Jarlinson Pantano took the first ever Tour de France stage victory for IAM when he came out on top in a very hard stage 15 in the Jura Mountains. Having joined a 30-rider break in the beginning, he made it back to lone leader Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) on the final descent and easily beat the Pole in the sprint, with Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r) completing the podium. Sky controlled the attacks from Romain Bardet (Ag2r), Fabio Aru (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and so Chris Froome (Sky) retained the lead on a day when Tejay van Garderen (BMC) lost 1.28 and slipped to 8th in the GC.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Jarlinson Pantano: We are more Colombian climbers than Quintana and Chaves

Jarlinson Pantano has had the luxury of winning a stage in his second participation in the Tour de France, and gives Michel Thétaz, founder of the IAM Cycling team, an extremely prestigious victory.

 

“I have a lot of respect for Majka, but I was ready to realize my dream,” he said.  “On the final descent, I just let myself go, and I was able to bridge back up to Majka. Then I just remained calm, even into the last kilometer. I had good legs. I was not too worried when Majka launched his sprint; I dove into his slipstream without any trouble. I was even able to lift my arms some meters from the line, and really savor this success.  Even now, I am in the clouds.

 

 “I have to thank my team, my teammates, the staff and the sports manager who believed in me ever since last year, and told me that I have the qualities needed to win big races.

 

"It's an incredible day for me. I came to the Tour de France thinking I'd try to win a stage but to do it is difficult to believe. I'd hoped to do it but this is incredible. I want to thank my IAM teammates, who did a great job for me in the attack. I also want to thank my family, especially my wife, who have always supported me. This is a special day for me. I dedicate this victory to my wife and my team captain Mathias Frank who had to pull out because he was sick."

 

“It’s my second victory in Europe – the first came at the Tour de Suisse and now to win in the Tour gives me a lot of happiness.The Tour de France is the best race in the world. To make the podium is a dream come true. It's incredible.

 

The last climb has been extremely hard. Rafal Majka was going very strongly but I knew I had a chance to catch him downhill. That's what happened. When you have such an opportunity, you have to give it all. This is the most important win of my life, something I've always dreamt of.

 

“I was third at the Tour de l’Avenir that Quintana won, and after that I worked really hard and thankfully I got the opportunity to step up to the WorldTour and that changed my life.

 

“You learn to be more professional. This year is going better than last year, and it’s been about knowing how to ride at this level – that’s what’s made the difference. I’m really happy, I’ve worked hard, and I’m so pleased to have won today.

 

“There are more Colombian climbers than just Nairo [Quintana] and Esteban [Chaves]. I was third at the Tour de l'Avenir won by Nairo. My progression in professional cycling is a steady one. Since I entered the WorldTour two years ago, I've improved a lot. All the hard work and sacrifices pay off now.

 

“Like Nairo, I spend a lot of time in Colombia. I usually start my season at the Tour Down Under and I stay in Colombia until the Tour de Romandie. This year, I went to train where Nairo lives.

 

“Froome has proven to be very strong but he can have a bad day too and lose time. The Tour de France will finish in Paris. Froome has already won the Tour twice but Nairo is also very strong and I wouldn't consider now that he has already lost the race.

 

“The fact that the team is folding at the end of the year makes me sad because it’s the team that gave me the opportunity to turn pro in the WorldTour. But that’s life – everything that begins must come to an end, and I’m really happy, and it’s the perfect way to repay all they’ve done for me.

 

“I’m really happy. There are various propositions but we’ll have to wait until August to talk about which team I’ll be at next year.

 

Manager Rik Verbrugghe said:

 

 “When Majka was 20 seconds ahead, I told Pantano over the radio, “Pais…for Colombia!”

 

“This is a completely happy moment because we really did everything we could to win this stage. We have from the start of the Tour de France been in the breakaways because we knew there was basically no other way we would have a chance to win a stage. I am really happy for Jarlinson, but also for the entire team because we deserve it.”


 

Present in the team car along with Rik Verbrugghe and Kjell Carlström, following the man of the day, the founder of the IAM Cycling team Michel Thétaz spoke from the heart when congratulating his team.

 

“All victories this season have been very emotional for me, but this one has to be the peak. It gives me chills, and we are so happy for all the guys. They worked very hard and we are all thrilled. We dreamed of having success at the Tour de France for nearly three years.  The first two attempts we have to leave empty handed. So this year we really put everything together that we possibly could in order to reach our goal. This is the culmination of a dream come true.”

 

Sports director Kjell Carlstrom told Eurosport:

 

"We knew this stage was perfect for him. It was a hard stage from the beginning. Our plan was to put as many as possible in the breakaway because we knew it's a big chance that it goes to the finish. Jarlinson and Stef Clement and Jerome Coppel they made it. Jarlinson took it a little easy in the beginning, and then in the final part he was phenomenal. He did a great downhill and came back to the guys who went away on the climb. It's really nice.

 

"We just said to him that he needs to keep on fighting. We knew Majka would probably go away on the climb, so we said just keep him in sight. Then in the downhill he will make it back. He did exactly that. It was perfect. The stage of the Tour is always really important. It's really special for him, it's the first victory and a beautiful one.

 

Stef Clement: Pantano always said that he was not feeling good

"We have a double feeling,” Stef Clement told NOS. “We should be thankful for what Thetaz has done over the past four years. He has spent 50 million euros.

 

"’Keep it up, I'm proud of you’ he said when we were three in the front group and tried to play the right man. Jarlinson had initially said that he was not at his best. He tried all the time to shift responsibility. ‘You're the best’, he said, but I think he showed that he was not bacd.

 

"I'll find a team but especially for those young Swiss riders, this is bad. They will soon be unemployed. I take the Tour from day to day and try to get the best out of it. Top 25 is not the goal. I prefer to fight for the team to take a stage win. The Tour is successful. "

 

Rafal Majka: It’s not easy to go both for the stage win and the jersey

It was a day for the climbers today – or more accurately – for Rafal Majka. The Polish national road champion exploded the Polka Dot Jersey contest, taking points on every single climb, including the full 25 points on the Hors Catégorie Grand Colombier. Just beaten to the stage win, Majka took the Maillot à Pois and the day’s combativity prize, while Roman Kreuziger held on to 11th spot in the GC with a strong ride where he finished with the Yellow Jersey group.

