As fellow Briton Steve Cummings was taking a solo win up the road for Dimension Data, Yates had attacked off the front of the peloton, seeking to pick up the seven seconds required to take white off Alaphilippe.
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On the attack in the Tour de France, the British rider was suddenly performing a somersault in midair after an inflatable arch marking the final kilometre collapsed and hit him during a freakish finale to Friday’s seventh stage. “I wasn’t confident in that group with (climbers) Nibali and Navarro”, added Cummings.
“I’ve got a cut on my shoulder, and my wrists are pretty banged up”. There’s not much you can do, I had no time to react.
While his rivals in the fight for the yellow jersey came out unscathed from the first big ascent of this year’s race on Friday, France’s top hope crossed the finish line almost seven minutes after stage victor Steve Cummings, losing just over three minutes to the group that included defending champion Chris Froome.
“I have to try to enjoy every moment, that’s also why I went full gas today: to keep (the yellow jersey) another day”, said Van Avermaet, who admitted he didn’t expect to succeed again Saturday.
“Success breeds success and Cav’s a victor”.
The 23-year-old Orica rider eventually finished the stage with blood on his chin.
This season has been his best with stage victories on prestigious week-long races the Criterium du Dauphine, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of the Basque Country.
“Dimension Data have given me the freedom, the support and the belief – it’s kind of spiralled”. Sometimes in the wrong team, with a general classification rider, you don’t get the chances.
An inflatable arch comes down on the course 1km out from the finish on stage seven of the Tour de France.
“It’s a gift to be here, so chapeau to the team”.
No sooner was that group caught, than 29 riders got away 50km into the stage, which had been ridden at breakneck speed to that point. Cummings broke clear of the peloton on the Col d’Aspin with 15 kilometres to go and stayed away to the finish at Lac de Payolle.
The incident – triggered by a fan getting too close to the base of the arch and accidentally dislodging a pin holding it in place, thus letting the air out of the inflatable banner – meant that organisers made a decision to take the official stage times from the 3km-to-go mark rather than on the finishing line.
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Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) are both five minutes 57 seconds behind Van Avermaet. “I think we’ll see some fireworks tomorrow and Sunday”. “It was just one of those unexpected things, I guess”.
