Romain Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale has won stage eighteen of the 102nd Tour De France.
Another day in the Alps and a stage of seven climbs, too many for Mark Cavendish, who likened the red dots in the roadbook to chickenpox, in a 186.5km stage from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne for race leader Chris Froome and the 161 other riders left in the race.
MTN Qhubeka’s Louis Meintjes, forced out by illnees, was the only rider not to start a stage which saw the first climb of the day come after only 6.5kms.
That was the col Bayard and Pierre Rolland (Europcar) was straight on the attack and soon joined by Joaquim "Purito" Rodriguez (Katusha) who took the points on the climb and Julian Arredondo (Trek).
Jacob Fuglsang and Thibaut Pinot were able to join those in the front as did another fourteen riders in Bardet, Bakelants, Kreuziger, Rogers, Anacona, Caruso, Dennis, De Gendt, Preidler, Simon Yates, Gautier, Gène, Voeckler and Dan Martin of Cannondale-Garmin before another ten riders bridged over and we had a twenty nine strong group out front after twelve kilometres.
This group which comprised of Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Romain Bardet, Jan Bakelants and Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Roman Kreuziger and Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo), Jonathan Castroviejo and Winner Anacona (Movistar), Damiano Caruso and Rohan Dennis (BMC), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Georg Preidler (Giant), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Michael Matthews and Simon Yates (Orica), Pierre Rolland, Cyril Gautier, Romain Sicard and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Julian Arredondo and Bob Jungels (Trek), Ruben Plaza (Lampre-Merida), Andrew Talansky, Ryder Hesjedal and Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin), Stef Clement (IAM), Jan Barta (Bora), Serge Pauwels (MTN-Qhubeka), took a lead of 2.20 after 23kms.
At the top of Rampe du Motty on the Route Napoleon and the lead was out to 4.50 before Joaquim Rodriguez took the points on the côte de La Mure to bring him level with Chris Froome’s tally of 61 points.
Rodriquez took the lead in the polka dot jersey competition with two points on the Col de Malissol.
Mark Renshaw of Etixx Quick Step abandoned as the gap went out to four minutes with eighty kilometres gone.
Onto the Col de la Morte which had a climb of 3.1kms with a gradient of 8.4% and Rodriquez took the five points to give him 68 points in the KOM competition, ahead of Fuglsang, Preidler and Riblon.
It was then onto the intermediate sprint at Riougeroux and with the peloton split into three groups with Points leader Peter Sagan in a group, some 4.45 back, Thomas De Gendt took the sprint points.
The peloton were 2.10 down as they started on the hors category Col du Glendon which had a climb of 21.7kms.
With 58 kilometres left, there was only eleven riders in Fuglsang, Bardet, Pinot, Anacona, Caruso, Rodriguez, Rolland, Gautier, Jungels, Talansky and Pauwels left in the front group and riders like Dan Martin back with the Team Sky in the peloton who were 3.18 down.
Alberto Contador put in an attack and joined Barguil and Frank, who were chasing the eleven out front that were 2.16 ahead with just over forty one kilometres of the stage to race.
Fuglsang went down after being clipped by a motor bike before Romain Bardet was first over the Col du Glendon, taking the twenty five points ahead of Winner Ancona, whilst back down the D296, Chris Froome supported by Geraint Thomas had caught up to Contador.
Bardet was knocking up speeds of 70kmh on the D927 road which was part of the descent for twenty kilometres.
The AG2R Rider was twenty seconds clear going onto the D74 at Saint Marie de Cuines before he took the final climb of the day – the Lacets de Montvernier, which was a series of inclines and hair pin bends.
Cyril Gautier was doing his best to bring up Bob Jungels and Pierre Rolland who were 38 seconds behind with twelve kilometres left.
Bardet was first over the climb started on the D77 with ten kilometres to the finish line in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne with Pierre Rolland now chasing him, some 44 seconds back.
Bardet, the most combative rider of the day took it steady round the final few turns and rode to a victory in 5.02.40 with Pierre Rolland of Europcar in second place and Winner Anacona in third ahead of Jungels, Fuglsang, Pauwels and Gautier
Chris Froome finished 3.03 back to keep his lead in the race for another day.
"A very tricky start today," said Bardet, who moves up to tenth on GC. "Everyone is tired so it was tough and I just had enough energy to get to the finish line and I am delighted. "Getting in the breakaway was really hard and I wanted to be in mix at the end so I had to go through the pain. It was like being in a football stadium as I rode to the finish line today."