11 July, 2017, Bergerac (FRA)
Racing resumed at the Tour de France with stage 10 which saw a bunch sprint play out in Bergerac, won by Marcel Kittel ( Quick-Step Floors), while BMC Racing Team’s riders crossed the line safely in the bunch.
After losing Richie Porte due to a crash on stage 9, stage 10 was a chance to get back into the racing rhythm as the team looked to reassess the goals for the remaining 12 stages.
As soon as the flag dropped in Perigueux, Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Elie Gesbert (Team Fortuneo-Oscaro) attacked to form the breakaway of the day.
The peloton immediately sat up and allowed the duo to gain more than five minutes’ in the first half of the 178km stage.
The sprinters’ teams sent riders to the front of the bunch to control the gap and slowly began to bring the duo back. With 40km remaining, the breakaway’s advantage dropped below two minutes and 20km later, it was down to 50 seconds.
Seven kilometers before the finish line in Bergerac, the catch was made and the sprint trains started to form and battle for position on the run into the finish.
BMC Racing Team’s riders stayed out of trouble at the front of the bunch inside the final five kilometers before Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) proved to be the strongest on the day to take the win.
Danilo Wyss crossed the line in the top twenty after testing his legs in the sprint.
Quotes from the Finish Line
Danilo Wyss:
“It was a quiet race today with just two guys out in front and the peloton rolling at tempo the whole day. We tried to set new objectives after Richie Porte’s crash and I gave it a try in the sprint but it was a bit hectic in the last two turns. I had to brake a little too much especially on the final left hand one. I haven’t sprinted in a long time so, it was good to try and to get used to it again as well as keeping the motivation high. We are taking the race day by day and setting new goals as a team so, we will see what happens tomorrow.”
Race Profile
Tour de France
Stage 10: Perigueux > Bergerac (178km)
Top 3: 1. Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) 2. John Degenkolb (Trek – Segafredo) 3. Dylan Groenewegen (Team LottoNL-Jumbo)
BMC Racing Team Top 3: 17. Danilo Wyss 29. Stefan Küng 30. Greg Van Avermaet
