What seems to be a calm 13th stage of the Tour de France, a big fall on a descent occurred 60 kilometers from the finish. Among them, Nacer Bouhanni, Geraint Thomas, Cees Bol, Benoit Cosnefroy, Stefan Kung, Sergio Higuita, Wout Poels, Soren Kragh Andersen, who fell into a grassy ravine his fall cushioned by the bushes. Fortunately, he climbed up with his bike which he passed on to his mechanic, and continued to finish the stage.
A dazed Simon Yates was on the tarmac but eventually got back on his bike then abandoning. His team-mate, Lucas Hamilton (Team BikeExchange) and Roger Kluge (Lotto Soudal) also had to withdraw, leaving his team with just four riders.
"I saw the riders fall, it was a big crash, we were surprised by the turn and that's why some people lost control. I managed to squeeze through without too many pitfalls. I supported Lutsenko the whole race. Unfortunately, 20k from the finish, I touched his wheel and had to change my front wheel. I finished the stage calmly, there was nothing more to play and Lutsenko was already far ahead.
"There might be some great breakaway opportunities tomorrow (Saturday), I'll be keeping my eyes open for the next two stages. There could be great things to do."
-Hugo Houle. Astana-Premier Tech
Comments