Stage 14

The road

At the start

Mende, and the climb to the airstrip

Geraint Thomas leads Chris Froome by 1:39 and Tom Dumoulin by 1:50, and nothing has troubled Sky since the Alps. Vincenzo Nibali, fourth overall two days ago, did not start yesterday. Today crosses the Massif Central to Mende — 188 kilometres over the Croix de Berthel, and then three kilometres at ten per cent up the Côte de la Croix Neuve to the airfield at the top.

How it was won

1. 159 km to go

   Izagirre lights the break

   Ion Izagirre attacks over the top of the Croix de Berthel, 59km out, hunting a Tour-saving win for Bahrain-Merida after Nibali's exit.

2. 220 km to go

   Stuyven's lone bid

   Jasper Stuyven ploughs a lone furrow with a 1:10 lead as the chase group behind him falls to squabbling.

3. 31 km to go

   Fraile flies up the Croix Neuve

   On the steep Montée Jalabert, Omar Fraile bridges to and then passes the fading Stuyven; behind, Roglič launches the day's first GC dig with 3km to go.

4. 4At the line

   Fraile wins on the Mende airstrip

   Fraile crests alone and has time to celebrate on the runway at Mende, holding off Alaphilippe and Stuyven for the biggest win of his career.

The result