Aussie hangs in for second spot
AUSTRALIAN rider Michael Matthews says his confidence has been boosted after he finished second behind Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe in the third stage of the Tour de France.
World No.1 Alaphilippe jumped away from the pack in the Cote de Mutigny, a brutal 900-metre stretch at an average gradient of 12.2 per cent, to claim the third Tour de France stage win of his career.
It followed a 215km ride from Binche, Belgium, on Monday.
Team Sunweb’s Matthews led the peloton over the line in second place, with Belgian Jasper Stuyven in third.
While the Australian was disappointed to be second, he said it was a confidence boost to finish ahead of sprinters Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet and Stuyven. “It’s unfortunate that Alaphilippe stayed away because my sprint was really good,” Matthews told French website CyclingPro.
“I really gave it everything I had to the finish. Today is a confidence booster for us going forwards.”
Alaphilippe hung on for dear life to take the overall lead from Dutchman Mike Teunissen, who dropped off when the Frenchman attacked.
“It’s sinking in slowly,” said an emotional Alaphilippe, who won the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification last year.
“I knew the finale (uphill finish) suited me but I didn’t think I would be on my own so far from the line. It’s always hard to deliver when you’re the favourite,” he told reporters.
Alaphilippe has had a fantastic season, winning the Milan-San Remo ‘Monument’ classic and the Strade Bianche in March, as well as the Fleche Wallonne in April.
Among the general classification contenders, only France’s Thibaut Pinot and Colombian Egan Bernal finished in the first chasing group.
Defending champion Geraint Thomas ended up 31 seconds off the pace.
Matthews is fifth overall and second in points classification behind Sagan, who finished fifth in Monday’s stage to lead the category by 17 points. Sagan is bidding to claim a record-breaking seventh green jersey in Paris on July 28.
After last night’s fourth stage — a 213.5km ride from Reims to Nancy — the Tour tonight takes a hilly 175.5km trek Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Colmar.