MENDE: Spanish rider Omar Fraile won the 14th stage of the Tour de France by bursting from a group of breakaway riders on the finishing climb in the Massif Central on Saturday.

Geraint Thomas in the yellow jersey, second-placed Chris Froome, and the other overall contenders were in a pack some 20 minutes behind and had not finished yet.

Fraile had time to celebrate before crossing the line, finishing six seconds ahead of Julian Alaphilippe, the Frenchman wearing the polka-dot jersey awarded to the Tour’s best climber.

Jasper Stuyven of Belgium finished third, also six seconds back, and three-time world champion Peter Sagan came fourth.

It was the first career victory at the Tour for Fraile, who rides for the Astana team.

The hilly 188-kilometer (117-mile) route from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Mende in the Massif Central passed through the Ardeche gorges, which features cave paintings dating back some 36,000 years.

Stage 15 on Sunday from Millau to Carcassonne is another hilly leg before the race’s second rest day on Monday. Then come the Pyrenees and a possibly decisive individual time trial in the penultimate stage before the traditional finish in Paris next weekend.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2018