It was their last chance to explain themselves before the Champs-Elysees and they did not miss it. The sprinters disputed the victory, Tuesday, in Nîmes, after a course of 177 kilometers drawn north of the prefecture of Gard. And Australia's Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) was the fastest, ahead of Italy's Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma). The green jersey, Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe), finished 4th. The riders had to cope with extreme heat, the thermometer exceeding 35 ° C. But neither the heat wave, nor the wind, present during a part of the stage, did not change the situation in the overall classification. Julian Alaphilippe, who was seen protecting himself from the "hot shot" with ice on the back of the neck, retains the leader's yellow jersey with 1'35 "of margin over Britain's Geraint Thomas (Ineos).
Thomas falls, Fuglsang gives up
The Welsh, on the other hand knew a day not very quiet. The winner of the Great Loop suffered a puncture shortly after the start before falling, after about fifty kilometers, on what looks like a foolishness. On a right turn, bib number 1 was obviously too optimistic on the rope. After falling on his left thigh, Thomas left after changing his bike in the wheel of his Polish teammate Michal Kwiatowski. It was a different story, however, for Jakob Fuglsang. The Dane, 9th overall at the start of the stage, at 5'27 ", was caught in a collective crash about 25km from the finish and, surrounded by his teammates, the winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège quickly removed his helmet before boarding one of the ambulances of the organization Fuglsang was announced as one of the grandissimes favorites of this Tour after his victory over the Critérium du Dauphiné, but had failed to stay with the best in both Pyrenean stages.