 

Beginning the day 13 points off the jersey, Majka was on the hunt for points. While breaks attempted to get away at the start of the day, Majka measured his efforts and pushed ahead as the group was nearing the summit of the Col du Berthiand – taking all of the points on the top of the first category climb. This was a theme that was to continue for the rest of the stage, with Majka riding strong at the front, taking points on all of the day’s climbs. As part of a group that managed to extend a strong advantage on the peloton, the Polish national road champion was the holder of the polka dot jersey on the road, scoring enough points to take the lead in the classification.

 

Nearing the top of the Grand Colombier, Majka went off the front with Zakarin and worked hard to take maximum points on the summit. Leading the peloton by a little over eight minutes, Majka took all of the points at the top, before beginning the tricky descent leading to the Lacets du Grand Colombier. The Lacets were relentlessly steep, with their stunning hairpin bends bringing little respite from the hard climb – but in spite of the difficulty, his duo still led the peloton by 6’30”. His blistering saw Pantano struggling to hold on, before taking more points at the top – this time solo – before beginning the descent to the finish.

 

After dominating the stage, it was down to two riders to contest the stage win, having been joined by Pantano on the descent of the Lacets du Grand Colombier. While Majka was strong, his companion had fresher legs and just beat him to the line. In spite of this, he pulled on the Maillot à Pois and took the day’s combativity prize.

 

Majka gave it his all today, and gave an insight into his ride from the finish line.

 

“I'm happy with my performance today - it's not easy to take the KOM jersey and win the stage. I wanted to take everything but in the end I didn't want to take too much risk in the descent – I crashed four days ago and am still suffering a bit in my arms with the vibrations in the road. I almost made a mistake because I went too fast. But I avoided the crash and then stayed safe. I knew Pantano would be quick at the finish, but still I'm happy with my race today. In the end I'm second and I take the jersey. I am also voted the most aggressive so I think I can be happy with my performance. And the Tour de France is not finished. We will continue to fight, with the team hoping to win another stage.

 

 “I thought I could win the stage today but at the end I didn't. I would have won if the finish was at the top [of Grand Colombier]. I wanted to win my fourth Tour de France stage but it's not finished. I might have more opportunities in the Alps. I'm happy to be back in the polka dot jersey. I'll try to keep it.

 

Sport Director, Steven De Jongh, was thrilled with his performance.

 

“It was an excellent race from Rafa today. We were aiming for him to be in the break and he was there. He did a good job picking up the KOM points, then in the last climb he tried to drop Pantano, as we knew he had a fast finish. He did well and dropped him but never got a big gap. He made one mistake on the downhill where he lost some seconds and they came into the finish together where Pantano was faster, but really well done by Rafa. He's taken a good lead in the Polka Dot jersey – something that we've had an eye on after the rest day, and together with green this is something that we want to win here.”

 

While most of the attention was on the front of the race, Roman Kreuziger finished strongly – performing well on the last climb of the day, explained De Jongh.

 

“Roman had a good day too and did a very good last climb where he looked very confident. He did a good job in following, which is what he had to do. We now hope that other opponents start to drop away like we saw some today. He showed he's strong still with a good TT, and he has some good opportunities ahead.”

 

With plenty of opportunities to come in the mountains, Majka still had his eye on a stage win. “I wanted to win, like always at the Tour de France but it is not finished and I still hope to win a stage. Second and twice third, I'm quite happy and I'm happy that I now have the Polka Dot jersey back – it’s still a long Tour and I hope to keep this jersey. It won't be easy but I'm feeling strong.

 

"I'm very happy with this jersey. We now have two jerseys in the team. It will be a tough fight and next to Thomas De Gendt I still see a number of competitors such as Serge Pauwels and Rui Costa.

 

"I felt strong and that was a boost after my earlier crash in the Tour. I have taken it easy for. I still have pain in my arm, but I'm glad it's not broken.

 

"It's a shame I did not win here, but I knew it would be hard to drop Pantano on the climb and he was very fast at the finish. I can live with this.”

 

Peter Sagan finished safely within the time limit to keep his green jersey ahead of another stage where he could potentially pick up some more points tomorrow. A more gentle day lies ahead, with a 209km course that takes the Tour into Switzerland before the race’s second rest day in Berne. An undulating parcours with only one categorised climb, there’s a short and punchy 6.5% ramp before the finish that might trouble the pure sprinters, meaning the all-rounders have a strong chance of taking the win here, if a breakaway doesn’t get there before them. It’s a stage where anything can happen, so De Jongh was waiting to see how the day unfolded.

 

“Tomorrow we have another chance for a breakaway, with a hard finish so we will see what happens.”

 

Alexis Vuillermoz: I am on the way up

Alexis Vuillermoz said:

 

"It was close. At the passage at Grand Colombier, I reached the top with Pantano and Reichenbach and I lost touch in the descent. Behind we worked well, we rode a good ascent with Reichenbach. I came back within five or ten seconds. I decided to join forces with Sebastian in the finale and then we finished four seconds back. It's frustrating.

 

"I am a little bit disillusioned by my result. At the top of Grand Colombier I joined Pantano and I was clearly able to follow him on the descent. I stayed close behind Sebastien Reichenbach but suddenly we lost contact with Pantano. At the end, we were only 4 seconds behind the winner which is truly frustrating.

 

“I wanted to show that I was improving day after day. I'm on the way up. I'm at the beginning of my season. I didn't race a lot because I had a lot of crashes. I'm really fresh and feeling better and better, that's good news and there are nice mountain stages to look for."

 

“It was important to me to show my climber skills on a grueling mountainous stage like this one. I am feeling more and more confident over the weeks in July. I want to prove I am real competitor after my complicated early season and that I can be present in July and August. It will continue in this direction and I must prove it in the future. I will give everything I can in the third week in order to be selected for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics in August.

