Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) won the bunch sprint ahead of Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) to deliver a 1-2 for French riders in Pau today on stage 18 of the Tour de France. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) retained the yellow jersey.
146 riders started stage 18 in Trie-sur-Baïse with five riders going clear after 1.5 kilometres – Niki Tersptra (Quick Step Floors), Guillaume van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Luke Durbridge and Matthew Hayman (Mitchelton-Scott) and Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie).
UAE Emirates, Groupama-FDJ and Bora-Hansgrohe made sure the gap between the leading five and the peloton around didn’t get too big and the maximum time gap of 2’21” was recorded at km 81.
Rory Sutherland and Darwin Atapuma (UAE Team Emirates), Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama-FDJ) and Anthony Perez (Cofidis) were the most active riders at the front of the peloton and the advantage of the leaders was down to 30″ with 22 kilometres remaining. It was all together again after the Côte d’Anos 16.5 kilometres before the finish in Pau and the Groupama-FDJ team was the most visible after the regrouping before Bora-Hansgrohe took over in the last 10 kilometres.
Jacopo Guarnieri managed to get Arnaud Démare back in an ideal position to launch his sprint 250 metres before the line and the Frenchman fended off his compatriot Christophe Laporte. The last French sprinter to bag two Tour de France sprint victories was Jean-Patrick Nazon in 2003 and 2004.
