The Tour de France podium hopes of the Frenchman Romain Bardet and American Tejay van Garderen suffered major blows Tuesday when they lost considerable ground in the 16th stage, won by Australian Michael Rogers.
Rogers gave his team their second stage win this year by powering away from a breakaway group in the 237.5-kilometre mountain trek from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon.
Vincenzo Nibali of Italy retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey ahead of Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, while France’s Thibaut Pinot, who was the strongest in the intimidating ascent to the Port de Bales, moved up to third at the expense of compatriot Bardet.
Bardet, who promised to blow the race open in the Pyrenees, was unable to sustain the pace in the climb and lost more than 1 minute, 40 seconds. Van Garderen also could not follow and lost more than three minutes, but Bardet’s teammate, Jean-Christophe Peraud, could not be shaken.
“I had good legs, I had to attack,” said Pinot, whose acceleration in the Port de Bales left behind his rivals. “I hope I can stay on the podium all the way to Paris.”
He holds the white jersey for the best Under 25 rider.
Nibali leads Valverde by 4:37 and Pinot by 5:06 ahead of two tough stages in the Pyrenees, with Peraud in fourth, 6:08 off the pace.
Bardet is 32 seconds farther back.
“This is tough to take in when you were looking to attack,” Bardet said. “But there are two stages left in the Pyrenees and I will be looking to attack tomorrow if I have the legs.”
Van Garderen now lies 9:25 behind Nibali.
“I did not have the legs, I felt a bit empty,” Van Garderen said. “I’m hoping I can bounce back.”
A 21-man breakaway took shape after about 60 kilometres and built a 12:30 gap that started to shrink when the group hit the first slopes of the ascent to the Port de Bales, a 11.7km climb at an average gradient of 7.7 per cent. Astana and Movistar set the tempo of the peloton in the climb while Rogers’s acceleration in the break reduced the group to seven men.
Rogers, Colombian Jose Serpa and Thomas Voeckler were on their own three kilometres from the summit. That is where Pinot’s teammate, Arnold Jeannesson, upped the pace in front of the yellow jersey group as Bardet dropped out.
Van Garderen was long gone already after Valverde’s team had set a devilish pace at the front. Pinot finished it off in the last kilometre, dropping Valverde, Peraud and even Nibali.
However, they all came back in the descent and worked together with several teammates who had been dropped from the morning’s breakaway.
Wednesday’s 17th stage is a brutal, 124.5km effort featuring four demanding climbs with a summit finish at Plat d’Adet.
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