Publications
Partners
Carcassonne - Danish race debutant Magnus Cort Nielsen handed Astana their second consecutive victory when he won the 15th stage of the Tour de France in Carcassonne on Sunday.
Welshman Geraint Thomas, of Sky, maintained his 1:39 race lead over teammate and compatriot Chris Froome after a 181.5km ride from Millau in which the yellow jersey holder's rivals tried, but failed to launch a challenge.
Thomas and the main peloton soaked up futile attacks from Irishman Dan Martin (UAE) and Rafa Majka (Bora) before crossing the finish line just over 13 minutes in arrears on what, for them, was a comparatively easy stage ahead of Monday's rest day.
"I've been feeling pretty good. Days like today are always a bit funny because you don't really want to push. You want to recover as much as possible," said Thomas.
The 32-year-old Welshman, however, refused to speculate on whether he, and not Froome, will lead their charge over the following, decisive stages into the Pyrenees mountains.
"No honestly, I'm not thinking about that," added Thomas.
"I'm taking each day as it comes. I'm looking forward to the rest day, then the next stage, the next climb, and just keep on doing what we're doing."
Astana, meanwhile, took full advantage of what was set to be a transition stage ahead of three tough days in the Pyrenees starting from Tuesday.
Nielsen was one two Astana riders who fought hard to get in a breakaway group of 29 riders, along with compatriot Michael Valgren.
And when it came to the final kilometres, the race debutant seized the day.
Nielsen first underlined his ambitions 8km from the finish when he quickly countered Italian Domenico Pozzovivo's effort to break clear.
And two kilometres further on, Nielsen was quick to join Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek) and Jon Izagirre (Bahrain) when they left five of their breakaway companions behind.
A lack of cooperation in their wake meant the trio were allowed to build an insurmountable advantage over the closing kilometres.
But Nielsen, 25, was simply unbeatable after launching his sprint just under 300m from the finish, where Izagirre finished second and Mollema third.
"I knew I had the legs to win, and that I would be fastest at the line, but I still kept some powder dry in case," said the 25-year-old Dane.
It is Astana's second consecutive win on the race after Spaniard Omar Fraile capped an audacious attack on the final climb of stage 14 to triumph in Mende.
But both Fraile and Nielsen could now be called upon to put their personal ambitions aside to help their podium contender, Jakob Fuglsang, who is ninth overall at 6:14.
"We made the decision to target stage wins in these past two days, but trying to keep Jakob up as high as possible in the general classification is our priority," said Nielsen.
After Monday's rest day, the race resumes when the 16th stage takes the peloton from Carcassone over five categorised climbs and 218km to the downhill finish in Bagneres-De-Luchon.
Results from the 15th stage of Tour de France, a 181.5km ride from Millau to Carcassonne on Sunday:
1. Magnus Nielsen (DEN/AST) 181.5 km in 4hr 25min 52sec
(average: 41,1 km/h)
2. Jon Izagirre (ESP/BAH) at 0
3. Bauke Mollema (NED/TRE) 2
4. Michael Andersen (DEN/AST) 29
5. Toms Skujinš (LAT/TRE) 34
6. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA/BAH) 34
7. Lilian Calmejane (FRA/DEN) 34
8. Rafal Majka (POL/BOR) 37
9. Nikias Arndt (GER/SUN) 2:31
10. Julien Bernard (FRA/TRE) 2:31
11. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL/BMC) 2:31
12. Niki Terpstra (NED/QST) 2:31
13. Daniele Bennati (ITA/MOV) 2:31
14. Fabien Grellier (FRA/DEN) 2:31
15. Pawel Poljanski (POL/BOR) 2:31
16. Amaël Moinard (FRA/FST) 2:31
17. Daryl Impey (RSA/MIT) 2:31
18. Romain Sicard (FRA/DEN) 2:31.
19. Daniel Martínez (COL/EFD) 2:31.
20. José Herrada Lopez (ESP/COF) 2:31.
21. Damien Howson (AUS/MIT) 2:31.
22. Serge Pauwels (BEL/DDT) 2:31.
23. Arthur Vichot (FRA/FDJ) 2:31.
24. Marc Soler (ESP/MOV) 6:07.
25. Florian Vachon (FRA/FST) 8:13.
26. Imanol Erviti (ESP/MOV) 8:13.
27. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL/SKY) 13:11.
28. Gianni Moscon (ITA/SKY) 13:11.
29. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 13:11.
30. Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP/SKY) 13:11.
31. Egan Bernal (COL/SKY) 13:11.
32. Rudy Molard (FRA/FDJ) 13:11.
33. Dion Smith (NZL/WGG) 13:11.
34. Geraint Thomas (GBR/SKY) 13:11.
35. Simon Geschke (GER/SUN) 13:11.
36. Tom Dumoulin (NED/SUN) 13:11.
37. Tanel Kangert (EST/AST) 13:11.
38. Soren Kragh Andersen (DEN/SUN) 13:11.
39. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 13:11.
40. Nicolas Edet (FRA/COF) 13:11.
41. Damiano Caruso (ITA/BMC) 13:11.
42. Mikel Landa (ESP/MOV) 13:11.
43. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 13:11.
44. Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 13:11.
45. Jesper Hansen (DEN/AST) 13:11.
46. Pierre Rolland (FRA/EFD) 13:11.
47. Pierre-Roger Latour (FRA/ALM) 13:11.
48. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/QST) 13:11.
49. Kristijan Durasek (CRO/EAU) 13:11.
50. Marco Minnaard (NED/WGG) 13:11.
51. Guillaume Martin (FRA/WGG) 13:11.
52. Mathias Frank (SUI/ALM) 13:11.
53. Steven Kruijswijk (NED/LNL) 13:11.
54. Ilnur Zakarin (RUS/KAT) 13:11.
55. Silvan Dillier (SUI/ALM) 13:11.
56. Robert Gesink (NED/LNL) 13:11.
57. Oliver Naesen (BEL/ALM) 13:11.
58. Antwan Tolhoek (NED/LNL) 13:11.
59. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) 13:11.
