel of AG2R and then my front wheel slid away, and I was on the ground. I was quite fast back on my bike, and then this tricky part was coming up – the same as we did in the TT yesterday – with a lot of corners and there was another crash in front of me…

 

"At the bottom, it had split into groups, and we were behind with a gap. Pete pulled on the flat before the climb, but I started with 20 seconds behind the first group, and so I tried to come back quickly. I knew I had to come back there or otherwise it will be more difficult, so I tried to close it as fast as possible. I couldn't close it, and then I just exploded.

 

"I think it's not too bad, just a hip and an elbow. I think the GC is gone. Yeah, I am still 10th, but that was not the goal for these last days.

 

 "It was raining, but I was confident that I would make the descent well but suddenly, in one corner, I slipped away and went down. 

 

“On the climb I rode really very hard but it was hard and I blew myself up in that steep part. I could not even Pantano follow Pantano.

 

"This really sucks, I fucked up, this is my own fault. I lose four minutes, I can forget the podium and that's my fault. Today it's an absolutely bad day."

 

Mollema was one of many victims of the treacherous roads, a result of rain that began to fall in the late stages of the 146-kilometer stage. Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) crashed earlier in the descent while leading the race, ending his attempt for a stage win, and later the yellow jersey of Chris Froome (Sky) also slid out.

 

While Stetina did his best to lead Mollema back to the GC contenders, he could do little against the Astana team, who were feverishly pulling the group ahead. It was a dire situation that quickly went from bad to worse.

 

Stetina said: 

 

"I came around a bend and saw Mollema just getting up from the crash. There were guys panicking all over. It was a slick descent from the paint on the roads from the time trial yesterday; it was pretty bad. We were slipping and sliding in every corner.

 

"So we tried to limit our losses, and I made sure Bauke stayed with me, but he seemed a little bit nervous after his fall. We got to the bottom and we had a gap and Astana was still drilling it. It was code red. We pulled the emergency cord.

 

"I went full gas for the two kilometers from the descent to the start of the climb with him on my wheel and swung off. It looked like I almost got him back, but I think he started the climb a little bit in the red already. It was just the worst time to crash, and we got caught out."

 

Mollema never saw the yellow jersey group again. By the finish, he had lost four minutes and slipped from second to tenth, the dream of a podium gone.

 

Emanuel Buchmann close to the top 20 after aggressive ride in the Alps

Emanuel Buchmann from BORA – ARGON 18 followed the plan he already had in mind two days ago and attacked with 20 other riders on the first climb. On the Montèe de Bisanne, a climb of the highest category, he was in trouble but kept his own rhythm and came back several times. In the last 2km he finally had to accept to be dropped.

 

Buchmann spent a lot of energy in his break but still climbed well to the finish. He crossed the line in 24th at 4’42’’ behind the stage winner. In the GC he is still in 21st place, less than one minute behind his goal, the top 20.

 

“Today you had to be lucky not to crash. On the last climb my wheel slipped because of the bad grip. In the morning my plan was to go in the break today, this worked out well. But the peloton didn’t let us go far away enough even we pushed hard, therefore we were caught after the penultimate climb. Before the stage you never know what the best tactics are, today it would have been better to stay in the peloton with Froome. Tomorrow is another day, the last mountain stage, and I have to see how my legs will be because today was really hard for me,” said Emanuel Buchmann.

 

Thomas De Gendt: I felt immediately that I couldn’t win

Thomas De Gendt was in the break.

 

"That was the plan from the start," he told Sporza. "With such a start, the best riders always go away. I set a good pace with Tony Gallopin in my wheel. I felt fine and the pace was more than decent. I felt good, but on the long climb my light went out. This can happen after nineteen days.

 

“I immediately noticed that it would not be for the victory. Still, I tried to stay ahead and score points to secure my second place in the mountains classification. On that climb I just let them go. Tomorrow awaits a long stage.

 

"It was clear that the leaders would not make it to the end and so I just sat up. Tomorrow is another day.

 

"I remained calm in the descent, but I can imagine that it can be dangerous at high speed. The asphalt was full of paintings from the TT. That is quite slippery when it is wet. I could tell that it was slippery, because I caught a few riders who had gone to the ground. There were two riders from FDJ. Those two then passed behind a car which was not nice.”

 

 

Disappointed Pierre Rolland: I was beginning to find new life

Pierre Rolland crashed while leading stage 19. Part of the early breakaway, he had attacked with Rui Costa on the descent off the penultimate climb. The duo immediately opened a gap. He lost his front wheel going through a corner and slid across the road and into a field. Despite the damage, he managed to get back up and riding fairly quickly.

 

He said:

 

"I was beginning to find new life on this Tour after my crash on the Tourmalet and then with the wet roads I slid in a curve and I didn't have the time to brake. Both wheels went sliding. It took me a while to stand up because I was stunned. Afterwards, I got back to my senses. Now the goal is to go all the way to Paris."

