Lennard Kämna has won the first Alpine stage in the Tour de France. The 24-year-old German was the strongest of a large leading group on Tuesday in the sixteenth stage and crossed the line solo in Villard-de-Lans. Primoz Roglic keeps the yellow.
Kämna gives his team BORA-hansgrohe the first stage victory this Tour. On Friday, the former Sunweb rider was already close, but at the top of Le Puy Mary he was then beaten by his fellow breakaway Daniel Felipe Martínez.
The classification riders kept calm until the 2.2 kilometer long final climb of the third category. The peloton was considerably thinned out, after which Tadej Pogacar and Miguel Ángel López tried in vain to take some seconds on Roglic in the sprint.
Tom Dumoulin was the only rider to move up to the top of the rankings. The Limburger rises at the expense of Nairo Quintana, who had to release in the final phase, from ten to nine. Roglic keeps a lead of forty seconds on Pogacar and 1.34 on Rigoberto Urán.
The toughest stages in the Alps will follow in the next two days. On Wednesday the finish is on the Col de la Loze of the hors category, a day later the riders will have to choose five serious climbs.
Refugees are given plenty of room in Alpen ride
Early on in the 164 kilometer stage it became clear that it would be a day for the attackers. In the first hour a leading group of fifteen riders was formed and later eight more men joined. Warren Barguil, fifteenth at more than half an hour from Roglic, as the best classified did not pose a serious threat.
Giro winner Richard Carapaz was also given the space to jump with his leader Egan Bernal from the top of the rankings after the loss of his leader Egan Bernal. Dylan van Baarle also tried it for a while, but was not in the right flight.
It turned out to be the right choice for INEOS Grenadiers, because already at 30 kilometers from the finish, when the toughest climbing was yet to begin, Bernal was released from the peloton. For a moment it seemed that the Colombian was going to get off, but after a short conversation at the team leader’s car, he drove on. Last year’s Tour winner did lose time again.
Kämna drives away solo, Roglic doesn’t budge
The leading group had already started with a lead of almost fifteen minutes on the Montée de Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte of the first category (11.1 km at 6.5%). Just before the top, Carapaz accelerated, but Kämna hooked up and drove off into the descent.
The German appealed to his time trial qualities and started with a reassuring lead on the not too difficult final climb (2.2 km at 6.5%). Carapaz finished in almost a minute and a half.
The classification riders did not interfere in the battle for the stage victory and only took action on the last climb. Roglic did not budge, however, and finished just behind López and Pogacar in the favorites group, almost 17 minutes after stage winner Kämna.
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