Kittel wins again, but Froome safe

MARCEL Kittel won stage 10 of the Tour de France in Bergerac as Chris Froome stayed safe in the yellow jersey yesterday.

Quick-Step Floors’ Kittel strengthened his grip on the green jersey as leader of the points classification by winning his fourth stage of the Tour, with fellow German John Degenkolb of Trek-Segafredo second and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen of LottoNL-Jumbo third.

Team Sky’s Froome crossed the line safely in the pack, keeping the three-time Tour winner 18 seconds clear of Italian national champion Fabio Aru in the general classification.

Fortuneo-Oscaro’s Dan McLay had looked strong in the finale but launched his sprint too soon and faded to finish seventh at the end of the 178 kilometre stage from Perigueux to Bergerac.

“Maybe if it was a race where I didn’t win a stage yet, maybe I would have panicked with the position I was in,” Kittel said. “But the gap came at a perfect time.”

It was a relatively relaxed day in yellow for Froome, who could be seen smiling and joking with teammates out on the road.

Today’s stage from Eymet to Pau is another set up for the sprinters, although Froome knows the threat of crosswinds on the road south could mean a return to more stressful racing.

“Any talk of crosswinds gets the whole peloton quite nervous,” Froome said. “Everyone starts fighting for positions at the front. We’re going to have to get ready to go to war again.”