Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) rode safely in the peloton on Saturday, finishing in the same time as his main competitors at the Tour de France as a large breakaway escaped and rode to the finish of stage fourteen to decide the stage among themselves.

The hills on Saturday were more significant than the nearly flat stage on Friday, but with 18 riders in a breakaway up the road, Fuglsang was under no pressure to exhaust himself. 

Fuglsang finished 7’17” behind stage winner Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), and remains in sixth place overall, 4’39” behind race leader Chris Froome (Sky). After the stage, Fuglsang looked ahead to Sunday’s stage and the Mont Ventoux. The Dane said he expected anything to happen on the long and steady climb to the summit finish.

"Tomorrow [Sunday] is Mont Ventoux and it [the stage] is 242km long. The pace will be very high, and we can expect to see the leader's team working at the front after 200km,” Fuglsang predicted on the Astana website. “I am usually good after that distance, but Mont Ventoux is long and hard and steady, and anything can happen. I will work to defend my sixth place, and maybe try for something more," Fuglsang said.

Astana Pro Team Director Sportif Dmitriy Sedoun said Sunday will be a test for the General Classification.

"Sunday is Bastille Day in France, a national holiday. There will be one million spectators on Mont Ventoux, and the climb will show us who has recovered the best among the race leaders. Friday was a very hard day, and even though Saturday was relatively easy for the peloton, we have been racing for 14 days now. The riders are tired and their bodies are at a point where any small mistakes or incorrect decisions can seriously influence the final results," Sedoun said.

Fuglsang has raced up Mont Ventoux once before in his career, in the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2009. On that occasion he finished second behind Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde.