Greig Leach

Eventually, Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx Quickstep) was able to drop everyone who had tried to hold the World Road Racing Champion's wheel and head up the Plateau du Beille on his own. Behind him this trio led by Roaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and including Jakob Fulgsang (Astana) and the recovering Romain Bardet (AG2R), hoped to be able to chase back up to the fleeing Polish rider. On a flat road, three riders working together should always be able to catch a lone man, but on the extend 8% climb of the final climb of the day the advantage of numbers fades away. It can be stunning just how bad one day can be for someone like Bardet, and then how much better they can feel the following day. However, in the days of rampant doping in the peloton, it was a little easier to understand how it could happen.