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Reducing the Group T18-75
With such a large group off of the front, some of the riders get frustrated with others not doing their share of work. The easiest way to correct the problem in a large group is to attack them on a climb. That is just what Gorka Izaguirre (Bahrain-Merida), the Spanish National Champion, did. He was joined near the summit of the Col du Pont sans Eau by Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo). Slagter was the one to get over the climb first, where he pressed on his advantage for another 46 kilometers hoping to solo to victory in Mende.
Apparently, the fans had been shamed about what had happened on Alpe d'Huez where a fan's camera caught the handlebars of Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida) and threw him to the tramac. He got up and finished the stage, but then learn he had broken a vertabrae in the crash. Today the fans stood well back from the riders and enjoyed the racing without influencing it.