Ewan sprints to victory on stage 16 of the Tour de France: Daily News Digest
Welcome to your Daily News Digest. Here’s what’s happening today:
Caleb Ewan sprints to his second victory of this Tour de France on stage 16, Jakob Fuglsang crashes out of the race, Vincenzo Nibali says he was planning to hunt stages at the Tour before his team asked him to focus on the GC. Those stories and more in today’s Daily News Digest.
Story of the Day: Caleb Ewan sprints to his second stage win of this year’s Tour de France
Caleb Ewan took his second stage victory of this year’s Tour de France on Tuesday’s stage 16. The 25-year-old Australian out-sprinted Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) in Nimes.
“To be honest I felt so bad today during the day. I think the heat really got to me,” Ewan said after his win. “I was suffering so much I almost told Max [Monfort] to get off the front. But I had extra motivation today. My daughter and my wife were here so I was so happy I could win for them.”
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) finished safely in the peloton to retain his overall race lead.
More to come…
Socially Speaking
It’s hot in the south of France this week, so riders have to do whatever they can to stay hydrated.
???? Hydration is key today ! ????
???? La clef, aujourd'hui, c'est l'hydratation ! ???? #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/farIzszOm2
— Tour de France
(@LeTour) July 23, 2019
Race Radio
Fuglsang abandons the Tour de France
Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) is out of the 2019 Tour de France after crashing with some 30 kilometers to go in stage 16.
The 34-year-old Dane was sitting ninth overall when he went down, amid what has been the biggest year of his career so far. He entered the Tour among the top favorites to take yellow on the heels of big results at races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Jakob Fuglsang at the Tour de France. Photo: ©kramon
Unfortunately, his crash and a resulting injury – still to be determined as Fuglsang heads to the hospital for evaluation – have ended his Tour early, marking the second time in three years that Fuglsang has had to register a DNF in the event.
Nibali: Bahrain-Merida asked me to contend for GC
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) had some interesting things to say in an interview with Corriere della Sera. The 2014 Tour de France winner told the Italian newspaper that his Bahrain-Merida team had asked him to focus on the GC at this year’s race even though he had planned otherwise.
“I came to hunt a few stages. I’m not able to do two consecutive Grand Tours as a leader,” said Nibali, who finished second at the Giro d’Italia in May. “The team asked me to try for the general classification. I obeyed.”
Nibali also suggested that the team’s leadership structure could be better organized.
“It is not a simple situation, a guide is missing,” he said. “In cycling you need a unique leader who understands cycling. I’ve had three: [Giancarlo] Ferretti, [Roberto] Amadio, [Alexandre] Vinokourov. It worked.”
Coming Up at the Tour
Stage 17 will take the Tour de France to Gap, gateway to the Alps.
As usual for a Tour stage into Gap, it features an intermediate profile that will favor either the opportunists in an early break or the more versatile riders in the pack.
In case you missed it …
Feature Image: Caleb Ewan wins stage 16 of the Tour de France. Photo: Dion Kerckhoffs/Cor Vos © 2019
The post Ewan sprints to victory on stage 16 of the Tour de France: Daily News Digest appeared first on CyclingTips.