The fastest stage in the history of the Tour de France gave way to the strangest and most disorganised sprint of this year’s race, but was it also dangerous?
Won by Uno-X Mobility’s Søren Wærenskjold in Nevers, after the Norwegian launched his sprint with 350m to go and held off a late challenge from stage five winner Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen (who was reinstated as the third-placed finisher after initially being relegated).
Though the final few kilometres were devoid of sharp turns, roundabouts and pinch points, they were largely held on narrow roads, restricting the chance for teams to organise their leadout trains. That’s partly why the door opened up to Wærenskjold to come from deep and go early.
Picnic PostNL, riding for young Czech sprinter Pavel Bittner, joined Soudal Quick-Step at the front of the peloton with just over 20km to go, and for a brief moment the prospect of echelons arose.
His veteran teammate John Degenkolb denied that he and Picnic were “really pushing for echelons”, but instead suggested that the peloton was nervous because of the finishing route.
“It was just the positioning because everyone knew the final was very, very sketchy,” the German told Cycling Weekly. “It was not a good final to have a sprint stage of the Tour de France.
“The road was quite narrow from 6km to go. It was crazy stress and chaotic just to start the sprint at 2km to go. I don’t think it was the best place to finish a stage like that.”
Asked if the course was unsafe, Degenkolb added: “I think for sure it’s a stage finish that helps to increase the stress. There might be other options to have different and better sprints.
“It’s quite disappointing not to have a result because of a finish like that.” Bittner finished 23rd.
Tim Merlier, who has won two stages in the race so far, didn’t directly criticise the course, but he was held up to the point that he could only finish 15th, despite being the pre-stage favourite.
“It was hectic,” the Belgian said. “They blocked the road and with 2km to go we started to try to lead it out but I didn’t find a place to launch a sprint. I need to brake too many times.”
But Wærenskjold refuted the suggestion that the sprint was unsafe. “For me I didn’t feel like it was so dangerous,” the 26-year-old said. “But I was up at the front so it probably felt a little different for me.
“I feel like it was quite similar to stage eight which was also a bit technical in the final. I didn’t think it was that dangerous. I’ve raced stages before where it’s been more hectic and more crazy.”
The reason Wærenskjold went early, he said, had nothing to do with the technical nature of the parcours, but more to do with feeling like he had “nothing to lose” after crashing the day before.
“If I didn’t have the crash yesterday, I don’t think I would have taken that gap,” he said. “I tried to follow my instinct, and took the gap on the right hand side, even though it was a bit far out.
“Even though I crashed yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have done the same as I did today. I’m guessing a bit but I’m quite sure of it.”
Stage 12, finishing in Chalon-sur-Saône, should also be an opportunity for the sprinters. That includes one 90 degree right-hand turn and two roundabouts in the finale before a long finishing straight.
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