Dan Martin fights Col d'Izoard, Nicolas Roche attacks

Warren Barguil takes another brilliant win atop Col d’Izoard. Dan Martin scrapped hard and Nicolas Roche was in attack mode on today’s stage 18.

 

Dan Martin fights Col d’Izoard, Nicolas Roche attacks

 

As has so often been the case at this Tour de France, Nicolas Roche was on the attack again today and Dan Martin was battling the other general classification men.

In the end the huge early breakaway group Roche was in were almost all picked off one by one by the select group.

Only Darwin Atapuma (UAE Emirates) would hang on for 2nd on the day. He finished behind Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb) who would spring from the select group to catch him.

As expected on the 179.5km stage 18 from Briancon to Izoard, there was a great battle up the Col d’Izoard to the summit finish.

Roche would be caught by the group of GC men some 7km from the top of the climb, having been in the 50-man early escape.

And with the majority of the early breakaway swept up at that point, the select group was thinning right down on the final climb.

 

Dan Martin Col d'Izoard Nicolas Roche

Dan Martin Col d'Izoard Nicolas Roche

Dan Martin Col d'Izoard Nicolas Roche

The big GC three finish together. Bardet’s face shows the pain of the Tour de France. The early, huge, escape that Nicolas Roche was in.

 

Team Sky were riding on the front, having taken over from AG2R-La Mondiale’s early pace setting.

A line of Team Sky men was followed by a line of those from the French team. And then sat in the wheels came Martin, Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) and Fabio Aru (Astana).

The group steadily got smaller as the climb continued.

With around 5km remaining of the Col d’Izoard Dan Martin put in a surge on the front and Aru and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) slid out the back.

However, the Irishman eased back after a short period and the Italian and Colombian got back on.

Team Sky then resumed the pace-setting only for Mikel Landa to attack the group of favourites with 3.7km remaining.

This time the damage was serious. Dan Martin went after him but couldn’t keep it going, as behind the group fractured with the Col d’Izoard taking its toll.

About 1km later Landa was still riding off the front of the select group, which had now come back together.

But that lull was broken by a huge attack from 2nd on GC Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) with 2km remaining.

Froome countered and passed him, forcing Bardet and Uran to chase hard on a small downhill section just inside 2km to go.

That trio joined together and caught Landa; all the while closing on Darwin Atapuma (UAE Emirates) and Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb).

With 1km remaining the gap between the leading pair and the chasing four was just a couple of hundred metres.

Sensing the stage win was within his grasp, Barguil dropped Atapuma and pressed on alone.

Meanwhile, Landa continued to drive the group containing Froome, Uran and Bardet, with Dan Martin just seconds behind them.

Bardet would try one last attack in his efforts to gain time on Froome, but it would come to nothing.

Barguil took the stage atop the Col d’Izoard from Atapuma.

And then Bardet, Froome and Uran finished – in that order – just behind; the final mountain stage failing to split them.

Barguil took it by 20 seconds from the battling Atapuma who came home just ahead of Bardet and Froome.

Uran was next, in 5th place, but crucially lost two seconds to Bardet, and another four because of the time bonuses the Frenchman took for 3rd on the stage.

Landa finished 6th, 32 seconds down on the winner and 20 down on Bardet and Froome.

And then came Dan Martin; being distanced again but limiting his losses really well to just 19 seconds on Bardet and Froome.

But while Aru would lose 43 seconds to Martin, the Italian champion remains ahead of him overall.

Top of general standings

Froome leads from Bardet, now by just 23 seconds. And Uran is next six seconds further back.

Then comes Landa, some 1:36 down on Froome. Aru is in 5th place some 1:56 down on Froome.

Dan Martin rounds out the top six overall; 2:56 off yellow and 1:01 off Aru in 5th.

There is then a gap of 1:10 to Simon Yates; the Orica-Scott man having ceded time to the Irish rider today.

Roche would finish 33rd, some 4:59 down and he is now 31st overall.

More to follow.