 

"I think I have already shown in the Pyrenees that I can ride in the heat On the Mont Ventoux, I didn’t do a bad climb, having done a good job for Romain (Bardet). I said that I felt my form will improve. I think I showed it  today. I still have a nice last week to express myself and show the AG2R-La Mondiale team. I hope to go to the Olympics. I think I showed that I have an upward trajectory and shape that I can build up during the month of August, like last year. I was good on the Tour and I had turned a corner at the Clasica San Sebastian and the Test Race. I hope the coach will remember that.

 

Romain Bardet: Until now I have waited for my time

"Since the start of the Tour de France, I have been riding a bit against myself, waiting for my time. I still expect today even though I hope I have spelt the beginning of the revival. The plan was to be at the top for the third week. For the moment all the lights are green,” Romain Bardet said.

 

"I tried because these are the roads I know well, roads that I love. I thought there might already be some differences. But the idea was not to go alone, because there was in the valley up to the finish and to face a group with three Sky riders it was not a good option. So when I left, I was hoping for reinforcements behind. It has not come so I have not really continued. Valverde was with Quintana behind. Movistar has a clear tactic for the third week, and they don't really want to discover anything beforehand.

 

"I think it's tactical; I do not cast stones at opponents. For me, it's an area that I like, with a good winding descent, a climb where I had a real good feeling. It's always good for the head and for reassurance. I always appreciate to ride these roads that I know by heart! I tried because these are roads I know well, that I love and I thought it could make a difference.  Today was a terrain I really like with a winding descent and a climb on which I have good sensations. It was our first podium with Alexis and I'm in a good position overall. It's a good day."

 

”Anything can happen. Froome has a fairly comfortable lead but there are still places to win behind him and I think there are many outsiders for them.”

 

Mechanical stops strog Julian Alaphilippe in Jura Mountains

We are two weeks and more than 2500 kilometers into the Tour de France, and there's no single rider who can say he isn't tired after covering 14 stages which brought one hurdle after another: small and narrow roads, powerful crosswinds, scorching heat, the steep slopes of the Pyrenees and the punishing Mont Ventoux. Despite all these, Julian Alaphilippe was determined to make it into the breakaway and didn't back off not even when stage 15 (Bourg-en-Bresse – Culoz, 160 kilometers) witnessed a blistering pace from kilometer zero, as dozens of riders tried to slip away from the peloton on a day with 3700 climbing meters.

 

Eventually, following a few skirmishes, the elastic snapped and around 30 riders went clear, opening a 7-minute gap on the yellow jersey group, which was content with these escapees. Of the six categorized ascents, the last two were the most important, a fertile ground for attacks which could have gone all the way. Returning to the Tour de France for the first time in four years, Col du Grand Colombier (12.8 kilometers, 6.8%) shattered the leading group, Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) taking off and building an advantage of 40 seconds. No one responded to this move, no one except Julian Alaphilippe that is, who powered away and crested the Hors Catégorie climb 25 seconds behind the duo.

 

On the descent of Grand Colombier, Julian was joined by the Colombian Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling), and together they went in pursuit of the leaders, bridging across before the flat section. Feeling very confident in his legs, Alaphilippe decided to speed up and by doing so he left the others behind, but unfortunately was struck by bad luck, as a mechanical took him out of contention. Despite this setback, the 24-year-old Tour de France rookie didn't give up and began a frantic chase, making the junction with the third group, which at that point was 1:20 behind Majka and Pantano.

 

Lacets du Grand Colombier (8.4 kilometers, 7.4%) brought Alaphilippe again at the front, who rode his heart out in order to reduce the deficit on the two leaders. In the end, Pantano won the stage ahead of his Polish breakaway companion, but Alaphilippe wasn't far behind, crossing the line in 5th place, just 22 seconds adrift, after flying on the final descent, a tricky and twisty one, which saw several riders overcook some corners. A few minutes later, Dan Martin came home with the yellow jersey group, at the end of a stage in which he cut most off the gap separating him off the 8th placed rider in the general classification.

 

"I was feeling strong today and was very motivated. Tactically, we did a perfect race. After surviving on the Grand Colombier, my confidence grew and I began to believe in a strong result. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side and on the descent I had that mechanical and my race was basically over", a disappointed Julian Alaphilippe said after this intense and arduous stage in which he displayed guts, resilience and panache.

"My chain was stuck in the rear gear, so I had to stop because I couldn't pedal anymore and had to wait for the team car. I'm not saying that I would have won, but I'm convinced I could have fought for victory today. I am very sad, but the only thing I can do now is recover, turn the page and focus on the next days", said Alaphilippe, who scored in Culoz his second top 5 at this edition, following the runner-up place he obtained in Cherbourg, on the opening week-end.

 

"I feel that today is a special day. I wanted to be in the break and I did everything to get there. I am really disappointed. Everyone had sore legs but I hung on. It was a very difficult stage. I held on as best I could on Grand Colombier. I am disappointed to have had this little problem because I gave everything today. It's hard to be in front at the Tour de France. I had reached the final which suited me well, and I had the correct sensations.

 

"I was ahead in the downhill but I did not necessarily take risks because I did not really know it. I was happy to be in front and I just tried to keep the speed. Then the chain jumped several times and the last time it was blocked. I had to stop. I just had to change bike. It was impossible to remove by hand so I waited for the car with my director and I lost a lot of time. Then I gave everything.

 

Serge Pauwels: This is one of the hardest races I’ve ever done

Serge Pauwels was Dimension Data’s rider hoping to make it into the day's move and he achieved his objective. Pauwels showed he was one of the strongest on the day by doing most of the pace making on the first climb, which allowed the break to form in the first place. 29 other riders would join Pauwels on the attack and the peloton let them go, so they could start regrouping after shedding many riders during the fast start.

 

Pauwels continually moved to the front on the climbs, attacking over the 3rd climb of the day with Majka. The duo was later caught, but only after Pauwels won the intermediate sprint of the day.

 

The final 2 climbs were where the difference was made and Majka, Pantano, Vullermoz and Julien Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quickstep) got away after the penultimate climb. Alaphilippe then lost contact on the descent after a mechanical and later joined up with Pauwels in the chase group.

 

Vuillermoz and Sebastian Rechanbach (FDJ) were racing for 3rd and 4th and they came home 6 seconds down while Alaphilippe just beat Pauwels to the line, 25 seconds after Pantano took the victory. 6th place for Pauwels on an extremely difficult Alpine stage of the Tour de France is a result the African Team is really proud of.

