← → takes a critical look at tree planting campaigns and discusses scientists’ varied approaches to both “planting” and “growing” forests to restore their ecological health Trees and forests are often seen as symbolic of nature and for good reason: They are vitally important to both the planet and to people More than three-quarters of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity occurs in forests Yale Environment 360: How has the planet’s tree cover changed since humanity started to transition to agricultural societies some 10,000 years ago something like 45 to 60 percent of the terrestrial surface of Earth was covered in forests We have gone from about 6 billion hectares of forest to 4 billion We have lost a third of the planet’s forests in the last 10,000 years About 50 percent of that loss has been just in the last 100 years or so That’s how much it’s sped up since the Industrial Revolution There are pockets of natural virgin forests left Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter for weekly updates delivered to your inbox. Sign Up e360: Is there a consensus about how much of the planet should be forested for a healthy planet Robinson: This was partly catalyzed by a 2019 Science study which is quite controversial in the restoration ecology sector They basically ran some models and showed that 900 million hectares is available to support forests which could host about another a trillion trees The authors weren’t literally advocating planting a trillion trees nor did they mean to imply that there aren’t other essential ecosystems e360: What’s wrong with the “plant a trillion trees” mindset Robinson: There’s one that I like to draw attention to in Oaxaca Several hundred years ago there were 100,000 Indigenous people supported by the forests in the Coixtlahuaca district and now there’s fewer than 3,000 inhabitants it’s so degraded from agriculture and poor land management Twenty years ago the soil was essentially rock The local communities had to crush the rock so it could retain water and then they planted these little nurse species — a non-native tree called Gregg’s pines that’s well adapted to poor conditions and won’t reproduce — just to kickstart the ecosystem These trees died and their carbon made it into the soil It’s an ongoing project — it’s not yet a flourishing ecosystem — but it just shows that it can start from zero In Japan there’s a technique called the Miyawaki Method The idea is to plant a carefully selected mix of native species in very high densities It’s essentially a rapid way of creating a functional ecosystem But because this high density is artificial they’re in urban areas where the ecosystem’s just so different and novel anyway Phantom forests: Why ambitious tree planting projects are failing. Read more Robinson: Sometimes you can leave a spot and let nature do its thing; nature will find a way and grow because we have degraded the planet so much you have to create the right conditions for these trees and nourish them That’s one of the challenges we’re trying to work with now: how to nurture at scale if you restore or plant a lot of forest there is less land for growing food One solution I speak about in the book is “syntropic agroforestry.” This is just the idea that you can still have a flourishing forest ecosystem while producing food within it You have to really understand the lifecycle of the trees and know how to layer the plants and how communities turn over with time He mostly focuses on non-annual plants — fruits and vegetables He says his yield per species is 10 percent lower per area of land than in a monocultural system Robinson: Incredibly important. And it’s not thought about enough. In a five-ton tree trunk, there’s around a trillion bacteria; and more in the leaves A tree is between 68.75 and 99.9 percent microbial Trees are holobionts [assemblages of a host and the many microbial species living in or around them] Much like we now recognize the importance of the gut microbiome in human health we need to recognize the importance of microbes for forest health e360: Are forest stewards harnessing the power of microbes e360: How is climate change affecting forests There are pockets of people doing really good things Wild sounds: The loss of sonic diversity and why it matters. Read more e360: What are the biggest and boldest moves humanity can make to repair Earth’s forests Never miss an article. Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter → On Tuesday 13th November, we celebrated 50 years of the Centr'Alp site in Moirans, near Grenoble, home to our Thales teams working on the development of digital radiology and to the factory of our joint venture Trixell. Centr'Alp is a non-profit organisation that was founder in 1968. Based on the idea that innovation is driven by cooperation and exchange, it now groups over 200 companies totalling 6000 employees. Amongst these 200 companies is the joint venture Trixell as well as our Thales factory hosting teams dedicated to the development of digital radiology detectors and software. Trixell is the joint venture created in 1997 between Thales, Siemens Healthineers and Philips Healthcare engaged in the innovation, development and production of X-ray flat panel detectors designed for a wide range of medical applications in radiology. Based alongside our Thales factory, such collaborations highlight the idea of Centr'Alp that cooperation between companies and their workforces allows for innovation and success. At this event, we had the opportunity to demonstrate our leadership in the radiology domain as our major product launches over the years were displayed. With a presence at Centr'Alp for over 20 years, we were also able to show the evolution of our factories and of the roles of our workers. We are equally proud to be a major regional actor for employment and innovation in the Rhône-Alpes Area. We were