Stage 16

The road

How it was won

1. 1115 km to go

   Twenty-four go clear at Die

   Sagan takes maximum points through the sprint and the leading group promptly swells to twenty-four as a dozen chasers join — one of the biggest breakaways of the race, on the eve of a rest day nobody wants to spend chasing.

2. 272 km to go

   Two races for the price of one

   Over the Col de Cabre the advantage is approaching twelve minutes. The peloton, eyeing a final week stacked with mountains, has simply stopped racing.

3. 317 km to go

   Mutiny on the lower Manse

   Boasson Hagen moves first and is swamped by Hansen and Haller. Sagan, who led the break down the first descent like a man on rails, spends the lower slopes shutting down attacks — much to the fury of Geschke and Riblon.

4. 411 km to go

   Plaza into the headwind

   Rubén Plaza picks his moment and rides straight into a block headwind, and by the summit of the Col de Manse he has a minute on a chase group of nine that has spent the climb cancelling itself out. Behind, Tinkoff try to isolate Froome and find the mountain simply isn't big enough.

5. 5At the line

   The descent where Beloki fell

   Plaza locks a wheel on the same kind of right-hander that ended Joseba Beloki's career here in 2003, holds it, and keeps going. Sagan descends magnificently in pursuit and still cannot get there. Behind, Nibali cuts loose down the same road and Warren Barguil picks the wrong line.

The result