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Tour de France

Meintjes remains in 7th place after the first Pyrenees climbs

The first Pyrenees battle between the GC contenders of the Tour de France took place this Tuesday during the sixteenth stage between Carcassonne and Foix.

Behind the escaped riders who fought for the stage win, the yellow jersey group exploded on the two first category climbs in the second race half, the Port de Lers and the Mur de Péguère. 

Louis Meintjes was present alongside the best climbers. He first answered the accelerations before the top of the Port de Lers and then anticipated the steep slopes of the Mur de Péguère. 

In the end, Meintjes finished the first of three Pyrenees stages in the first chasing group behind the yellow jersey, a little more than one minute behind the race leader. In this way, he remains in seventh place in the provisional classification. 

« I had a relaxed restday yesterday, during which I also rode 1h30 on the time trial bike. After two weeks of Tour de France I of course feel the fatigue, but once we were on the bikes at noon I felt ready for the first Pyrenees climbs. I knew the climbs from previous editions of the Tour, so I knew what to expect. The temperature was a little lower than the previous days, but as it was more humid it felt warmer for me. We payed attention for the wind in the beginning of the stage and then focused on the decisive second race half with two climbs of first category. I tried twice to escape from the peloton to anticipate the steeper parts, but Team Movistar didn’t wanted me to go. So I gave everything to follow the favorites as long as possible. On paper, this first Pyrenees stage was the least difficult, so I expect a tough battle the next two days. »

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