Geraint Thomas stays in charge at Tour de France as Primoz Roglic wins Stage 19

Dan Martin fourth for UAE Team Emirates and moves up to eighth in the overall standings

epa06914193 Team Lotto NL Jumbo rider Primoz Roglic of Slovenia celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 19th stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 200.5km between Lourdes and Laruns, France, 27 July 2018.  EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
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Britain's Geraint Thomas defended the Tour de France yellow jersey on Friday as Slovenian Primoz Roglic won the 19th stage on the final day in the mountains.

Thomas finished second on the stage at 19secs behind the Lotto-Jumbo rider after he had launched an impressive attack before the summit of the Col d'Aubisque.

Roglic, a former ski jumper, claimed his second stage win on the race to move up to third overall at 2min 24sec behind Thomas, who leads Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) by 2.05, and ahead of four-time champion Chris Froome.

UAE Team Emirates rider Dan Martin was fourth across the line in Friday's stage and the Irishman has moved up to eighth in the overall standings.

Martin said: " It was a group of very tired men trying to ride their bikes fast! The whole peloton is very tired after three weeks of racing.Roglic got away on the straight part of the downhill.

"I wanted to hang on to go for the stage victory, but it was a bit dodgy with the mist, but thats what makes the tour the tour."

Saturday's penultimate stage is a 31km individual time trial, with the race concluding on Sunday with a 116km stage that ends in Paris.

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