 

Serge Pauwels said:

 

“I tried to make it into the breakaway today because I thought it was one stage that suited me really well. I was keen for the stage but I knew it was going to be a very hard day. I pretty much went all in on that first category 1 climb to make sure I was the break of 30 riders. I went over the top of that climb in 3rd so I made the break but then it’s basically like a new race starts all over again.

 

”It was a super strong breakaway if you look at the riders who were in there like Nibali, Zakarin, Dumoulin and Pozzovivo. They were all dropped in the final and you know those guys don’t drop for nothing, it was such a tough day. These are the kind of races I like and 6th was probably the place I deserve. I rode for what I could so I am happy with this result because it was such a tough day.

 

"I was à bloc all day. This was really one of the worst races I've ever done. That was to be expected because today there was no meter of flat road. It started on the first climb, where it was full gas. But I had good legs and therefore I was in the break.

 

"When you see what riders were there, I'm happy with sixth place, which was what I was worth today. Thomas De Gendt tried before the first climb and I did not. I knew the climb was very difficult. I did a lot on the front because my first goal was to reach the top.

 

"The last climb? It was nice but most particularly hard. It was my first time and I especially liked the descent which was very dangerous, with linke corners that were not properly marked. I did not take too many risks because I had already crashed in the fifth stage. "

 

Pierre Rolland: I quickly felt that I was not on a good day

Pierre Rolland told L’Equipe:

 

"It was a hard day, perhaps the hardest since the start. I really had the will to attack because there was a good chance that the victory would be taken by the break. I managed to be in front and I soon felt that I was not on a good day. I fought as best I could on Colombier. On the descents, I managed to get close to the front and we just died with Julian Alaphilippe twenty-five seconds from the victory. Those who were in front were simply stronger. 

 

”Yes, the goal is to do it again but it will have to be with better legs. It is better with my injured hand. Today I started to feel more comfortable.”

 

Tom-Jelte Slagter: Tenth place was the maximum for me

His teammate Tom-Jelte Slagter was 10th.

 

"We started knowing it would be fight to be in the breakaway,” he said.T”he whole team was ready for it. We could see that because we were three guys represented, which was a super nice job. Dylan [Van Baare] did a great job by pulling a lot and opened the race with an attack. From then on, it was up to Pierre and me to try to go with the best guys. I think we both did a good race. For me, this was the maximum. I couldn’t do anything more.

 

 "I can only be satisfied. So far I have not managed to escape, because it is super hard. I wanted to be part of the break in this stage and I did it. We were even there with three. That was quite nice.

 

"In terms of result, this is the limit for me. Tomorrow I will feel me legs.”

 

Loss of contact lens destroyes great opportunity for Ilnur Zakarin

Stage 15 on Sunday saw Team Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin return to his old self after his horrific crash late in the Giro d’Italia. Now feeling 100% and back to his attacking style, Zakarin put himself in the break on a day of climbing, resulting in a solid 8th place finish for the stage in Culoz.

 

“We had a plan to go in the break today together with Alberto Losada. He had to support me there. It was not easy to go in the break because almost from the start there was a climb, but finally we succeed. Alberto was always with me, he supported me very well. On Grand Colombier I attacked and went away with Majka. I felt good today and on the climb all went well. On the descent I lost my contact lens. Two times I tried to put it back in, but it was a big stress and hurry in the race and finally I couldn't do it. So I had to continue with only one lens. It was hard because one eye sees good and another one bad, but there was nothing I could do. I think I will have two more chances and I hope to do better than today,” said team leader Ilnur Zakarin.

 

“Today we saw that Ilnur is in really good shape. He has good legs and he proved it today. On the climb he was the strongest. He tried to cooperate with Majka to increase the gap and everything went very good. But on descent he lost one contact lens, so he could only see with one eye. We had to stop to wait for the second car, then take the spare lens and to come back to Ilnur. It cost us time. Later Ilnur tried to put in the lens while riding the bike, but he lost it, so he had to stop to put in another one. But all this was in a big hurry, he put one lens and lost another one again. So finally he had to finish the race with only one lens. That's quite difficult. Anyway I was happy to see Ilnur in full force. We still have two possibilities and we will try in one of these stages,” said team director Dmitry Konyshev.

 

Zakarin crossed the line in 8th place at 1:30, with Joaquim Rodriguez arriving with the yellow jersey group of Chris Froome at 3:07. Froome retained the race lead and still holds 1:47 to Bauke Mollema and 2:45 to Adam Yates. Joaquim Rodriguez maintained his 13th place as the race moves toward the Alps.

 

The large break of 30 riders went clear after 30 km of riding. Both Alberto Losada and Ilnur Zakarin made the group that steadily built a gap over the Team Sky-led group of favorites. Over the top of the Grand Colombier, Zakarin put in an attack, joining Rafal Majka on the descent as others chased, but it was here that he encountered the trouble with his contact lenses and was forced to slow up.

 

Monday’s stage 16 is one Alexander Kristoff has spoken of in the past. It’s a hard stage for the sprinters, but one that suits the Norwegian rider who likes to tough it out to the end with just a little bit left in the tank for a good sprint. At 209 km, the stage begins in Moirans-en-Montagne and ends in Bern, Switzerland.

 

Daniel Navarro: If it hadn’t been for the crash, it would have been possible

Daniel Navarro said:

 

"After crashing on Saturday, the day promised to be difficult for me. I did not have a very good feeling before the start. But every kilometer I felt better and I tried to be in the break. I think if it hadn’t been for the crash, I would have had my chances in this group. I finished ninth, but I'm still happy with performance under the circumstances. I always want to win so much and I really think it's possible. I am good, I can read the race to take the good breaks. I still have the energy ... I have three stages in the Alps to reach my goal!

 

Didier Rous, Sporting Director, added:
 

"He has done a very good stage. Even if the result is not there, this ninth place is positive for Dani because he still felt his crash. He did not have a good feeling and he was still in the break, so he did well. But I think he made ​​some errors because he made ​​some useless efforts. Otherwise he could maybe have been third for example.

