Nibali Tastes TDF Stage Success In La Toussuire

25 July 2015 10:08

Vincenzo Nibali of Astana has won stage nineteen of the 102nd Tour De France.

Another day in the Alps and a stage of four climbs, a hors category of the Col de la Croix de Fer, two category one climbs and one category two plus an intermediate sprint were lined up for the riders on a 138km stage from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to the mountain resort in the Savole department of La Toussuire-Les Sybelles.

Straight away, the riders started on the Category One climb Col du Chaussy which had a 15,4km climb with average gradients of 6.3% and ten riders formed a break before this group swelled to twenty four riders in Michele Scarponi and Lieuwe Westra (Astana), JC Péraud (AG2R-La Mondiale), Alexandre Geniez (FDJ), Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo), José Herrada and Adriano Malori (Movistar), Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Joaquim Rodriguez, Damiano Caruso and Alberto Losada (Katusha), Pierre Rolland, Cyril Gautier and Romain Sicard (Europcar), Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Ruben Plaza (Lampre-Merida), Andrew Talansky, Dan Martin and Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Garmin), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling), Emmanuel Buchmann and Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18) and Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN-Qhubeka).

Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali attacked out of Chris Froome’s yellow jersey group and got into the front group to be fourth over the Col du Chaussy which was taken by KOM leader Joaquim Rodriquez of Katusha. Before Froome came up to join those on the front, along with Geraint Thomas.

On the descent and stage eighteen winner Romain Bardet of AG2R and Rigoberto Uran were able to sneak away and put thirty seconds between themselves and the yellow jersey group.

Bardet and Uran were reeled in and Pierre Rolland got twenty seconds clear before the front group split into two.

Peter Sagan, in the Green Points jersey got himself up to the chasing group but he was not able to get any points in the intermediate sprint at Epierre which came with 96kms left.

Cyril Gautier of Europcar led the front group over the line some 1.40 ahead of Froome and Sagan’s group.

After Tinkoff Saxo’s Michael Valgren abandoned, a lead group of twenty two riders in Daniel Teklehaimanot of MTN Qhubeka, Tanel Kangert (Astana), Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale), Roman Kreuziger and Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo), José Herrada and Malori (Movistar), Tony Gallopin and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Losada (Katusha), Rigoberto Uran (Etixx), Pierre Rolland, Cyril Gautier and Romain Sicard (Europcar), Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Ruben Plaza (Lampre-Merida), Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Garmin), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Stef Clement and Jarlinson Pantano (IAM) and Steve Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka), took a 2.20 lead over the peloton.

Through the feedzone and there was another crash with Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal hitting the deck. Thankfully, he was able to get back on a bike and carry on and join the lead group who had waited for him.

Onto the 2,867m Col de la Croix de Fer climb which was 22.4kms long and the lead group which had dropped Tim Wellens and Tony Gallopin were 2.12 ahead.

Pantano and Alberto Losada were also dropped leaving eighteen up front.

Pierre Rolland put in another attack and was 3.13 ahead of the peloton which saw Froome riding with Nibali, Contador, Valverde and Quintana but no team mates, some eight kilometres from the top of the climb and 1.45 ahead of the chasing group.

Froome slipped a chain but was able to get straight back into his group but Nibali was on the attack trying to bring back Rolland who took the twenty five points for being first over the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Nibali was second over the climb some 1.06 behind Rolland with Bardet leading Froome’s group over 156 down.

On the descent on the D926 road which was 14kms long and Nibali was able to reduce Rolland’s lead to 22 seconds as they started on the category two Col du Mollard climb which has gradients of 6.8%.

With just over thirty five kilometres remaining, Rolland took the five points on the climb but Nibali, the better descender, had him in view and as they started on the 14kms long descent, Nibali joined the Europcar rider and then after a brief chat, he took over the front running duties.

Romain Bardet of AG2R had been third over the climb but on the descent he suffered a mechanical as did Kreuziger of Tinkoff Saxo.

Nibali took a thirty two second lead as he started on the 18km climb up to the finish line at La Toussuire, which was a category one climb and double points for the winner.

Onto the D78 A and Nibali was on a 9% ramp whilst Rolland was back in Chris Froome’s group which were 2.20 further down the road.

With 5.1kms left, Nairo Quintana put in an attack and got twenty metres ahead of Chris Froome, who had shed Valverde and Contador.

Nibali was 1.18 ahead of Quintana and 1.31 ahead of Froome with three kilometres to go and two kilometres later, he sailed under the flam rouge and rode away to win in a time of 4.22.53 with Nairo Quintana 43 seconds down and Chris Froome in third, 1.13 down, followed by Pinot who was 2.25 down, Bardet, Valverde, Mollema and Gesink.

Chris Froome leads Nairo Quintana by 2.38 with Valverde 5:25 back, Nibali 6:44 down and Alberto Contador in fifth some 7:56 down, going into the penultimate stage which finishes on Alpe D’Huez.

Source: DSG