Stage 14

The road

At the start

The wall to Mende aerodrome

Nothing changed at Saint-Étienne: Jonas Vingegaard by 2:22 from Tadej Pogačar, 2:26 from Geraint Thomas, 2:35 from Romain Bardet. Today crosses the Massif Central in the heat and ends on the Côte de la Croix Neuve, three kilometres at 10.2 per cent, with the line on the aerodrome above Mende. It has rarely decided a Tour and it always produces a fight. Warren Barguil did not start yesterday.

How it was won

1. 157 km to go

   Geschke keeps the polka dots

   A twenty-three-man move has ten minutes in the Massif Central heat, and Geschke takes maximum points again. Meintjes is best placed and creeping towards the virtual yellow jersey.

2. 241 km to go

   Matthews goes early

   As the road levels into a tailwind Michael Matthews launches. Nobody follows at first, but the carrot draws Kron, Sánchez and Grossschartner across with forty kilometres to run.

3. 330 km to go

   Attacks fly on La Fage

   Matthews leads the four leaders over the top as Soler attacks behind, joined by Bettiol and Kämna, then Martínez. On the fast descent Kron punctures at the front and nearly ploughs into spectators.

4. 44 km to go

   Alone on the Cote de la Croix Neuve

   Three and a half kilometres out, on the brutal ramps up towards the Mende aerodrome, Matthews attacks and neither Sánchez nor Grossschartner can go with him. Behind, Woods has put in a vicious surge and the gap is tumbling.

5. 51 km to go

   Bettiol catches him at the top

   The Italian passes the dropped pair and hauls himself up to Matthews before the summit, then accelerates. Matthews holds on for dear life on the steepest pitches, mouth open, refusing to be shaken off.

6. 6At the line

   Matthews wins on the aerodrome

   The gradient eases onto the runway and that is all he needs. Matthews sprints past Bettiol and takes his first Tour stage in five years, roaring as he crosses.

The result