 

“Now we really enter the final part of the Tour de France. The intrinsic qualities of the riders but especially their freshness matter much more. We try every day, wer are still there.

 

Rui Costa: It was a matter of luck

Lampre-Merida had three good climbers, Kristijan Durasek, Tsgabu Grmay and Jan Polanc, in the break Durasek finished 11th.
 

Louis Meintjes demonstrated his qualities as a climber, reaching the finish in 20th place with the yellow jersey group. The South African cyclist retained the 12th place in the general classification at 5.48.

 

Rui Costa tried to be in the break.

 

”This tour is not easy for many riders, including me. It is hard, but if it was easy, it would not be the Tour. And it is not over. There is another difficult week and with it there will be some opportunities,” he wrote in his diary.

 

”Today was an important day to get in the break, both for the stage and the polka-dot jersey. I started with this idea, with this desire and I tried, but it did not work. In the midst of such attacks it is difficult to find the right move. It's more a matter of luck than anything else.

 

”We must think about the next few opportunities and raise out head. I will try and I will fight to the end.”

 

Strong ride for Bartosz Huzarski, difficult day for Emanuel Buchman

From Bora-Argon 18 it was Bartosz Huzarski in the break. He scored 11 points iin the only intermediate sprint today.

 

On the climb to the Grand Colombier, the group split completely up. He lost contact 4.5km before the KOM, fought great and came back again. But 1.2km from the end of the climb, the pace was too fast for him. In a very strong final he caught many riders and finished in a good 12th place.

 

Emanuel Buchmann lost 12 minutes to the winner and sits in 21st place in the GC. Still he is in touch with the top 20.

 

“Today it was not a good day for me, my legs were not the best. In the beginning I tried to go with the group, but I did not have the legs. It was extremely hot, the air was standing still and my legs were not good enough to ride with the best. After more than 2 weeks of racing, it can happen that the legs are not the best anymore. I hope that it will be better after the rest day. In the next week I will try to go in groups again because the plan is still to go for a stage win,” Emanuel Buchmann said.

 

“It was hard in the breakaway, because the group was formed on the first long climb. The pace was good because the cooperation was very well and all riders worked together. At first it was quite easy, but the race started at the feed zone where the attacks began. From kilometre 100 it was really hard, always full gas and many climbs. The last 60km were very really really hard but I gave my best. I tried to do a top 10 again. Still we have 3-4 days for a good result. I felt good today but I’m just too heavy for these climbs. It’s not easy for me to fight with guys like Rolland, Majka and Pantano who are skinny and good climbers, but I tried to do the best. I’m happy with my result and my race today,” Bartosz Huzarski said.

 

Chris Froome: Maybe they are demoralized by my team

Chris Froome and Team Sky emerged from a key day in the Jura mountains with their Tour de France lead firmly intact after stage 15.

 

Riding as a unit across a sprawling 160-kilometre test, the team proved more than equal to the task, ticking off six categorised climbs to ensure Froome retained all one minute and 47 seconds of his advantage.

 

The day culminated with climbs up two different faces of Le Grand Colombier, with Wout Poels playing a starring role as he set a tempo to haul back moves from the likes of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Fabio Aru (Astana) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale).

 

Astana had pushed hard for Aru and blew apart the lead group, leaving Froome with just Mikel Nieve and Poels for support on the roads around Culoz.

 

That proved to be more than enough, and despite Nieve briefly coming down on the final descent, Froome was able to finish without issue among his GC peers.

 

A fast start out of Bourg-en-Bresse saw a large percentage of the peloton dropped amid the battle to make a potentially stage-winning break.

 

Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Vasil Kiryienka were distanced early before rejoining the fray. Rowe and Stannard then combined to great effect, pacing the peloton all the way onto Le Grand Colombier.

 

Froome had no issues and came through the day in style, celebrating a week in yellow and retaining his advantage over nearest rival Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo).

 

“If I’m honest, yeah, I am kind of surprised,” Froom said. “Today was a day where I expected Movistar in particular. They had two strong guys in the breakaway so I thought they’d try to do more on the final climb. Valverde had a go but it was just to follow Aru. Apart from that, Romain Bardet gave it a try over the top but I just had the feeling that everyone was so on the limit that nobody really had the legs to make a big difference.

 

“I just wanted to see exactly what the state of play was, to see what reaction I’d get, who would be looking to follow me,” he said about his brief acceleration. “It was interesting just to see that Nairo was on my wheel quite quickly. It was just to give me an idea of who might be making a move over the top but my idea was to prevent an attack before the summit.

 

“That’s one of the things I said coming into this race. I really am in such a privileged position to have such a strong team around me, possibly the strongest team that Team Sky has ever put in the Tour de France, with guys who would be leaders in other teams in their own right.

 

“You mentioned Wout Poels. He’s not just any other rider. He won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, one of the biggest classics in the world. I’m really fortunate to be in this position and it must be demoralising for people to have to think of attacking, knowing that this calibre of rider will be chasing them, and riding at a tempo that can neutralise their attacks so they seem happy to stay in my wheel. Maybe they think more about the Alps. For now I'm happy. I'm in a better situation than I expected at this point.

 

“Yes, they make fun of me [when he ran up the Ventoux]. The situation was chaotic with my broken bike. I was one kilometer from the finish, I saw that at this point, no one could give me a spare bike. The only thing I thought about was to run before someone finally gave me a bike.”

 

"It went great," said Poels. "I rode a certain pace. Often they attack and then they slow down. Then I can bring them back. Most of it goes by feel. "

 

“There were a few little attacks today but not any big, big attacks. Maybe they’re saving them for the last week, which also going to be a hard week,” he told CyclingWeekly. “I expected a little bit more attacks but we had everything under control, we had good numbers in the front so that was really good. I didn’t see how Quintana was today because I was all day pulling in the front!”

 

“Someone was going to take it up on the penultimate climb that’s for sure and today it was Astana, team principal Dave Brailsford told CyclingWeekly. “And to be fair Rosa rode pretty hard there and put in a stint, and Aru was obliged then to put in an attack.

 

“It didn’t really come to anything and of course Valverde attacked to his credit but it didn’t work for him. Nairo didn’t move and neither did anybody else.”

