Dennis quits Tour as Yates earns stage win
BAGNERES-DE-BIGORRE, France — In 116 years of racing at the Tour de France, participating cyclists have done all sorts of bizarre things, from jumping on trains to fighting with fans at mountain stops.
Rarely have they just vanished in the middle of a stage, which is what Rohan Dennis did Thursday as the route ventured into the Pyrenees for the first time this year.
For a couple of hours on an otherwise uneventful day in the mountains, nobody was able to say where the reigning time trial world champion had gone. His Bahrain-Merida team even sent an alarming message out on social networks, saying all it cared about was “the welfare” of Dennis after race organizers announced he had pulled out of the competition.
The 29-year-old Australian ultimately resurfaced at the finish line in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, where British cyclist Simon Yates, the reigning Vuelta a Espana champion, posted his first stage win in the Tour after a long breakaway that did not shuffle the overall standings.
Dennis was spotted near his team’s bus afterward but did not comment on his decision to quit the race.
“We are also confused,” Bahrain-Merida team director Gorazd Stangelj said. “It was his decision today to stop at the feed zone. We tried to speak with him, he said, ‘I just don’t want to talk’ and abandoned the race.”
Dennis quit with almost 50 miles left before the two big climbs in Stage 12, prompting Bahrain-Merida to investigate. According to the French TV station broadcasting the race, Dennis had an argument with officials in the team car.
Stangelj said Dennis was in good enough condition to race, adding he was not aware of any kind of argument that could have triggered the cyclist’s decision. His withdrawal was even more surprising because it came a day before a short time trial in Pau, where he would have been an obvious favorite alongside 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas, given his pedigree in the race against the clock.
Stangelj dismissed the idea Dennis could have been frustrated with his role in the team. Bahrain-Merida’s main goal in this race is to fulfill 2014 Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali’s ambition to fight for a top-three finish in the general classification.
The extraordinary withdrawal was the talk of the day, but it did not eclipse Yates’ maiden win at the Tour. He launched a counterattack behind a group of fugitives in a technical downhill and was joined at the front by Gregor Mühlberger and Pello Bilbao. The trio worked well together until the final sprint shaped up some 200 yards from the finish line.
Yates launched the sprint, was first into the last turn and held off Bilbao for the victory, adding to accolades that include three stage victories at last year’s Giro d’Italia and two stage victories in the Vuelta.
The overall favorites closely watched each other but did not attack, saving strength for the super hard days still to come. The main pack of contenders crossed the finish line 9 minutes, 35 seconds behind Yates, with no major change in the overall standings.