🎥 Tears among the defeated: Vercher devastated, Kwiatkowski bawls his eyes out, Johannessen battered and bruised

Mattéo Vercher nearly pulled off a stunt in the streets of Barcelonnette. The young Frenchman from TotalEnergies found himself in the lead group sprinting for the stage win but had to concede to the strong finish of fellow breakaway rider Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny). The 23-year-old rider was inconsolable after the race, with emotions running high among the other riders in the break.

Vercher, still chasing his first professional win, collapsed against the barriers post-finish and broke down in tears. Only two teammates were there to comfort the young rider. In the final push, the Frenchman even launched an attack, but his effort was neutralized in the last few hundred meters by Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers). The Pole led the final sprint, with Vercher in his slipstream. Campenaerts ultimately took the win.

In a brief response, Vercher, usually quick on the sprints, acknowledged his frustration. "Second place is certainly crappy... but it's part of the game. Looking at the day, it’s a good result. But I wanted to finish the work for my teammates, although I didn’t think the win could go to me. I was unsure about my legs. In the end, I was beaten by a strong rider."

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Beaten Kwiatkowski reacts humorously to his loss

Kwiatkowski, normally possessing the fastest finish, crossed the line in third place. "A tough result to swallow, but I gave it a hundred percent," the Polish rider remarked on X. "It was one of those days when the Tour crushes your emotions. An old man crying like a baby. Congratulations to Victor Campenaerts." Later, through INEOS's official channels, he analyzed further: "It's a pity I couldn't finish it off, that was a bitter pill. I didn't get a chance to congratulate Victor, but he played it smart and knew what to do."

Geraint Thomas, also in the day's break, finished in 32nd place. "The men didn't all work well together," he concluded post-race on ITV Cycling when asked why a larger group couldn’t close the gap to the three leaders. "Including myself, and the Movistar guys and riders who had teammates up front, were a bit annoying I think. But I was ultimately glad that the group stayed away, of course. I had my money on Kwiato... But sometimes it just doesn't happen."

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Johannessen without fractures after hard crash in descent

Tobias Halland Johannessen had perhaps the toughest day of all the breakaway riders. He wasn't dropped, seemed strong enough to contend for the win, but a crash on a descent put an end to those hopes. The Norwegian from Uno-X slipped and crossed the line with his shoulder banged up pretty bad. Understandably, he had his body checked by the doctor immediately.

Uno-X provided encouraging news through their official channels. "Tobias was able to finish with the chasing group. He was examined by doctors due to the pain in his shoulder. We are glad that the scans showed no fractures, and the X-rays also showed no muscle damage. Tobias has many skin wounds and will receive further treatment. It will then be decided if he starts on Friday."

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Steff Cras sees top ten suddenly within reach

While two riders had to tearfully accept their defeat, there was joy elsewhere. Steff Cras nearly managed to pedal his way into the top ten with his breakaway attempt. Almost, as the Belgian is now just a minute and a half behind tenth place (Santiago Buitrago, Bahrain-Victorious). "It’s nice to have, but we'll see how the legs feel tomorrow," said the 28-year-old Cras on Sporza.

Together with three teammates, Cras made it into the day's break. "It wasn't really the intention to do something for the classification initially. We wanted to compete for the victory. Just after the peak, Campenaerts attacked and my teammate Mattéo Vercher followed. It was our weakest card to play, but he nearly completed it. He rode a strong race."

Cras himself rolled across the finish line in 22nd place, but with significant time gained. He captured thirteen minutes relative to the peloton, jumping from fourteenth to twelfth place. "I never dared dream this. In April, I didn’t even believe I could start," says a proud Cras. "We’ll see how the legs will feel in the mountains. I’ve already had to give a lot today."