In one fell swoop the Tour loses Peter Sagan and possibly Mark Cavendish. Everything happens in the crowded sprint of Vittel where all the great sprinters of the Tour found themselves elbow to elbow to compete for the victory, in a dense and nervous traffic. disastrously causing even Degenkolb to crash: for the Tour jury a maneuver with a very high level of danger, also given the speed of the riders in the final rush, an impropriety first sanctioned with just a 30” penalty, then, after reviewing it in slow motion, even modified with the disqualification of the world champion.
Sagan's Tour ends in Vittel, which only 24 hours earlier had been celebrated and acclaimed for the spectacular victory on the Longwy finish line. He vanishes his dream of bringing his sixth green jersey to Paris, equaling Eric Zabel's record. Cavendish's Tour also risks ending up here, transported to the hospital to check the extent of the damage to his shoulder: whatever happens, the hunt for the record of Merckx's 34 stage victories becomes more complicated for the British sprinter. Yesterday in Vittel, Cavendish, risking his life as always, launching himself into a crazy comeback on Sagan, was looking for his 31st success in the Tour. It went badly for him.
The stage marked by repeated crashes was won by those who didn't fly to the ground: the quickest of all, in the sprint upset by the crime between Sagan and Cavendish, was Arnaud Demare, who preceded Kristoff and Greipel. Geraint Thomas also ended up on the ground with other riders in the tussle that broke out in the group in view of the finish line: fortunately for the Welshman, the tumble was without physical and classification consequences because it occurred within the final 3 km. The delay has been neutralized and the yellow jersey remains on his shoulders for the fourth consecutive day.
Today the Tour faces the first uphill finish at the Planche des Belles Filles. It will be the first test for whoever wants to win.
