July 16/17 16:56 pm - Tour de France: Stage 15

Posted by Editoress on 07/16/17
 

Bauke Mollema Takes His First Tour de France Victory

Bauke Mollema waited for his seventh participation in the Tour de France to claim his first stage victory on Stage 15, one year after dropping down from the second place overall to 11th in the last two days in the mountains. Lined up as a domestique for Alberto Contador after finishing seventh in the Giro d'Italia, the 30 year old Dutchman from Trek-Segafredo soloed to victory after the grueling climb to Peyra Taillade. Hampered by a mechanical in a crucial moment of the race, Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey after chasing back to the other main contenders.

176 riders started stage 15 in Laissac-Sévérac L'Eglise, with Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) calling it a race soon after, as he was suffering from severe allergies. Ten riders made the first breakaway: Warren Barguil (Sunweb), Dylan Van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac), Robert Kiserlovski and Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin), Tsgabu Grmay (Bahrain-Merida), Giampaolo Caruso (BMC), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Marcus Burghardt (Boar-Hansgrohe), Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Soudal) and Angel Luis Maté (Cofidis). Barguil led the way up the first Category 1 climb of the day to score ten more points in the King of the Mountains competition. After the Montée de Naves d'Aubrac, at kilometre 28.5, Barguil, Van Baarle, Pauwels, Caruso and Grmay realized that an important group had been formed behind them, including stage 14 winner Michael Matthews (Sunweb).

After 60 kilometres of racing, while the peloton was cruising through the scenic Aubrac plateau, 28 riders went off the front: Jan Bakelants (AG2R-La Mondiale), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Damiano Caruso, Alessandro De Marchi, Amaël Moinard and Nicolas Roche (BMC), Kristjian Durasek and Diego Ulissi (UAE), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Tony Martin, Robert Kiserlovski, Maurits Lammertink (Katusha), Tiejs Benoot, Thomas De Gendt and Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Michael Matthews, Warren Barguil and Simon Geschke (Sunweb), Luis Angel Maté and Dani Navarro (Cofidis), Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), Lilian Calmejane and Romain Sicard (Direct Energie), Dylan Van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac), Tsgabu Grmay (Bahrain-Merida), Romain Hardy and Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fortuneo-Oscaro). Team Sky mostly led the peloton, with a deficit of five minutes.

The 28 leaders had an advantage of 5.45 with 100 kilometres remaining. A time gap of 7.15 was recorded with 75 kilometres to go. Martin tried his luck in a solo move 66 kilometres away from the finish while a maximum deficit of 9.15 was recorded for the main peloton. Before the first-ever ascent to Col de Peyra Taillade, Chris Froome had a mechanical. His team-mate Michal Kwiatkowski gave him his back wheel. The race leader eventually made it across to the Aru-Bardet group led by AG2R-La Mondiale but after a very demanding effort. Meanwhile, 3 kilometres before the summit, Barguil brought Martin back and continued to claim ten more KOM points at the top. A group of nine riders was formed with 30 kilometres to go. Mollema rode away solo five kilometres further on, attacking on the descent.

A chase group of Ulissi, Barguil, Gallopin and Roglic formed but Mollema managed to stay nineteen seconds clear of them at Le Puy-en-Velay. The race remained eventful till the end in the group of the favorites, as Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) and Louis Meintjes (UAE) attacked each other for the white jersey and Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) took advantage of the impossibility for Froome to ride after everyone. The main loser of the day among the big names was Nairo Quintana (Movistar) who completed the stage several minutes adrift after blowing up on the Col de Peyra Taillade.

The riders now have a rest day before tackling the final week of the Tour.

Results from the fifteenth stage in France

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Stage 4

Stage 5

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Stage 7

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Stage 9

Stage 10

Stage 11

Stage 12

Stage 13

Stage 14