Stage 15: Mende > Valence, 183km
It was a somewhat uneventful day in the grand scheme of stages on this years Tour. A massive break of 27 riders eventually emerged after the côte de Badaroux -- on which Mark Cavendish lost contact with the leading peloton for good, later put down as due to stomach issues -- and while it contained several big names, including yet again Peter Sagan, and was later whittled down to just 9 men, it was reeled in a long way before the finish setting up a rare day for the sprinters.
A rare day for the sprinters is more and more becoming a day for André Greipel and so it proved to be. Despite a late effort with 3.5km to go by Zdenek Stybar that seen him caught under the flame rouge, the German was too fast for the rest and won his third stage of this years Tour, reducing the deficit in the Green jersey contest from 61 points to 44. In getting into the days break Sagan had actually won yet another intermediate sprint, but that work was cancelled out when Greipel took maximum points on the line despite Sagan finishing fourth. A mighty effort by Sagan given he was in that break.
Sagan has been in staggering form in this Tour finishing in the top five on 10 of 15 stages including the team-time-trial. If you take away the individual time-trial and three Pyrenean stages, he's finished in the top five in all but one stage - the climb up the Mur de Huy. That's why he's in the Green jersey of course, though Greipel won't give it up without a fight. Given the kind of terrain coming up tomorrow and in the closing week, it's going to be extremely hard however for Greipel to overhaul Sagan and the Slovak will be looking to seal it all up before they reach the streets of Paris this time next week.
| Result: | Classement: |
| 1. Greipel (TLS) in 3h 56' 35" 2. Degenklob (TGA) 3. Kristoff (KAT) 4. Sagan (TCS) 5. Boasson Hagen (MTN) 6. Navardauskas (TCG) all s.t. | 1. Froome (SKY) in 59h 58' 54" 2. Quintana (MOV) +3' 10" 3. Van Garderen (BMC) +3' 32" 4. Valverde (MOV) +4' 02" 5. Contador (TSC) +4' 23" 6. Thomas (SKY) +4' 54" |
