Ramunas Navardauskas was rewarded for a late escape with a win on the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France.
Making his mark: Ramunas Navardauskas made history on Friday as he became the first Lithuanian to win a stage of the Tour de France. Photo: AP
Navardauskas held off a peloton splintered by crashes on a treacherous finale to the 208.5-kilometre route from Maubourguet Pays du Val d’Adour to claim victory for Garmin-Sharp.
The torrential rain in the Dordogne region aided the Lithuanian’s chances as Navardauskas achieved what his team-mate Jack Bauer could not last Sunday in finishing first ahead of the sprinters.
John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) led home a small bunch, with Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), the man who caught Bauer in Nimes, third.
Vincenzo Nibali, whose lead remained at 7min 10sec, will have to wait for his coronation, while the final battle to join him on the podium takes place in Saturday’s penultimate day time-trial, the 54km from Bergerac to Perigueux.
Sunday’s final day is traditionally a procession before a circuit race on the Champs-Elysees contested by the sprinters. – The Telegraph
View the results here.
