NIMES, France // Norway’s Alexander Kristoff claimed his second Tour de France victory when he won a bunched sprint to take Sunday’s 15th stage after the peloton reined in the breakaway group in the final straight.
New Zealand’s Jack Bauer, who broke clear with Swiss Martin Elminger, was caught by the chasing pack less than 100 metres from the line.
Bauer, who finished 10th after seeing the sprinters whizz past him, was in tears after his 222-kilometre effort came to nothing in the final stretch.
“I faked to be tired, but felt I had more punch left. I left it until 400 metres to go. I thought I had it,” Bauer said.
That’s when the peloton, with sprinters speeding at over 60 kph, blew past.
“I thought I had it, but then I realised in the last 50 metres, that I had nothing,” he said.
Bauer, like other riders in the Garmin-Sharp team, had his leash loosened after American Andrew Talansky, who had an outside chance of a podium finish before the start of the race, withdrew with back pains earlier this week.
Before Bauer could fight for the stage win, he had to jockey for a spot in the breakaway.
“A break is not just a group of people who are stronger than the other 180 riders and they just ride away. It’s a shuffle at the start of the stage, it’s a positioning thing, it’s a motivational thing after two hard days,” Bauer said.
“A lot of people wanted a sprint finish, but for us it was important. After losing Talansky and not really having many stages in the last week that suit, today was a day we wanted to gamble that a break would stay away. It was so close, but so far.”
Kristoff, who won the 12th stage on Thursday, won the race to the line as he edged Australian Heinrich Haussler and Slovakian Peter Sagan, who finished second and third, respectively.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali stayed safe in a bunched finish and retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey in an unchanged top 10.
“I thought it was a little bit too late. I thought I’d have to go for second, but I was relieved that we caught them,” Kristoff said.
“I was a bit surprised I could take the win today. Maybe they had heavier legs than me after the Alps.”
After two tough stages in the mountains, there was no respite for the peloton, who rode through storms and heavy rain in dim and dusky conditions.
With swirling winds that sometimes threatened to split the peloton, it made for a nervy day as the Tour prepares to enter its final week.
With a series of roundabouts making it hard for the sprinters’ teams to organise themselves in the finale, Bauer and Elmiger believed they could hold off the chasing pack.
But their hopes were dashed when the Giant-Shimano team, looking to set up Marcel Kittel, took control and upped the pace.
The German, who has won three stages in this year’s Tour, had nothing left in the tank after struggling in the Alps and took 11th place, while his compatriot Andre Greipel was fourth.
Greipel and Kittel are slightly heavier than Kristoff and struggled more with the long, demanding climbs of the Tour’s 13th and 14th stages.
Another German, time-trial specialist Tony Martin, tried his luck two kilometres from the finish, but his effort lacked conviction.
Kristoff, who won the Milan-San Remo classic this year, is now eyeing a win on the final day next Sunday in Paris.
“It would be hard to compete, but it would be great to win in Paris, but I have to beat extremely strong riders,” he said.
Monday is the second rest day of the Tour.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
