Nimes: Australia's Caleb Ewan has beat his sprinting rivals in suffocating heat to win Stage 16 of the Tour de France, with Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe keeping the race leader's yellow jersey.
With temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees, Alaphilippe and his main rivals did not attack each other over the 177-kilometre mainly flat stage in the Nimes rural hinterland.
Australia's Caleb Ewan celebrates on the podium after he won the Tour de France's 16th stage. Credit:AP
Ewan, a Tour debutant, edged Elia Viviani and Dylan Groenewegen to post his second stage win following his maiden success in Toulouse last week.
After a group of five breakaway riders was caught two kilometres from the finish, Viviani was set up by his teammates and launched the sprint about 200 metres from the line but could not resist Ewan's comeback.
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"To be honest I felt so bad today during the day. I think the heat really got to me. But I have extra motivation today because my wife and daughter are here. I'm so happy I could win for them. I said before it's a dream to be here, and it was such a big dream to win one stage. Now I've won two, I can't believe it," Ewan said.
Ewan celebrates as he crosses the finish line.Credit:AP
"I had Jasper [De Buyst] on the front with Dylan [Groenewegen] on the wheel with one kilometre to go. Quickstep came past and I lost a few more positions than I wanted to. But I looked at this finish at the start of the day and played all the scenarios in my head. One of the scenarios was if I was too far back. I think if you watch, I lay off the wheel and really take a run at it and start sprinting before the rest of the guys. It worked."
Defending champion Geraint Thomas crashed about 40 kilometres after the race started from the Roman city but escaped largely unscathed, with a few scratches on his left elbow.
Riders battled searing sun during the 16th stage of the Tour de France.Credit:AP
Thomas, who is second in the overall standings, had already been caught in pile-ups during the first and eighth stages of the three-week race. Danish rider Jakob FuRead More – Source
Nimes: Australia's Caleb Ewan has beat his sprinting rivals in suffocating heat to win Stage 16 of the Tour de France, with Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe keeping the race leader's yellow jersey.
With temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees, Alaphilippe and his main rivals did not attack each other over the 177-kilometre mainly flat stage in the Nimes rural hinterland.
Australia's Caleb Ewan celebrates on the podium after he won the Tour de France's 16th stage. Credit:AP
Ewan, a Tour debutant, edged Elia Viviani and Dylan Groenewegen to post his second stage win following his maiden success in Toulouse last week.
After a group of five breakaway riders was caught two kilometres from the finish, Viviani was set up by his teammates and launched the sprint about 200 metres from the line but could not resist Ewan's comeback.
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"To be honest I felt so bad today during the day. I think the heat really got to me. But I have extra motivation today because my wife and daughter are here. I'm so happy I could win for them. I said before it's a dream to be here, and it was such a big dream to win one stage. Now I've won two, I can't believe it," Ewan said.
Ewan celebrates as he crosses the finish line.Credit:AP
"I had Jasper [De Buyst] on the front with Dylan [Groenewegen] on the wheel with one kilometre to go. Quickstep came past and I lost a few more positions than I wanted to. But I looked at this finish at the start of the day and played all the scenarios in my head. One of the scenarios was if I was too far back. I think if you watch, I lay off the wheel and really take a run at it and start sprinting before the rest of the guys. It worked."
Defending champion Geraint Thomas crashed about 40 kilometres after the race started from the Roman city but escaped largely unscathed, with a few scratches on his left elbow.
Riders battled searing sun during the 16th stage of the Tour de France.Credit:AP
Thomas, who is second in the overall standings, had already been caught in pile-ups during the first and eighth stages of the three-week race. Danish rider Jakob FuRead More – Source
