Greig Leach

The final couple of kilometers of the day featured a small climb that was proving too much for some of the marquee sprinters First to go was Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) followed by John Degenkolb (Quickstep) and finally Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) With his teammate off the back It was Julian Alaphilippe (Quickstep) who jumped free on a steep section of the approach surprising the ever dwindling lead group The only one to catch the wheel of the fleeing Frenchman was Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) also now free of working for his team's sprinter Trying to cover the attack was Luke Rowe (Sky) but all of the work he had already put in on the front of this group left him without the legs to go with the move With just over two kilometers left in the stage this may well prove to be the winning move