 

Alejandro Valverde: Everything I do in this race is for Quintana

It was a busy day, with difficult feelings, for the Movistar Team in the Jura mountains. Intense heat reached the race for the first time in more than two weeks as the telephone squad lost one of its riders in Jesús Herrada. Feverish and suffering from stomach problems during the last few days, he was left with no energy from the very start of the 160km trek between Bourg-en-Bresse and Culoz, the 25-year-old Spaniard sadly becoming the Blues' first abandon in the 'Grande Boucle' this year.

 

The telephone squad tried to bounce things back as they got two men into the 30-rider breakaway that included stage winner Jarlinson Pantano (IAM). Ion Izagirre and Nelson Oliveira fought at the front until they lost the wheel of the leaders on the Grand Colombier (HC) and chose to wait for the GC group, where Alejandro Valverde twice tried to shake things up: once on the final climb of the Lacets (Cat-1), going after Fabio Aru's (AST) previous attempt, and another one on the descent, working together with Frenchman Romain Bardet (ALM).

 

In both attempts, he found insistent pacing from SKY's Wout Poels, which kept his leader Chris Froome calm and safely in yellow, with Nairo Quintana 4th in the GC after the day, at 2'59", and Alejandro Valverde in 5th, 3’17” in arrears. Movistar is back in the lead of the teams' overall classification, and will have another long journey to face on Monday (209km), with a sting at the tail in Bern's finish (Switzerland), before the second rest day follows on Tuesday.

 

Alejandro Valverde said:

 

“It was a tremendously hard stage; so hot, with melting tarmac which stuck to our tubulars... I'm glad we got through the day safely. Sky blocked the stage: I attacked with Aru, trying to climb up the road in case Nairo could try it, but the pace of Froome's team-mates is probably the hardest you can climb on your own even when leading your squad. You've got to keep trying, but at the moment it's very difficult; let's see what we can achieve next week.

 

We tried to stay up near the front, we didn't really see anything going on behind us. Sky were very strong yet again and they really made it hard for us. It was a very difficult stage, and difficult for us to do anything with the pace. Nairo seemed pretty relaxed, he's very strong coming into this next week. We're going to try to do our best in the coming week. We're definitely going to try something. I think people are expecting more fire and fight from us. We will fight in the coming stages but not today.

 

"My legs are feeling pretty similar to the Giro's, I keep doing well - yet everything is focused on Nairo. I got all pressure off my shoulders with my Tour podium finish last season and I don't keep it on my plans for that next week, even more so when I snatched another one in this year's Giro. It's just enjoying the biggest race in the world and helping Nairo out; my season is already complete with what I did so far.

 

“Nairo? He has to try it when he considers he can hurt the competitors.”

 

"I'd like to send all my support to Jesús; we knew he was recovering badly, so this was sort of expected. Let's hope he heals as soon as possible."

 

Nairo Quintana: Sky made it very difficult for us

Nairo Quintana said: 

 

“We got through the day all the best we could. It was so hot, and our main goal today was recovering from so many days struggling against the wind. To be honest, Sky looked really, really strong. They even go after moves which other teams in their same situation would not chase. We tried to move the peloton with Alejandro and we felt their strength there. We tried to break the GC group again on the descent, but the hard pace, the high temperatures, their insistence… they all made it difficult for us.

 

"We tried to attack and we saw an impressive Sky team. Astana also tried, but it was impossible because of the fast speed and the heat.”

 

“I’m really happy about Jarlinson’s win - hats off to them and all my recognition to his family, on a beautiful day for Colombia. We trained together in Boyacá, he was coming with great ambitions to this Tour, and he’s riding brilliantly.”

 

Richie Porte: I think everyone was on their limits

Stage 15 of the Tour de France was tipped as one of the hardest of the race and it didn’t disappoint with the six categorized climbs testing the legs on a hot and fast day of racing.

 

A double ascent of Grand Colombier capped off the 159km stage which saw Richie Porte battle it out in the Yellow Jersey group and cross the line with his main General Classification rivals.

 

Tejay van Garderen was in the mix of the group until he was distanced on the final ascent before the run into the finish in Culoz.

 

 

Porte now sits in seventh on the General Classification and van Garderen in eighth, 4’27” and 4’47” behind Chris Froome (Team SKY) respectively.

 

Richie Porte said:

 

“To be honest I think everyone is just on their limits and couldn’t do much. It was a hard day and it’s just good to get it done. If you could have attacked there you would have. The pace was on pretty much all day and that descent was quite sketchy too. I think for me it’s just nice to come through that one unscathed. We’ll get through tomorrow and then into the rest day and then it’s every man for himself really in that last week.

 

”When it looked Quintana was going to attack he [Froome] threw a little dummy attack in and that just quietened everybody down. We’ll just see what happens in the next few days.

 

“It wasn’t so bad the last time up it [Grand Colombier] but that second to last time, everybody was on their limit. Especially when Diego Rosa did his turn I think that put quite a lot of guys’ days to an end. I’m happy to come through that like I did. At the best of time that’s a sketchy descent but when the road is melting and there’s loose gravel and surface it’s not so nice. It’s just one of those elements of a race.”

 

Tejay van Garderen: It was just above my level

Tejay van Garderen said:

 

“I wasn’t really thinking anything [when Romain Bardet attacked]. I was in my own world just trying to hold the wheel in front of me but I couldn’t hold it. To be honest I felt fine, just the pace was pretty incredible. I can’t say that it was bad sensations it was just above the level that I had on the day. Anything can happen. Once you get into the third week of a Grand Tour it’s like Russian Roulette, it could be anyone’s day.”

 

Michael Schär added:

 

“I think it was one of the toughest days with all of the up and down. There was not one meter flat pretty much. The start was of course the crucial factor and 30 guys went away and we knew that they would have a big chance for the stage win. Unfortunately there was nobody in for us, so then we switched our goal and focused on GC with Richie and Tejay. Tejay lost some time, Richie was up there but I think there is still a very tough last week coming and there are chances to crawl slowly up the standing and come onto the podium in Paris.”

