GO EDDY
Saturday 14 July / Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Le Cap d’Agde, 217km
ROUTE/ This postcard-picturesque stage is flat – except for Mont St-Clair, 23km from the finish – and relatively untaxing. The heat can be sapping and the Mediterranean crosswinds troublesome. Twice in recent years, splits forced by the wind have caused havoc with the field and general nerves.
THE CHALLENGE/ Bastille Day. The French riders would be out to put on a good show.
HOW IT UNFOLDED/ Michael Morkov went on the attack in the opening kilometres on a quest to win the stage in memory of his father who died five years ago to the day. He helped a group of eight riders – including five Frenchmen seeking glory on Bastille Day – build up an advantage of more than nine minutes. When the peloton closed them down, he charged off on his own with 65km remaining, battling crosswinds that split the bunch behind him.
Morkov was caught 25km from the finish on the solitary climb of the day, the deceptively tough 1.6km ride up Mont St-Clair, as Evans and Van den Broeck attacked Wiggins. The Team Sky leader was in a phalanx with Rogers and Froome though, and the trio maintained a consistent pace, catching Evans and Van den Broeck as they reached the summit.
It is not often you witness the yellow jersey undertake a red-hot lead-out for a colleague – the risk of accidents and injuries in bunch sprints is too great – but that is exactly what Wiggins did for Boasson Hagen into the finishing straight. As he tailed away, the Norwegian pulled ahead before Greipel and Sagan sprinted ahead to the line.
‘Once we knew that Mark Cavendish wasn’t going to come back, everybody said we’d try to do the job for Edvald,’ said Wiggins. ‘We had checked out the finish on video at breakfast and we knew it was a dangerous, fast, final bend, so to be honest, riding up the front was probably the safest place to be. But it was also a chance to help Edvald, a chance to repay a friend of mine for his help.’
Wiggins maintained his advantage and became the first Briton to wear the yellow jersey for a seventh time, breaking the record of Chris Boardman who had the distinction three times in 1994, twice in 1997 and once in 1998. Team Sky had their most relaxed day in more than a week. The Lotto and Orica GreenEdge teams set the pace on the peloton and Sky only needed to be vigilant in the final 25km.
‘Bradley is strong. He feels good. We’re going into the Pyrenees with confidence,’ said Brailsford.
STAGE 13 RESULT:
Winner. André Greipel (Ger); Lotto; 04h 57’ 59”
2. Peter Sagan (Svk); Liquigas; @ same time
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor); Team Sky; @ same time
OVERALL STANDINGS:
1. Bradley Wiggins (GB); Team Sky; 59h 32’ 32”
2. Chris Froome (GB); Team Sky; @ 2’05”
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita); Liquigas; @ 2’23
‘Cross winds and small roads today; even the classics riders said it was a stressful day. Certainly had some dangerous moments.’
Defending champion Cadel Evans on Twitter