2016 Tour de France: Bardet Storms to Solo Victory in Stage 19

With two stages left before the ceremonial procession into Paris, time was running out for riders who wished to alter their fundamental position in the general classification. Two more days in the Alps provided the backdrop for audacious moves to form, for cyclists with ambitions to take a chance against the field. And the first of those days certainly offered some semblance of shakeup in the standings, even if it didn’t necessarily translate to any jerseys shifting shoulders in the process.

Stage 19 featured inclement weather, as rain dampened the roadways and set the stage for several significant crashes. Race leader Chris Froome went down on the tarmac, scraping up himself and his yellow jersey and requiring the pace work of teammate Wout Poels to limit his losses at the finish. “I’m lucky that nothing is seriously injured. I just lost a bit of skin but today is a day when I’m grateful for that four minute advantage to fall back on a bit,” Froome said after the stage. “A crash like that could have gone either way and I’m grateful that nothing is injured. You never a quiet day at the Tour.”

Second-placed Bauke Mollema had an even rougher go of it, hitting the deck and skidding into the grass prior to the final climb. Though he fought to catch back up with his fellow contenders, Mollema never was able to reintegrate with the main field.  In the process the Dutchman fell from second to 10th in the process, effectively eliminating his chances at becoming the first of his countrymen to reach the podium since Erik Breukink in 1990.

The biggest beneficiary was Romain Bardet, who soloed away to victory by attacking his fellow contenders on the lower slopes of Mont Blanc. Getting clear of Froome and the rest of the highly-ranked riders, the Frenchman caught and dropped earlier breakaway Rui Costa on the final summit of the day. Churning his legs, Bardet seemed to begin losing steam at the end of the stage but managed nonetheless to hold on to win the stage over Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde by 23 seconds. In the process the Frenchman vaulted from fifth to second in the general classification.

The podium below Froome shuffled, but in the process the defending champion gained even more of an advantage than he had coming into the day. With Mollema’s plummet, Froome increased his lead by another 19 seconds despite his own misfortune on the day. Given the propensity for the peloton not to attack the man in the yellow jersey on the final day into Paris, that leaves just 146.5 kilometers for Froome to survive en route to his third Tour de France overall victory.

(Getty Images)

All that is left, then, is to see what the last four climbs of the race have to offer when riders take to the Stage 20 route between Megeve and Morzine, completing the quartet of Alpine stages before the processional to the Champs-Elysees. Froome will likely be content to let a breakaway go up the road, using his four-minute buffer to mark any serious moves but otherwise allowing others to bid for the last stage victory before the sprinters take to the Parisian finale.

While riders will continue to jockey for position in the general classification, and Louis Meintjes might try challenge Adam Yates for the white jersey one last time, Peter Sagan and Rafal Majka are already assured of the green and polka-dot jerseys respectively. Froome is unlikely to lose yellow from his shoulders. Two stages may remain, but the battles within the race have been effectively completed with Friday’s results.

Stage Results and Standings after Stage 19

Stage Results

General Classification (yellow jersey)

Points Classification (green jersey)

King of the Mountains (polka-dot jersey)

Best Young Rider (white jersey)