 

Adam Yates: I was not comfortable

White Jersey Adam Yates rode beyond his years for Orica-BikeExchange on a relentless stage 15 of the Tour de France today, finishing in 21st place on the day and retaining third on the general classification.

 

The brutal 160 kilometre mountain stage was won by Jarlinson Panatano (IAM-Cycling) after sprinting to victory from the day’s breakaway group.

 

Somewhat surprisingly the fireworks in the battle for the overall never happened and 23-year old Yates matched every move within the favourites group as the top ten all crossed the line together.

 

Spanish all rounder Ruben Plaza was one of the protagonists of the day’s early breakaway and held his own over the climbs before dropping back to the Yates group for the approach to the finale.

 

Adam Yates said:

 

“Honestly, I was not comfortable but I was also in the maximum trouble. There was no flat in the entire race. It wasn't easy. The hardest part for me was the last climb when Bardet attacked. He went full gas and put me at the limit. I didn't feel great that I could attack and gain some time but it wasn't too bad. We're still here.”

 

Sport director Matt White was content with how the stage unfolded for Orica-BikeExchange.

 

“We wanted to get someone in the breakaway today,” said White. “It is always a good idea to have somebody up there and Ruben (Plaza) had good legs and did well before coming back to support Adam (Yates) in the final kilometres.

 

”It was another measured and consistent ride from Adam today, we knew that it probably wasn’t going to be a day of big upheavals on the general classification and Adam managed his efforts very well.

 

“Tomorrow could be interesting because the outcome will depend on how the sprinters teams are able to control the stage, it’s going to be a long, tough day and it is not a straight forward finish for the pure sprinter.”

 

Bauke Mollema: I was never in trouble

Bauke Mollema feared the short, intense stage 15 that passed through the Jura Mountains, not a big mountain stage where vast time differences were expected, but a day when everything could be lost.

 

In the end, Mollema looked comfortable on all climbs, notably the final eight-kilometer ascent where a few attacks made life unpleasant - downright difficult for some - and passed safely through the technical descent to maintain his second place overall.

 

"It was a hard day today, but I was never in any problem, so it was a good day for me," explained Mollema. "For two or three kilometers it was really steep, and Sky did a good pace on the climb, especially after the attacks from Aru and Valverde. Then the last two kilometers of the climb were not so hard anymore. Froome and Quintana almost crashed at the top, it was a bit tricky, especially in the descent."

 

The short 160km stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz offered six categorized climbs and barely a single meter of flat roads. Haimar Zubeldia jumped into a large 30-man breakaway that formed on the first climb of the day, and with the significant lead granted to the escape group, they fought out the stage win. Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling) took the honors in a two-up sprint. Zubeldia lost contact to the leaders of the breakaway on the longest climb of the day, the Grand Colombier, and when he knew the win was out of grasp, he settled into an easier pace to wait for Mollema.

 

"It was a plan to go into a breakaway for a chance at the stage win and to help Bauke," said Zubeldia. "I did not have a chance for the win, so then I went easy on the last climb to recover and wait for Bauke because if he had trouble on the downhill, I would be there and able to help. When his group caught up to me, I asked him if I should pull the last kilometers. I was thinking I should because I knew Van Garderen was dropped and he is one of the contenders."

 

Team Sky set a fast pace on the final climb, the category-one Lacets du Grand Colombier, and the expected fireworks never materialized; only Fabio Aru (Astana), Alexandro Valverde (Movistar) and later Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) flexed their muscles, all to no avail. The group caught Zubeldia on the flat run-in to the line, and Zubeldia, after a short discussion with Mollema, pulled the select group to the last meters. Mollema crossed with his GC rivals, less Tejay van Garderen (BMC), who arrived almost a minute and a half in arrears.

 

Mollema said:

 

"I think van Garderen lost some time today, and that is one guy less for the classification, so that is good. The rest of the guys looked pretty good. Aru attacked in the climb but never got away, Bardet attacked and went really fast again in the descent, but I was there and never in problems today.

 

"To beat Froome will be really hard, he is the big favorite, and I think that he needs a bad day for that. Hopefully, I can have these legs in the last four days in the Alps and then we will see. One day less until Paris now.”

 

It is uncharted territory for Mollema, who has never been in contention for the podium at the Tour de France, a 6th place in 2013 his best finish. With the Alps looming, including a decisive uphill time trial, today was about playing a vigilant game.

 

"It was not easy, but there were no major attacks, we expected more," commented director Kim Andersen. "Also because we are not the best one in the downhill, but it was quite okay, and with Haimar Zubeldia in the front, all was good for us today. I know you should always go for the win, but I think we are quite happy where we are for the moment."

 

"It was quite easy today - there was no major attack. We expected more attacks, also because we are not the best one in the downhill and so on. It was quite OK. It was handy to have Haimar in the bunch so we could use him in the end. It was quite OK for us.

 

"I don't know if Bauke will attack, maybe in the end of a stage. We don't think we should make the same mistake like Andorra, attack too early then lose seconds. I know we should always go for the win, but I think we are quite happy where we are at the moment."

 

Fabio Aru: I showed that I am not happy with my current position

”With 6km to the top of the Grand Colombier climb Fabio asked me to push on the pedals to increase the speed and see what would happen,” explained Diego Rosa. “We did it because Team Sky was doing a rhythm that was too slow and regular. On the following descent we got Nibali and Kangert who were part of the escape, and then we kept the high rhythm until Aru's attack on the last climb.

 

“We all feel good in the Team and today we had to make clear that in our terrain we can say our word, let’s go to the Alps.”

 

Fabio Aru was positive while cooling down after the end of the stage:

 

“I think we did pretty good today, demonstrating to everyone that we are not satisfied with my actual position in the GC,” explained the Italian. “We have tried to make some selection today and we will try in the next stages, the Tour de France will end in Paris and we will do our best until the end!

 

"We have tried to make the race hard. It was a very hard stage, considering it was the fifteenth, and we wanted to make it more challenging. Sky has proven to be very strong, but my teammates did a great job.

 

”I tried, but Sky still had two riders. I do not want to waste more energy because they were really strong. It was important to try, especially because I saw that the feelings were good. We have a big week ahead of us, I'm glad.

