2015 Tour de France Stage 16 Results & Recap
Stage 16 of the 2015 Tour de France is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Plaza gives Lampre-Merida a win in Gap
Ruben Plaza (Lampre Merida) soloed to the win on stage 16 of the Tour de France into Gap after jumping clear of the day’s main break on the final climb of the Col de Manse.
The Spanish veteran attacked from a group that included Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) who gave chase with a nail-biting descent but once again had to settle for second on the stage with the consolation of extending his advantage in the Green Jersey competition. Jarlinson Pantano (I AM Cycling) finished the stage in third place.
Plaza, once implicated but later cleared in the Operación Puerto, timed his attack to perfection on the Col de Manse, allowing for his breakaway companions to soften each other up. After Sagan closed down one of number of initial moves, Plaza slipped clear as the gradient began to bite.
Despite a block headwind on the climb Plaza was able to open up a minute’s advantage by the time he crested the summit as nine remaining men from the break cancelled each other out.
On the technical, even dangerous descent Plaza held his nerve, although there brief flashbacks to Joseba Beloki’s fall in here 2003 when the Lampre climber locked his wheels on a righthand corner. However he remained upright and despite a valiant, and hugely impressive descent from Sagan, Plaza was able to hang on for the win.
"It was very difficult to get to the finish of the stage today, for the stage victory," Plaza said. "I felt pretty good in the breakaway today, and everyone was working pretty well together. This was a stage that had interested me. Thank you very much to my team."
Thomas has a scare but keeps 6th in GC
In the battle for the yellow jersey Chris Froome (Team Sky) retained his lead over his main rivals despite pressure from Alberto Contador’s Tinkoff Saxo team on the final climb. The Spaniard attempted to isolate Froome but the climb offered little in the way of opportunity when it came to incline or serious length. Only Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) lost time and dropped out of the top ten.
However a more frenetic race took place on the descent with Vincenzo Nibali reminding everyone that class may be permanent rather than temporary. The Italian cut loose and avoided the danger that followed when Warren Barguil picked the wrong line on the same corner that almost did in Plaza.
The Giant-Shimano rider, riding in the yellow jersey group, managed to correct his trajectory but only at the cost Geraint Thomas, into whom he abruptly collided. The Welshman was sent flying off the road and into a ditch with a lamppost the first bit of road furniture to break his speed. However it was Thomas’ head that made the first contact with the structure and hearts were in mouths as the race awaited news of his condition.
The GC contenders rightly carried on and Nibali was able to gain a few seconds on Froome’s group. When race radio finally confirmed that Thomas was upright and only forty seconds in arrears the entire race could breathe a sign of relief.
"I'm alright, I'm a bit shaken up but fine. I've had a lot worse," Thomas said to Eurosport later. "It's frustrating, I tried so hard to get over the climb, I don't know why some guys just sit where you are on the descent. What's the difference between fifth and third. Just get down the descent. Everyone knows it's a tough descent."
Get our full coverage of the Tour de France and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