 

Tom-Jelte Slagter was further back and eventually came to the finish with the gruppetto. While he managed to keep it upright today, he was unsurprised by the number of falls among those racing for the stage or the overall. He said:

 

"I was in the grupetto. You’re going down not on the limit and even then it was slippery and we really felt we had to be very careful. I saw a lot of scratches and oil on the road. It’s not surprising what happened."

 

FDJ duo crash hard on dangerous descent at the Tour

The FDJ team was very afraid at the end of the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France. Sebastien Reichenbacj and Steve Morabito crash together in a descent made very slippery by rain. Both managed to reach the finish and the former remains in the Top 15 of the Tour (14th).

 

"I can tell you we were very afraid,” said sports director Yvon Madiot. “The descent was an ice rink, there were many crashes. Steve and Sebastian crashed together on the same side and have hurt the same knee. Sebastian walked away but stopped twice so the pain was intense. The second time I thought he was going to abandon but the boy is strong, he went back and finished, just like Steve. At the finish, he seemed really sore.

 

Until then, everything had gone well. Initially, they expected the break to be caught so they stayed with Reichenbach.

 

"Sebastian had crested the summit of the penultimate climb in the first 10-15 of the peloton and Steve had hung on at the back. Really, everything was going the way we wanted and we were determined to enjoy the race in the final ... It's a shame. 

 

”Tomorrow, for both of them, it will probably be a bit of survival mode because the pain may still be present but they are brave.”

 

Frustrated George Bennett in the break on Alpine stage

George Bennett of Team LottoNL-Jumbo rode an attacking race during the 19th stage of the Tour de France. Just after the start of the stage to Saint-Gervais-Mont Blanc, there a group made it clear with the New Zealander. The peloton didn’t let them go far and Romain Bardet (AG2R) won the 146-kilometre stage with a late attack.

 

"It sucks that we could not stay away, I had really good legs and everything went according to plan,” Bennett said.

 

“I ended up in a large leading group and we got away. Then you hear that Astana is leading the pack, and you know it will be difficult. If there is a team leading the chase you just make sure you go faster, eventually Astana would give it up."

 

Not everyone thought that way.

 

"The cooperation in the leading group was not good, I wanted to go faster but there were many complaints and few riders were not working. I really do not understand the riders attacking, because if we had worked together, we surely would’ve had a chance. "

 

"It's good to see Bennett go again in the escape,” added Sports Director Merijn Zeeman. “He wanted it very much and it's nice that he made it. He joined up with the best, but it was disappointing that the peloton did not let them go."

 

"When I was back in the group, I wanted to stay there as long as possible, but then I crashed and I was dropped,” Bennett said.

 

He fell over some other cyclists, but suffered no damage. He added, "Tomorrow we will try it again."

 

Dylan Groenewegen: I am not tired but they just climb so much faster

"Another tough is day behind us,” the team’s sprinter, Dylan Groenewegen explained. “It went pretty well today and we reached the goal. My legs hurt very much, but everyone feels their legs at this point in the race so you have to get over it.

 

"I'm not extremely tired, but it’s more like the others climb a lot faster. The other sprinters are struggling, too. At the start of the Tour, I was dropped a lot earlier and now I’m able to stay with the other sprinters.

 

"It’ll be another hard stage tomorrow, but then I can think about Paris. That's the big goal now."

 

Natnael Berhane on the attack at the Tour

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were hoping it would be another stage for the breakaway and so Natnael Berhane made sure he started on the front row. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) attacked from kilometer zero and Berhane was the first to respond.

 

The peloton let the break go almost immediately, meaning Berhane was clear along with 19 other riders. When the big GC teams decide it is their stage for the taking, there is very little the breakaway group can do. Berhane, along with most of the rest of the breakaway riders were caught either on the penultimate climb of the stage or during the wet descent to the final climb. 

 

The Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka riders all finished safely inside of the time limit, and ready to give tomorrow’s final tough Alpine stage another go.

 

Head of Performance Rolf Aldag said:
 

“The plan was to have someone in the breakaway and then hope that the main guys would not try to gain places in the general classification. Obviously with only two stages left, teams like Astana and others were keen on making it a very hard race. That is why the break never made it today. Natnael was in the break which was very good, and a good experience for him.

 

”We had some bad luck with Daniel Teklehaimanot crashing just before he made it back to the group. There was a lot of chaos in the final, with a lot of crashed on the last descent. It was the first time it had rained in a while so it was very slippery. We all got home safe which we are happy about and we look forward to doing something tomorrow again.”

 

Broken collarbone for Daniel Navarro

In the break for the 5th time since the start of the Tour, Daniel Navarro suffered a terrible stroke of fate: caught up in a crash, the Spanish climber has to abandon. He left the race with a broken collarbone.