Warren Barguil overcame a crash and finished 15th on the first mountaintop finish of this Tour de France. Christopher Froome won stage 10 and increased his lead in the general classification. With three 4th category climbs and the mountaintop finish on the horse category climb Col de Soudet, stage 10 was the first big day in the Pyrenees for the GC contenders.

Two riders went for the early break and spend their day in the front. After 85km Warren Barguil was involved, in which appeared to be a tough crash. After treatment from the doctor he could continue the race fortunately, as Ramon Sinkeldam assisted him in his chase back to the bunch.

On the final climb the two early escapees were caught back by the reduced bunch, which was led by Team Sky. At 8km from the finish Warren Barguil had to let go the GC group and rode his pace up the Col de Soudet.

With six kilometer to the top Christopher Froome (Team Sky) attacked and nobody had an answer, he powered to victory on stage 10 and increased his leading position in the general classification. 3’19” behind Froome, Warren Barguil came in at 15th and is back in the top-10 of the GC with a 9th place.

“I am disappointed that this crash happened on such an important day. In the feeding zone a rider in front of me threw his bottle away nonchalantly, which ended up in the middle of the bunch under my front wheel and I crashed. I have wounds on my hip and elbow, which are painful,” Warren Barguil said.

“I am thankful to my teammates and especially Ramon [Sinkeldam] who waited for me to bring me back to the bunch.

“In the first kilometer of the Col de Soudet I could get my rhythm pretty well. After that I suffered from my wounds and dropped from the group with the favorites. I am a tough guy so I will not give up easily. Despite the crash and the wounds I felt pretty good on the final climb, so I am satisfied about that.”

Coach Marc Reef added:

“After his crash Warren feared for the final climb because of his wounds. His teammates really helped him in the mental process of getting over this fear and supported him to the foot of the climb, where he did a great job and finished 15th.

“Other than wounds to mainly his hip and elbow, Warren [Barguil] is OK, fortunately. Although a crash like this is not ideal for his recovery process, as it consumes energy.”