Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Michal Kwiatkowski stayed with the yellow jersey group as long as he could in the 204.5km Stage 19 of the Tour de France on Friday. The stage featured two HC climbs early on, and a Cat 2. climb along with two Cat. 1 climbs before descending into the finish.
As attacks flew late in the stage starting with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) out of the peloton — which was about nine minutes back from race leader Rui Costa (Movistar) — the top GC riders accelerated to bridge to him and John Gadret (AG2R - La Mondiale). Kwiatkowski was unable to keep up with the pace of the peloton, but had teammate Peter Velits with him to help get him the best finishing time possible. Kwiatkowski finished 37th, and preserved a top 10 placing in the GC.
Costa went on to win the stage solo, with chasers Andreas Kloden and Jan Bakelants of Radioshack-Leopard placing 2nd and 3rd. Despite some late race attacks by some of the top 5 in the GC late in the stage, all the leaders finished together.
Tony Martin made an original lead group that attacked the peloton, but as the kilometers passed, he was unable to keep pace.
OPQS looks next to a 125km Stage 20 on Saturday.
"I think everybody feels it, this stage," Kwiatkowski said. "200km, 6 hours on the bike, rain at the end. So, about 40 riders in the breakaway was not easy for everyone. I think whoever finished deserves congratulations. On my own, I had support from my teammates the whole stage. I was dropped about 4km before the top of the last climb. We just took our own pace because for me it's better to not go over my limit. Otherwise I know it can be difficult to finish the stage and I can pay even tomorrow with my ambitions. We lost some time to the best riders, but anyway, I defended my time position in the GC so tomorrow is a less hard day and we're looking forward."
"It was a difficult stage for everyone," Velits said. "The plan was to stay with Michal so we could try to help him in case of any problems. So, we stuck to the plan, it worked out, and we're really happy he's still Top 10. Tomorrow we will do our best to hold him there and if we do, it will be a good result."