Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Sylvain Chavanel seized the opportunity for a potential stage victory in the brutal, exhausting, 242.5km Stage 15 of Tour de France on Sunday. It was the mountain stage of the 100th Tour de France many were waiting for, with the 20.8km, 7.5% HC climb at the end of the stage almost guaranteed to produce fireworks in the peloton. Sylvain Chavanel tried his best on the final climb, even maintaining a 1'28" gap with just 15.1km to go.
However, the attacks from the peloton soon followed. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) eventually both passed Chavanel to take the race lead with 9.8km to go and a 45" gap. Meanwhile, Sky ProCycling riders Richie Porte and Chris Froome in the leaders jersey continued a high tempo pursuit, and eventually only Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) was able to keep pace.
Froome decided with 7km to go it was time to chase down the leaders, dropping both Porte and Contador. Quintana had also dropped Nieve with just a 15" gap left. Froome caught Quintana and initially dropped him with 6.5km to go, but Quintana quickly caught back on. The two remained ahead until the final few kilometers. Froome accelerated in the saddle and went on to win the stage by about 30" and extend his GC lead on the other riders. Nieve was 3rd.
"I'm happy because I was the most aggressive rider on Bastille Day," Chavanel said. "In the first two hours we were riding really at a high pace. We had a good gap, but not enough to try to go for the win. We needed to have seven or eight minutes at the foot of the Mont Ventoux to arrive. It's a pity because I think I was one of the strongest guys in the front group. But today I rode also for the public and for the spectacle. It was unbelievable to hear all the supporters on the road cheering for me and for the riders in general. I hope to have given them a good day at the Tour. In the next days we will see what I can do. The course is not exactly for me, we go into the mountains but, you never know."
Michal Kwiatkowski was the top finisher for OPQS, in 18th place.
"Today I finally met with this Mont Ventoux — I was waiting for this stage," Kwiatkowski said. "It was unbelievable. The public on the climb the rhythm of the race. It's something I won't forget for a long time because it was really something epic. Concerning my performance, I tried to stick with the peloton as normally as I could. Actually, at the beginning I was pretty OK but of course when they accelerated I wasn't able to stay with the best. For me, it's also important to improve a little bit on the climbs. Doing these kinds of races are where you can improve. You can really understand what is your level and work on it to improve again. Now I am 10th in the GC. It will probably be hard to defend the position in the next week, but as we say within the team, 'never give up.' I will try my best and it is most important to end the Tour with a great experience, and without any regrets."
OPQS looks next to a rest day on Monday.
Chavanel's strong performance is one of many in the last two weeks for OPQS — particularly four victories, with the last being the Stage 14 win of 23-year-old Matteo Trentin. The team also finished in the Top 5 in all stages but two so far.
