Peter Sagan has effectively conceded the Tour de France points classification, saying he had done all he could to win today's stage 19 of the race and congratulating Sam Bennett on his green jersey win.
Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) made it into the winning breakaway today on the road to Champagnole, though he was joined in the move by Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep).
The third man who had raced himself into contention in the points classification, Matteo Trentin (CCC Team), was also in the 12-man breakaway.
In the closing 15km the group fractured and seven riders pressed ahead, leaving the green jersey contenders behind. At the finish, Bennett took the sprint for 8th from Sagan and Trentin.
That meant more points for the Irish rider over his rivals after he had also beaten them, and gained points on them, at the intermediate sprint earlier in the stage.
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Sagan said after the stage he had tried everything to win
today and would try again on Sunday, but extended his congratulations to
Bennett, effectively accepting the classification was now over as a contest.
“I tried in every way possible today to go for the win
and the team did its best to make that option happen,” Sagan said of a
brilliant stage.
“When we broke away with about 30km to go, the group grew
to 12 riders and there were four teams I think that had two riders in there.
“As a result, it was impossible for me to respond to all the attacks on my own. Once again, we gave our best and I will certainly give it my all to try and win in Paris. Congratulations to Sam Bennett for his green jersey in this Tour de France.”
Sagan (30), a team mate of Bennett (29) at Bora-hansgrohe up to the end of last year, is a three-time world road race champion and beating him to the green jersey is a huge scalp for the Irish rider.
Sagan has won 12 stages on the Tour, taken the green jersey on the race seven times in the past eight years and has won Paris Roubaix as well as the Tour of Flanders and Gent Wevelgem; the latter three times.
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