60. Daniel Martin (IRL/EAU) 13:11.
61. Omar Fraile (ESP/AST) 13:11.
62. Primož Roglic (SLO/LNL) 13:11.
63. Tejay Van Garderen (USA/BMC) 13:11.
64. Bob Jungels (LUX/QST) 13:11.
65. Audrey Amador (CRC/MOV) 13:11.
66. Daniel Navarro (ESP/COF) 13:11.
67. Wout Poels (NED/SKY) 13:11.
68. Warren Barguil (FRA/FST) 13:11.
69. David Gaudu (FRA/FDJ) 13:11.
70. Franco Pellizotti (ITA/BAH) 13:11.
71. Gorka Izagirre (ESP/BAH) 13:11.
72. Adam Yates (GBR/MIT) 13:11.
73. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/DEN) 13:11.
74. Peter Sagan (SVK/BOR) 13:11.
75. Mikel Nieve (ESP/MIT) 15:40.
76. Laurens ten Dam (NED/SUN) 15:40.
77. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA/BAH) 15:40.
78. Maxime Bouet (FRA/FST) 15:40.
79. Timothy Dupont (BEL/WGG) 17:55.
80. Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE/FDJ) 17:55.
81. Michael Schär (SUI/BMC) 17:55.
82. Nils Politt (GER/KAT) 17:55.
83. Timo Roosen (NED/LNL) 17:55.
84. Chad Haga (USA/SUN) 17:55.
85. Paul Martens (GER/LNL) 17:55.
86. Stefan Kung (SUI/BMC) 17:55.
87. Pavel Kochetkov (RUS/KAT) 17:55.
88. Ian Boswell (USA/KAT) 17:55.
89. Thomas Degand (BEL/WGG) 17:55.
90. Luke Durbridge (AUS/MIT) 17:55.
91. Koen de Kort (NED/TRE) 17:55.
92. Tomasz Marczynski (POL/LOT) 17:55.
93. Andrea Pasqualon (ITA/WGG) 17:55.
94. Darwin Atapuma (COL/EAU) 17:55.
95. Simon Clarke (AUS/EFD) 17:55.
96. Rory Sutherland (AUS/EAU) 17:55.
97. Thomas Boudat (FRA/DEN) 17:55.
98. Jasper Stuyven (BEL/TRE) 17:55.
99. Edward Theuns (BEL/SUN) 17:55.
100. Kévin Ledanois (FRA/FST) 17:55.
101. Romain Hardy (FRA/FST) 17:55.
102. Elie Gesbert (FRA/FST) 17:55.
103. Yoann Offredo (FRA/WGG) 17:55.
104. Anthony Perez (FRA/COF) 18:01.
105. Thomas De Gendt (BEL/LOT) 21:44.
106. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (BEL/WGG) 21:44.
107. Simon Gerrans (AUS/BMC) 21:44.
108. Julien Vermote (BEL/DDT) 22:17.
109. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT/BOR) 23:36.
110. Michael Gogl (AUT/TRE) 23:36.
111. Anthony Turgis (FRA/COF) 23:36.
112. Oliviero Troia (ITA/EAU) 23:36.
113. Laurent Pichon (FRA/FST) 23:36.
114. Dimitri Claeys (BEL/COF) 23:36.
115. Matthew Hayman (AUS/MIT) 23:36.
116. Marco Marcato (ITA/EAU) 23:36.
117. Daniel Oss (ITA/BOR) 23:36.
118. Tom Scully (NZL/EFD) 23:36.
119. Jay Thomson (RSA/DDT) 23:36.
120. Michael Hepburn (AUS/MIT) 23:36.
121. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA/DDT) 23:36.
122. Olivier Le Gac (FRA/FDJ) 23:36.
123. Tim Declercq (BEL/QST) 23:36.
124. Jasper De Buyst (BEL/LOT) 23:36.
125. Jelle Vanendert (BEL/LOT) 23:36.
126. Yves Lampaert (BEL/QST) 23:36.
127. Taylor Phinney (USA/EFD) 23:36.
128. Christophe Laporte (FRA/COF) 23:36.
129. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR/DDT) 23:36.
130. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/EAU) 23:36.
131. Ramon Sinkeldam (NED/FDJ) 23:36.
132. John Degenkolb (GER/TRE) 23:36.
133. Roberto Ferrari (ITA/EAU) 23:36.
134. Arnaud Démare (FRA/FDJ) 23:36.
135. Lukas Pöstlberger (AUT/BOR) 23:36.
136. Kristjan Koren (SLO/BAH) 23:36.
137. Damien Gaudin (FRA/DEN) 23:36.
138. Maciej Bodnar (POL/BOR) 23:36.
139. Marcus Burghardt (GER/BOR) 23:36.
140. Jacopo Guarnieri (ITA/FDJ) 23:36.
141. Maximiliano Richeze (ARG/QST) 23:36.
142. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/QST) 23:36.
143. Jack Bauer (NZL/MIT) 23:36.
144. Julien Simon (FRA/COF) 23:36.
145. Heinrich Haussler (AUS/BAH) 23:36.
146. Luke Rowe (GBR/SKY) 23:36.
147. Sep Vanmarcke (BEL/EFD) 23:36.
148. Amund Grondahl Jansen (NOR/LNL) 23:36.
149. Lawson Craddock (USA/EFD) 23:36.
150. Tom Slagter (NED/DDT) 23:36.
151. Jérôme Cousin (FRA/DEN) 23:36.
