Stage 15 TDF 2022 Blog: Falling Like Yellow Skittles
Before Stage 15, Magnus Cort, Simon Clarke and Primoz Roglic abandoned the race. Roglic was suffering with back pain after his crash on the cobbles on Stage 5, and was the first of the yellow Jumbo skittles to fall.
Wout van Aert got himself in a break with Niels Pollitt and Mikel Honoré, but was eventually called back.
As the riders sweltered in the heatwave, there was another climate protest on the route. On ITV Ned Boulting and David Millar just about managed to mention it without condemning it, which is progress of sorts. If temperatures keep ramping up Summer after Summer, the Tour de France will become an impossible event to run.
Steven Kruijswijk fell and broke his collarbone – yellow skittle number two, and a very important skittle at that. He will be very much missed by Jumbo Visma.
Next Tiesj Benoot fell and brought down Jonas Vingegaard, skittles three and four. They both continued, with Benoot hurt more than JV.
On the final climb, Ewan and Jakobsen were both dropped, as was Groenewegen, although he made it back on.
Benjamin Thomas was first over the top, with Alexis Gougeard, and they pushed on to a lead of 25s. Gougeard was caught first, then Thomas well into the final kilometre.
In the sprint, Jasper Philipsen was fastest, beating Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen.
Michael Morkov didn’t make the time cut and is out of the race.