THE Tour de France’s second biggest prize is going to be on the line all the way to Paris, says JOHN TREVORROW:
IT WAS the battle for the green jersey that became the major story on Saturday’s stage 14 of the Tour de France.
The green points jersey, or the Maillot Vert, is the second most prestigious jersey in the peloton. It is an intriguing competition that offers points at one designated town each day – 20 points for first down to 1 point for 15th, and in the stage finish, 50 points for first down to 2 points for 15th. Except on mountain stages where the final stage points are from 30 points down to 2.
Slovakian powerhouse Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) has had virtual ownership of this jersey since 2012 and only relinquished it in 2017 when he was disqualified for causing a crash. Although the triple world road champion can mix it in the fastest in the sprint finishes, it’s his ability to get over the medium mountains that usually sees him dominate this category.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut this year has been a bit different and it has taken a while for Sagan to find his mojo. This had allowed Irishman Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quickstep) to hold the upper hand. Although Sagan getting disqualified from the points back in stage 11 certainly helped and built the Irish sprinter a 60 point buffer.
So that sets the scene for a Stage 14 from Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon. This was probably the last chance for the sprinters to grab a stage win before Paris. But only the sprinters who were tough enough to survive the five small but categorized climbs.
Peter Sagan’s Bora Hansgrohe team put the pressure on at the first climb and Bennett hung on for as long as he could but finally lost time. His full Decueninck Quickstep team lined up to try to get him back. It was a valiant effort but it was all to no avail. Aussie pocket rocket Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Sudal) was also dispatched on the early climb and nestled himself into the grupetto.
In the finale Sunweb again played the perfect tactical game and snatched their second stage victory with a solo win for Dane Soren Kragh Andersen with Mitchelton Scott’s chase falling short but Luka Mezgec, keeping the Slovenian flag flying and taking an impressive second place over Sagan.
This has reduced Bennett’s lead in the battle for Green to 43 points. With all but one of the final tour stages being to mountainous even for Sagan it will be the intermediate sprints that decide this fantastic duel. It won’t be decided until the final day in Paris.
Richie Porte (Trek) survived a late scare after a mechanical forced him to grab a teammates bike just before the final attacks began.
Stage 14
| 1 | Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb | 04:28:10 |
| 2 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:00:15 |
| 3 | Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis | 00:00:15 |
| 4 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe | 00:00:15 |
| 5 | Casper Phillip Pedersen (Den) Team Sunweb | 00:00:15 |
| 6 | Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo | 00:00:15 |
| 7 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) CCC Team | 00:00:15 |
| 8 | Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R la Mondiale | 00:00:15 |
| 9 | Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain McLaren | 00:00:15 |
| 10 | Marc Hirschi (Swi) Team Sunweb | 00:00:15 |
| 11 | Anthony Turgis (Fra) Total Direct Energie | 00:00:15 |
| 12 | Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates | 00:00:15 |
| 13 | Michael Valgren (Den) NTT Pro Cycling | 00:00:15 |
| 14 | Hugo Houle (Can) Astana Pro Team | 00:00:15 |
| 15 | Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Arkea-Samsic | 00:00:15 |
| 16 | Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ | 00:00:15 |
| 17 | Quentin Pacher (Fra) B&B Hotels-Vital Concept | 00:00:15 |
| 18 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain McLaren | 00:00:15 |
| 19 | Omar Fraile Matarranz (Spa) Astana Pro Team | 00:00:15 |
| 20 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:00:15 |
| 21 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team | 00:00:15 |
| 22 | Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis | 00:00:15 |
| 23 | Sergio Andres Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Pro Cycling | 00:00:15 |
| 24 | Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:00:15 |
| 25 | Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:00:15 |
| 26 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma | 00:00:15 |
| 27 | Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:00:15 |
| 28 | Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:00:15 |
| 29 | Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma | 00:00:15 |
| 30 | Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno (Col) Astana Pro Team | 00:00:15 |
| 31 | Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis | 00:00:15 |
| 32 | Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Bahrain McLaren | 00:00:15 |
| 33 | Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain McLaren | 00:00:15 |
| 34 | Nairo Quintana (Col) Team Arkea-Samsic | 00:00:15 |
| 35 | Esteban Chaves (Col) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:00:15 |
| 36 | Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Pro Cycling | 00:00:15 |
| 37 | Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Pro Cycling | 00:00:15 |
| 38 | Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Team Sunweb | 00:00:15 |
| 39 | Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo | 00:00:15 |
| 40 | Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:00:15 |
| 41 | Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:00:15 |
| 42 | David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ | 00:00:15 |
| 43 | Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:00:15 |
| 44 | Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Astana Pro Team | 00:00:15 |
| 45 | Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 00:00:15 |
| 46 | Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) Team Sunweb | 00:00:15 |
| 47 | Luis León Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team | 00:00:15 |
| 48 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Deceuninck-Quickstep | 00:00:15 |
| 49 | Wout van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma | 00:00:15 |
| 50 | Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis | 00:00:15 |
| 51 | Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:00:15 |
| 52 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-Quickstep | 00:00:25 |
| 53 | Jack Bauer (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:00:25 |
| 54 | Lennard Kämna (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | 00:00:25 |
GC after stage 13
| 1 | Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma | 61:03:00 |
| 2 | Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates | 00:00:44 |
| 3 | Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:00:59 |
| 4 | Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Pro Cycling | 00:01:10 |
| 5 | Nairo Quintana (Col) Team Arkea-Samsic | 00:01:12 |
| 6 | Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno (Col) Astana Pro Team | 00:01:31 |
| 7 | Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:01:42 |
| 8 | Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Bahrain McLaren | 00:01:55 |
| 9 | Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo | 00:02:06 |
| 10 | Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:02:54 |
| 11 | Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis | 00:03:14 |
| 12 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma | 00:04:32 |
| 13 | Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers | 00:05:11 |
| 14 | Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:06:22 |
| 15 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain McLaren | 00:07:02 |
| 16 | Sergio Andres Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Pro Cycling | 00:26:12 |
| 17 | Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Arkea-Samsic | 00:27:11 |
| 18 | Pierre Rolland (Fra) B&B Hotels-Vital Concept | 00:34:07 |
| 19 | Sepp Kuss (USA) Team Jumbo-Visma | 00:34:16 |
| 20 | Esteban Chaves (Col) Mitchelton-Scott | 00:36:09 |
| 21 | Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team | 00:37:53 |
| 22 | Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Astana Pro Team | 00:40:13 |
| 23 | Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain McLaren | 00:42:56 |
| 24 | Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R la Mondiale | 00:44:37 |
| 25 | Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | 00:52:48 |
| 26 | Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ | 00:59:19 |
| 27 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-Quickstep | 01:00:23 |
| 28 | Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ | 01:01:49 |
| 29 | Wout van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma | 01:04:52 |
| 30 | George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo-Visma | 01:07:21 |
JOHN TREVORROW is a multiple Australian champion road racer and Olympian who has been doing media commentary at the Tour de France for more than 20 years.
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