Tour de France 2018. Hecatomb at the sprinters, a chance for Démare and Laporte?

After the abandonment of Kittel and Cavendish, Gaviria, Greipel and Groenewegen also abandoned the roads of the Tour de France on Thursday. This leaves the field open to Peter Sagan to glean a new green jersey on the Champs-Elysees but can also give ideas to the French Demare and Laporte.

Gaviria, Greipel and Groenewegen give up

The Alps and the heat will have had Because of many sprinters this week: after Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish's late arrivals on Wednesday, André Greipel, Dylan Groenewegen and Fernando Gaviria threw in the towel yesterday before the climb to Alpe-d ' Huez. Rarely the "big thighs" have been so many to flag at the end of the first mountainous mbad.

Arnaud Démare holds the shock

Last year, Arnaud Démare was one of those sprinters to give up. This year, he clings. And remains one of the few finishers still in the race with Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff or Sonny Colbrelli. Arnaud Démare considers himself "really happy, it's a personal pride, admits the Picard. I did not feel so bad but I was still scared for delays. It's a good thing to do because there are a lot of people at home tonight (yesterday). If he holds the shock in the Pyrenees, the French will have the opportunity to win a prestigious victory on the Champs-Elysees.

Sagan greener than ever

With the abandonment of Fernando Gaviria , Peter Sagan lost his most serious competitor for the green jersey points ranking: "It was a difficult step, even for me. I do not remember a stage like this … Yes, I'm ahead for this jersey. But we do not know what can happen by the end of the Tour.

To the fighters to take advantage of it

Today's stage, between Bourg-d'Oisans and Valence, has the profile to arrive at the sprint. "It can be a big bazaar because everyone will want to sprint, anticipates Peter Sagan. On paper, it can happen in the sprint. But it is not certain because it will be difficult to control. Indeed, the teams able to badume the hunt behind the escaped are not so many. With a decimated sprinter board, the odds of the fighters for the transition stages soar.