 

"I'll try to do something in the next stages. Then it always depends on the legs. There are so many climbs to come up with something. "

 

Groenewegen saved by Vanmarcke, Bennett comes up short

George Bennett escaped again in the Tour de France today through the Jura Mountains, but could not match the pace of Jarlinson Pantano (IAM) and Rafael Majka (Tinkoff). Pantano won the day, but at least Bennett made the right move.

 

 “Shortly after the start, I felt good in the battle for the leading group,” Bennett said. “After 100 kilometres, though, it began to hurt. My body did not feel good and I felt very tired. I am very disappointed that I could not follow those men. Maybe it also had to do with my crash in the 11th stage, but that doesn’t make it less disappointing."

 

 "I have respect for what he showed us today because when the peloton broke on the climb, the best 30 cyclists moved free,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman added. "We designated two riders for the break. Kelderman tried it and exploded afterwards, Bennett managed though. On the first category climb, we saw that Bennett could not follow the best 12 riders and was empty.”

 

Dylan Groenewegen makes time cut. Another goal was to have Dylan Groenewegen finish within the time limit.

 

"We are lucky he succeeded. It was even more exciting when he got stuck behind the gruppetto, but thanks to Vanmarcke, he was able to return and finish in the group with the other sprinters,” added Zeeman. "Groenewegen was completely empty. I have great respect for his perseverance.”

 

“I waited for him,” Vanmarcke added. “I paced him on my rear wheel and on the next descent, we almost managed to return. Eventually, we made contact with the group with Cavendish and rode to the finish."

 

“Today was one of the toughest days and I'm glad I survived,” said Groenewegen. “At one point, I thought it really was over, but Vanmarcke waited and encouraged me."

 

The finish in to Bern, Switzerland, tomorrow is not guaranteed to end in a sprint.

 

"It depends on what the sprinters’ teams want,” Zeeman added. “But if there is a leading group on road, we have to be there."

 

Tom Dumoulin: I didn’t have good legs

Again a large breakaway group left early in the stage and Tom Dumoulin was included. Ahead of the Grand Colombier, the fifth climb of the day, there was a split in the break created by Dumoulin’s attack. In the first instance, Dumoulin was in the lead with three others. Towards the summit he got dropped and he was unable to follow the leaders. In the meantime, Team Sky was controlling the bunch until Astana increased the tempo on the climb and as a result, Warren Barguil wasn’t able to follow the yellow jersey group. He eventually finished the stage in 44th place, 13’49” behind the winner.

 

Barguil is now 18th in the GC.

 

Tom Dumoulin said: “I was in the breakaway and that was good, but my legs were not in the best of shape. I tried to gain an advantage before the big climb, the Grand Colombier but it didn’t really work out today. After I got caught up but the GC group, I tried to help Warren in the valley and then I took an easy pace to the finish.

 

"Today I was a bit tired. That rest day on Tuesday will be good. I just did not have good legs. However, I ended up in the front group. And then you try something, you have to anticipate, especially since there were better climbers than me. If I had started the Grand Colombier with half a minute of advantage, I could probably stay away. Unfortunately it did not work out.

 

Coach Marc Reef added: “In the beginning we had Tom Dumoulin in the breakaway of 30 riders which was a good situation. Then after 100km Tom attacked from the front group to have some advantage before the climb started but that didn’t work out immediately.

 

“On the Colombier, Warren wasn’t able to follow the GC group so he dropped and Tom waited to support him. However the gap was already too big and in the end it didn’t make any sense to continue to chase the yellow jersey group. Therefore Warren lost a significant amount of time at the finish.”

 

Dan McLay: I did a 50km time trial to make the time cut

After trying to play winning several stages of the Tour de France, Dan McLay was playing another race today: the time limt. The Briti suffered and fought and made it.

 

Dan McLay said:

 

"I suffered all day. It was definitely not easy. I did a 50km TT. I never asked questions, I continued to ride. I received a lot of encouragement from my team managers and the public. Vegard Breen waited for me but I told him to return to the gruppetto to ensure his place on the Tour. I am very happy to be at the start tomorrow. I'm tired, I spent a lot of energy, but tomorrow will be a new stage. I take them one by one.”

 

Pierre-Luc Périchon said:

 

"I really wanted to be in the breakaway today at home. Not having managed to do it is blow to the morale. I quickly motivated mysself to ride with Dan during part of the stage. After my Tour in 2015, and the physical level I had Nationals, I came to the Tour with ambitions. Without necessarily going for a win, I wanted to play a leading role on some stages. For now, I have not reached my goals. I'll try to have fun in the last week.”

 

Sports Sébastien Hinault said:

 

"We had a free day. It was hoped that we would be in the break. There are difficult days in the Tour and today was one. We had a difficult day with Dan McLay. He was dropped before the Grand Colombier and was alone behind the gruppetto 50km from the finish. He fought to get there on time. As a rider, I've been through those moments, I understand very well what he experienced.  He was digging very far ito his resources. One week is left and two complicated stages for the time cut but he has already done well.”

 

Thomas De Gendt: Another stage win is more important than the jersey

There were a lot of attempts right from the beginning, among others Tony Gallopin and Thomas De Gendt tried to get away. Unfortunately, they were unable to obtain a significant gap. Just after the first KOM of the day, a front group of 30 riders was formed. Lotto Soudal wasn’t represented in the front of the race. De Gendt lost the mountains jersey.

 

He said:

 

“I tried four or five times to be part of the breakaway but that didn’t work out. When it started to go uphill after sixteen kilometres, I felt that I didn’t have the legs to join an attack. From the moment that the right break was formed, I was unable to follow and several kilometres later I was dropped from the reduced bunch.

 

”Beforehand, I said that I would try to defend the polka dot jersey. But I also mentioned that the feeling in the legs would be important. Rafal Majka was second in the KOM classification and he was very strong today. He took points on each climb and therefore he’s now 37 points ahead.

 

”I’m not giving up, but it won’t be an easy task to reclaim that jersey. I would rather try to obtain a second stage win, after that we’ll see what’s still possible in the KOM classification.

 

"Today I didn’t have the legs to be in the break. It's that simple. I have tried in the beginning, but on the first climb I had to let the peloton. Then I knew it would not work.”