Tour de France stage 16: a Throw Wins it for Sagan

The Tour entered Berne, Switzerland for the first of two stages.

Covered tram lines in the final straightaway.

Andrea and I lucked out and were given passes to watch the stage from the technical zone. This is one of my favorite places at the Tour because it’s the fascinating logistics hub and it meant we had the luxury of being able to find the bathroom whenever we wanted to without having to worry about losing our place! In 2014 I wrote a thorough post about the technical zone.

Germans, Eritreans, Colombians, and Norwegians were just a few of the different nationalities of fans.

We spent the bulk of the stage watching the race unfold on a TV just ahead of the finish line with Jens Voigt who occasionally chimed in with commentary for NBC.

This was my first time watching a race in Switzerland and the local fans were exceedingly polite and patient.

Cameras at the ready, the crowd roared as the peloton bared down the finishing straight.

It was a messy sprint with virtually no organized teams.

With 10 meters to go, Alexander Kristoff was unmistakably ahead of Peter Sagan yet the Norwegian misjudged the finish line. Sagan threw his bike and took the win while Kristoff, still pedaling, had to settle for second.

Warren Barguil.

BorutBozic.

Former Swiss national champion, Michael Schär.

Jasper Stuyven.

Dylan Groenewegen.

Matthew Hayman.

Daniel Teklehaimanot.

Matteo Bono.

Serge Pauwels.

Several teams were staying in hotels near the finish line. With the stage done and dusted, Ramunas Navardauskas, who made a doomed late attack, and team leader Pierre Rolland, soft pedaled to their hotel to get a jump on the rest day.

Oscar Gatto.

RafalMajka.

Laurens Ten Dam.

Brent Bookwalter.

Marcel Sieberg.

Bryan Coquard was dropped in the closing kilometers and will have to wait until Paris to have another crack at a sprint win.

Lawson Craddock spent the first part of the stage in the early break. After finishing, he grabbed a bottle from the soigneurs and made a U turn for the hotel and rest day.

Vegard Breen.

Majka spoke with the press after the podium ceremony.

Sagan.

When you wear the yellow jersey, someone will bring you–and only you–a chair when you talk with the media.

Sagan and Froome.

It’s one thing to notice how lean the riders are and it’s another to see their veins in such detail. Below: Foome and Tony Martin.

Julian Alaphillipe was awarded the most combative prize alongside his teammate and breakaway companion Tony Martin. The press was far most interested in Martin, leaving Alaphilippe to wait. Eventually, someone pointed out the chair to him.

Let the final rest day begin.