The organizers have also put Gpm in the stage that from Saint-Etienne led to Brioude, but the big names interpreted it as a fraction of the transfer, deciding a kind of truce in hostilities and leaving the green light to 15 fugitives who were thus able to increase the advantage more and more without the group being too interested in it.
The only fight was that between the protagonists of the escape of the day, which also included runners of a certain fame, albeit very far from the top ranking: Roche, Stuyven, Impey, Benoot, Soler, Herrada, Naesen, Boasson-Hagen, just to name a few. There was a natural selection on the various ascents, until a couple formed by the South African Daryl Impey and the Belgian Tiesj Benoot formed on the last "cote", and fought for the win.
In the sprint he prevailed easily Impey, by Mitchelton Scott, which he caught in Brioude his first Tour win in which he had already had the joy of wearing the yellow jersey for two days, the first South African in history, in the 2013 edition when he rode for Chris Froome's Team Sky.
Behind the two, all the companions who had lost their way along the way to escape arrived in dribs and drabs, with various detachments. They had to pass more than 16 minutes to see the group of the best arrive with Thomas, Pinot, Bernal, Quintana and of course Alaphilippe who keeps the yellow jersey with 23” up ciccone, who remains the only Italian in the upper quarters of the standings after another debacle of Vincenzo Nibali, now slipped to 30th place almost 9 minutes behind Alaphilippe.
Once again yesterday the Shark let himself be slipped by the group of the best as soon as the climb became more severe, reaching the finish line 115th, over 19 minutes from Impey. A drift that seems intentional, that of Nibali, who by now out of the standings could take advantage of it to try to take a stage success, perhaps in the Pyrenees or the Alps, which would save his Tour, so far too anonymous for a champion like him.
