Tour de France 2016 Stage 15: Pantano bests Majka in sprint-a-deux, Froome still in yellow

At 160 kilometres, stage 15 in the Tour de France travels through the middle mountains of the Jura . Rafal Majka and Jarlinson Pantano are the last two survivors of an early attack with the Colombian outsprinting the Pole. Sky controls the peloton with an iron hand, so Chris Froome retains in the lead, (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 15th stage Tour de France

1. Jarlinson Pantano (col)
2. Rafal Majka (pol) s.t.
3. Alexis Vuillermoz (fra) + 0.06
4. Sebastien Reichenbach (swi) s.t.
5. Julian Alaphilippe (fra) + 0.22
6. Serge Pauwels (bel) + 0.25
7. Pierre Rolland (fra) s.t.
8. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) + 1.30
9. Daniel Navarro (spa) s.t.
10. Tom-Jelte Slagter (nld) s.t.

14. Chris Froome (gbr) + 3.07
15. Nairo Quintana (col) s.t.
16. Alejandro Valverde (spa) s.t.
17. Romain Bardet (fra) s.t.
18. Richie Porte (aus) d.t.
19. Roman Kreuziger (cze) s.t.
20. Louis Meintjes (rsa) s.t.
21. Adam Yates (gbr) s.t.
22. Bauke Mollema (nld) s.t.
23. Fabio Aru (ita) s.t.
24. Daniel Martin (irl) s.t.
25. Joaquim Rodriguez (spa) s.t.
30. Tejay van Garderen (usa) + 4.35
33. Geraint Thomas (gbr) + 9.06
44. Warren Barguil (fra) + 14.39

GC after 15th stage
1. Chris Froome (gbr)
2. Bauke Mollema (nld) + 1.47
3. Adam Yates (gbr) 2.45
4. Nairo Quintana (col) + 2.59
5. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 3.17
6. Romain Bardet (fra) + 4.04
7. Richie Porte (aus) + 4.27
8. Tejay van Garderen (usa) + 4.47
9. Daniel Martin (irl) + 5.03
10. Fabio Aru (ita) + 5.16

11. Roman Kreuziger (cze) + 5.24
12. Louis Meintjes (rsa) + 5.48
13. Joaquim Rodriguez (spa) + 5.54
14. Sebastien Reichenbach (swi) + 8.40

Race results
After an active opening with attacks all over Rafal Majka and Ilnur Zakarin take control at the Col du Berthiand. Majka is the first to crest, while a large group with Nibali, Oliveira, Rolland, Dumoulin (Tom), Izagirre (Ion), Pantano, Pauwels, Voeckler, Navarro, Vuillermoz, Plaza, Alaphilippe, Pozzovivo and Reichenbach join them in the descent.

At the top Col du Sappel Voeckler takes most KOM-point ahead of Majka. Both at the Pisseloup and de Rochette Pauwels is the first to crest ahead of Majka. So now the Pole leads the KOM-classification.

Dylan van Baarle goes solo with over 70 kms to go. Tom Dumoulin joins him to leave him alone without delay. Nibali, Pantano and Pozzovivo chase Dumoulin down. When hitting the Grand Colombier they enjoy a 8’42” gain over the peloton.

At the climb their former companions re-join them. Then the group explodes and the new leaders go by the names of Majka, Durasek, Reichenbach, Navarro, Vuillermoz, Pauwels, Zakarin, Alaphilippe, Huzarski, Oliveira, Pozzovivo and Morabito. When Zakarin speeds up Majka is the only one on his wheel. The Polis the first to crest, Zakarin on his wheel, while Alaphilippe is third at half a minute.

In the descent Pantano accompanies Alaphilippe and together they re-join the front of the race. When Alaphilippe goes solo he is plagued by a mechanical and Zakarin is dropped. In the valley Vuillermoz, Pauwels and Reichenbach and the Russian start chasing Pantano and Majka, who are 1 minute adrift.

At the last climb the chasers are half a minute down. Majka leaves Pantano alone, while Reichenbach hooks up with the Colombian. Majka once again takes most KOM-points.

In the pack Poels neutralizes attacks by both Aru and Bardet. Van Garderen can’t follow the pace and gets dropped.

Pantano plunges down kamikaze-style to leave Reichenbach and re-join Majka. In the sprint today’s best descender bests the new man in the polka dot jersey.

GC stays more or less the same, albeit Van Garderen drops to eight place, while Reichenbach goes in the opposite direction – the Swiss climber now sits in fourteenth place