Alexandr Kristoff of Katusha has won stage 15 of the Tour De France.
A day of no climbs but some lumpy roads on a 222km stage from Tallard to Nîmes saw Martin Elmiger (IAM) and Jack Bauer (Garmin) straight on the attack.
There were bad storms on the finish line but on the road, Martin Elmiger and Jack Bauer were 6.03 ahead with 103kms to go.
In pouring rain, Elmiger was first over the sprint taking twenty points ahead of Bauer and Bryan Croquard of Europcar as headwinds also made conditions exceedingly difficult.
With 33kms to go, Elmiger and Bauer had a lead of 2.03 but as the weather started to improve the gap dropped.
With 8.7kms to go, the front two had a lead of 43 seconds as the peloton led by Lotto Belisol with Team Sky close to the front were on the charge.
The D1899 is a straight road and the peloton used it to get even closer to the two breakers.
Into Nimes and round a section of roundabouts, Tony Martin launched an attack. Attacks were coming all over the road with Bakelandts another to try his luck.
Onto the Rue De La Republique and with the bends completed, the front two were fourteen seconds clear ahead of Giant Shimano.
Tony Martin was chasing before he was caught by the peloton. Elmiger lit it up and Bauer over took him but the peloton caught up to him and in the final thirty metres, Alexandr Kristoff of Katusha took victory in 4.56.42 ahead of Hausseler, Sagan and Greipel.
Nibali leads Valverde going into the rest day by 4.37.
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