The Tour de France entered its last week this Tuesday, heading towards Nîmes. In stage 16, the expected bunch sprint did take place. Jasper Philipsen claimed his third win while the Groupama-FDJ cycling team finished safely and was already thinking about the next two stages.
As it took on the final week of the Tour following the second rest day, the riders did not have to struggle on Tuesday in the south of France. Although Stefan Küng tested the bunch’s intentions from kilometre 0, ultimately no one wanted to engage in an attacking attempt on a 188-kilometer, flat stage made for the sprinters. The peloton therefore remained as one and rode at a quite easy pace until the intermediate sprint, after which Thomas Gachignard decided to make a solo breakaway. The Frenchman was obviously caught, twenty-five kilometres from the finish, while nervousness was only beginning to appear in the pack. “We expected a livelier stage, particularly because of the wind in this region,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. “In the end, it was much calmer than expected, and there was much less wind than expected in the final. It was a real transition day. Yet another one.”
“We’ll give everything”, Benoît Vaugrenard
The last, also, since the sprinters shouldn’t have any chance in the remaining days of racing. On Tuesday, Jasper Philipsen won the last battle at high speed. Clément Russo got involved in the mix again and slipped into sixteenth position. The rest of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team joined the finish safely while the real goals are now looming. “Tomorrow and Thursday, we’ve got nice stages where the breakaway can make it,” added Benoît. “We will give everything to put as many riders as possible in front. Tomorrow, the last thirty kilometres are really hard, so we will also have to put good climbers at the front. It’s up to us to make sure that happens.” The Col Bayard (7km at 7%) and the Col du Noyer (7.6 km at 8%) will be on the menu before the final towards Superdévoluy (4km at 5.7%).
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