Thomas blowing in the 勝利，勝つd at 小旅行する de フラン
ALBI, フラン (AP) - Geraint Thomas and his チーム仲間s don't need a mountain to 配達する a 大打撃を与える blow on their 競争相手s at the 小旅行する de フラン.
They can do it on the flat, too. With a little help from the 勝利，勝つd.
The defending 支持する／優勝者 was the big 勝利者 of a 大混乱／混沌とした 行う／開催する／段階 10 in southern フラン on Monday when French 競争相手 Thibaut Pinot and other 肩書を与える 競争相手s were caught napping by a 背信の combination of 勝利，勝つd and 狭くする roads.
Unable to all ride at the 前線, Pinot and other riders got left behind when the 勝利，勝つd first stretched and then 粉々にするd the peloton into groups over 35 frantic final キロメーターs (20 miles) of a 217.5-キロメーター (135-mile) trek from Saint-Flour to Albi in south-central フラン.
Perfectly positioned at the 前線 when the pack took different 大勝するs around a traffic circle, 誘発する／引き起こすing the first 分裂（する）, Thomas and his Ineos チーム仲間s put pedal to the metal to make the gap on Pinot and other 競争相手s caught behind as big as possible.
The 法案 for the French podium finisher in 2104, 同様に as Rigoberto Uran, Jakob Fuglsang, and Richie Porte was 高くつく／犠牲の大きい. They 棒 in a whopping 1 minute, 40 seconds behind Thomas.
Belgium's Wout 先頭 Aert celebrates as he crosses the finish line to 勝利，勝つ the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Thibault Camus)
"At the start we said at some point this race is going to 分裂（する）," explained Luke 列／漕ぐ／騒動, one of Thomas' チーム仲間s. "We were all over it with numbers at the 前線."
Once opened, the gap 増加するd speedily, with yellow jersey-支えるもの／所有者 Julian Alaphilippe and Ineos riders setting a frenetic 速度 until the end.
"We were straight on the 前線 foot, we knew it was on us to 運動 it to the line," 列／漕ぐ／騒動 said. "I was 説 to the guys, 'This is a TTT (team time 裁判，公判) all the way to the finish line.'"
小旅行する de フラン 新人 Wout 先頭 Aert won the 行う／開催する／段階 with a sprint to the line. But Thomas was the headline 行為／法令／行動する.
"I couldn't think of anything better," Thomas said. "It's 特に good on a day like today when you never 推定する／予想する it. It was just a positioning error from them and they lose a minute and a half. That's how it goes."
Ahead of big Pyrenean 行う／開催する／段階s this week, Thomas 丸天井d to second place 全体にわたる, 1:12 behind Alaphilippe, with チーム仲間 Egan Bernal in third place, four seconds その上の 支援する.
After a flawless start to the race, it was Pinot's first mistake, and a big one. Looking to become the first Frenchman to 勝利，勝つ the race since Bernard Hinault in 1985, he dropped from third to 11th 全体にわたる, 2:33 behind Alaphilipple and 1:21 behind Thomas, perhaps not 致命的な to his 小旅行する but a 抱擁する 後退.
Pinot used an expletive to 述べる his day.
"What do you want me to say? There's nothing to say," he said, looking 絶対 disgusted.
小旅行する de フラン director Christian Prudhomme was almost as disappointed.
"He was ideally placed in the 小旅行する and to be 罠にかける like that in the last 35 キロメーターs of the 行う／開催する／段階 before the 残り／休憩（する） day is sad for him," he said. "It's a lot of time lost."
The peloton 分裂（する） into three groups on a long but 狭くする section of road opened to the 勝利，勝つd when Alaphilippe's Deceuninck Quick Step チーム仲間s sped up the pace at the 前線 to の近くに the gap to six 脱退／分離 riders. The 逃亡者／はかないものs were reeled in with 25 キロメーターs (15 miles) left before Thomas and Co., working 井戸／弁護士席 with Alaphilippe's team, 押し進めるd harder in an impressive 陳列する，発揮する of 集団の／共同の strength.
"It's not only in the mountains where you can 伸び（る） time, we have a strong team for days like today, too, and that's what we showed," Thomas' チーム仲間 Dylan 先頭 Baarle, said.
Enjoying another day in yellow, Alaphilippe said he and his チーム仲間s were thinking about placing Elia Viviani for the finish-line sprint when they 加速するd, not deliberately trying to 傷つける Pinot.
"We didn't 計画（する） to 分裂（する） the bunch. We only 推定する／予想するd the 行う／開催する／段階 to be nervous and tricky. Our 意向 was only to 保護する my yellow jersey and to 焦点（を合わせる） on a sprint," he said. "We knew 正確に at which キロメーター there was a 危険 of crosswinds. All teams gave the same 指示／教授／教育s. There was a lot of 強調する／ストレス and 圧力 in the peloton and when it 分裂（する）, everyone 推定する／予想するd it, then we did the 最大限."
A three-time cyclo-cross world 支持する／優勝者 starting to live up to his 法案ing as a 未来 星／主役にする, 先頭 Aert is riding his first Grand 小旅行する.
"The last 70 キロメーターs were very nervous," he said after 辛勝する／優位ing Viviani by just a few インチs. Australian Caleb Ewan placed third.
先頭 Aert 殺到するd from the left in the last stretch and resisted Viviani's 復帰 by throwing his bike at the line.
The up and coming ベルギー said he got the 承認する from his team bosses to race for the 勝利，勝つ because his team leaders were 罠にかける in the group behind. But even then he didn't 推定する／予想する to （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 認めるd （短距離で）速く走る人s such as Viviani and Peter Sagan in a photo finish.
"It's crazy," he said.
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Belgium's Wout 先頭 Aert celebrates as he crosses the finish line to 勝利，勝つ the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena)
Belgium's Wout 先頭 Aert, 中心, sprints to 勝利，勝つ the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Thibault Camus)
フラン's Julian Alaphilippe wears the 全体にわたる leader's yellow jersey on the podium after the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena)
A 観客 takes a snapshot of the pack riding during the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena)
The breakeway group rides during the tenth 行う／開催する／段階 of the 小旅行する de フラン cycling race over 217 キロメーターs (135 miles) with start in Saint-Flour and finish in Albi, フラン, Monday, July 15, 2019. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena)
