Fraile wins in puncher Mende in a breathless final, Stuyven 3rd

Omar Fraile (Astana Pro Team) won Saturday the 14th stage of the Tour de France. After 188 km between Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Mende, the Spaniard has won alone in front of the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) and the Belgian Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo). Our compatriot was still in the lead at the start of the climb up the Côte de la Croix Neuve, 4.5 km from the finish.

In a stage favorable to the fighters, the peloton split up from the start in four groups. After twenty kilometers, a leading group of 32 riders took off. Several Belgians took part in this breakaway: Greg van Avermaet (BMC), Philippe Gilbert, Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Floors), Julien Vermote (Dimension Data), Thomas de Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) ) and Thomas Degand (Wanty-Gobert)

The fumbles took long minutes ahead of the pack led by the Sky. Spain's Gorka Izaguirre was the first to break out of the breakaway group and topped the category 2 pbad of the Berthel Cross 59 kilometers from the finish. He was then joined in the downhill by Belgian Jasper Stuyven and Dutchman Tom-Jelte Slagter

Stuyven was then alone in the lead and counted 40 seconds ahead of the duo 31km from the arrival. The pursuit group shrank over the kilometers as the 26-year-old Trek-Segafredo rider advanced to almost two minutes. The Louvanist then began a remote duel with Philippe Gilbert trying to give rhythm to the group of pursuers.

In the coast of the Croix-Neuve (3 km climb to 10.2%), whose summit is located 1.5 km from the finish, Thomas De Gendt came out of the group against in the first slopes. Omar Fraile (Astana) reapplied quickly and went alone in pursuit of Jasper Stuyven before releasing it. The polka dot jersey Julian Alaphilippe then attacked three kilometers from the finish and returned to Stuyven. The duo failed to prevent the Spaniard from winning alone.

Welshman Geraint Thomas (Sky) kept the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Thomas finished at the same time as his teammate and outgoing winner, Britain's Chris Froome, and Dutchman Tom Dumoulin. The trio crossed the line just a few seconds off the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who took the lead in the final climb.