Second on stage 13 in Chamrousse, Tour de France debutant Rafal Majka went on the attack again and stayed away from a long lasting escape to claim his first stage victory in Risoul while Vincenzo Nibali again showed his dominance and as he crossed the finish line in second place putting more time into all of his GC rivals.
While Majka, Nibali and French riders Peraud, Pinot, and Bardet all had an exceptional day (even Frank Schleck came in 10th), it wasn’t the case for all the top names. Alejandro Valverde had shifting troubles after Pinot’s front wheel went into his rear derailleur and he conceded another minute to Nibali, putting him 4:37 behind in second place. Richie Porte wasn’t his regular self again and revealed that he’s been suffering from a chest infection and has been taking antibiotics.
If only Froome and Contador were here we’d have one heck of a spectacle of racing to watch, but chapeau to Nibali for getting to this point unscathed and being on top form to be able to finish off the job.
Read the full race report and results from Stage 14 of the 2014 Tour de France here.
Enjoy the photos from stage 14 courtesy of BrakeThrough Media (follow on Instagram and Twitter) and Cor Vos.
- Jakob Fuglsang rode an exceptional stage today after falling hard yesterday on a descent when he hit Jurgen Van den Broeck’s bidon that popped out into his path.
- Joaquim Rodriguez took back the polka-dot jersey today but he also saw stage winner Rafal Majka emerge as a potential threat. “The stage began very fast with a lot of attacks,” he said. “I tried to be in the front from the beginning because I wanted to go in the break and I did it. My main objective was to collect as many points as possible to earn back the mountain jersey. “It was a hard stage. I saw that Majka was in good shape today. He was close in every top finish but I didn’t think someone from the break could stay away until the end because the group was really close and at the beginning of the climb we only had one minute. For my part I did everything I could on the climb and I fought for the possible victory until the end. But this climb was not perfect for me. I hope in the Pyrenees the climbs will suit me more. My aim is to fight for the jersey.”
- Richie Porte revealed today, “I’ve not been feeling 100% so I’ve gone on antibiotics to try and knock the infection on the head. I’ve been feeling it on my lungs and haven’t been breathing well. “It’s really disappointing, especially as this was my first real chance to show what I could do in the Tour. All the guys have been riding so strongly for me but this bug has really taken it out of me, and it’s just one of those things unfortunately. I’m going to take things day by day but I really want to complete the Tour and hopefully I’ll be able to make it to Paris.”
- Majka was a last minute substitution for Roman Kreuziger after he was sidelined because of biological passport issue.
- Majka finished 6th overall in the Giro d’Italia this year and got his first Tour de France stage win today. He said after the race, “This is the first victory of my career. I am always second and third, and today I knew I needed to attack, because if I didn’t attack they would only beat me in the final. I needed to fight and I won. I think my form is coming up. After the Giro I had a good rest and now my form is going up and I feel good for the next stage.”
- Having struggled in the mountains, Jurgen Van Den Broeck lost almost five minutes and dropped to 11th in the general classification. “I had no legs today,” he said. “My rivals rode away on the final climb and I just didn’t have the legs to follow them. I really sucks. It is over. “Maybe I was too good in the Dauphiné and wanted to prove myself too much. I really thought I was back, but apparently I’m not yet there. I feel guilty now, but with these legs I can’t to anything.”
- Cheng Ji, the only Chinese rider at the Tour this year, came in 160th today, nearly 28 minutes behind the winning time.
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- Oleg Tinkov and Bjarne Riis with a change of mood at the team bus that was in clear contrast to the solemn air surrounding the team after Contador withdrew. A jovial Riis said after Majka’s win, “I think he is a happy little b**ard right now,” he laughed. “He is fantastic. That was a big number today, a really great victory. He has been sitting out there the whole day, pulling in the wind and everything, and still able to have 35 seconds at the bottom and keep it until the finish…that is something big.”