thrilled to be a part of the 50th anniversary of the Centr'Alp site and to celebrate how the site in Moirans has allowed both Thales and Trixell to continuously innovate and improve the quality of their products and software over the last 20 years. This content was written and submitted by the supplier. It has only been modified to comply with this publication’s space and style. The new 320 range, blow moulded in HDPE, is part of an ongoing enhancement programme at the site which over the years has seen the weight of its 20 litre UN container reduced from 900g to first 800g and now 700g. Key to the success of this project has been RPC’s ability to reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the container, while ensuring that it retains the necessary robustness and strength to safely handle and transport hazardous products. As well as minimising material usage, the lighter container can help to reduce transport costs, both of which offer important sustainability benefits to help companies reduce their carbon footprints. The ergonomic design is also easy to handle while a range of decoration options is available for individual branding. “This is another significant development which underlines our technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities,” comments Stéphane Mer, Plant Manager of RPC Emballages Moirans. Sometimes in stone, sometimes in rammed earth or coated but always very mineral, the constructions are very heterogeneous and from different eras. Sloping roofs (2 or 4 sides) are omnipresent and with wide overhangs, they attest to a strong territorial identity linked to the climate and to the local constructive culture. The landscape also has a strong presence on the site and characterizes an open space despite the presence of the factory wall. © salemmostefaouiThe terrain opens up to distant views of the Chartreuse and Vercors mountains as soon as you climb a little. In addition, the private enclosed gardens and the ubiquitous vegetation make up a neighborhood landscape that is quieter, and protected, and effectively manages the views of the neighborhood on the western and northern limits. © salemmostefaouiFinally, the site is located on the border between the dense historic town center and a more diffuse sector of individual and collective dwellings. The project must articulate these two urban entities and set up continuities capable of making an obvious inscription of the project in its context. is intended to be the true reflection of its program: that is to say a house for all and inviting for the inhabitants of the municipality the project wishes to offer the image of an architecture «without pretension” simple in its form and belonging to its territory The familiar expression and domestic character of this proximity equipment is an answer for easy adhesion and appropriation by users You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. POLIGNY, France -- Matej Mohoric fought tears of relief after edging Kasper Asgreen to win the Tour de France's closest ever stage finish on Friday. Copyright © 2025, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. (NWA Media) This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Slovenian Matej Mohoric won a photo finish for Stage 19 of the 2023 Tour de France on Friday after a late escape following the 173-kilometer run from Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny. The Bahrain Victorious rider finished just ahead of Thursday's stage winner Kasper Asgreen and Australian Ben O'Connor. Runaway race leader Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey. "I gave it all because I didn't want to get back on the bus tonight with any regrets," said Mohoric after his third Tour stage victory. Run through the narrow country roads of the pretty Ain region in eastern France a blistering pace of almost 50kph was set with the mild temperature around 22C Mohoric claimed a third stage win for the Bahrain team after Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels also picked up wins on this tour The Slovenian proved to be the toughest and smartest on a stage that included multiple attacks breakaway attempts and riders splitting up into several groups with defending champion Vingegaard in the yellow jersey riding at a steady pace to save thier legs for the final mountain test on Stage 20 Belgian sprint specialist Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceunink was targeting a fifth win on this Tour but retains his sprint points jersey after finishing in the chasing group "There were a lot of attacks early and a very fast pace," Jumbo-Visma's Vingegaard said "We don't know yet how we will play it tomorrow Vingegaard can no longer count on the help of Wout van Aert with the Belgian rushing home for the birth of his first child But cycling's all-time great Eddy Merckx believes Vingegaard's climbing makes him stronger on Grand Tours than his rival Pogacar ahead of Stage 20 in the Vosges mountains "Pogacar is still a more complete rider," Merckx told AFP ahead of Stage 19 Vingegaard remains the stronger of the two." The 26-year-old Dane won the 2022 Tour de France by turning the screw on the then two-time defending champion Pogacar on a sizzling day on the final climb of a major mountain stage Get the most important Cycling stories delivered straight to your inbox Profile of stage 19 of the 2023 Tour de France(Image credit: ASO)Profile of stage 19 of the 2023 Tour de France(Image credit: GEOATLAS)Moirans-en-Montagne last hosted a start of the Tour de France in 2020(Image credit: Getty Images)Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny Stage 19 of the Tour de France meanders past low-lying lakes between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny. While the stage has two climbs more than stage 18, where Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-Quickstep) claimed the victory from the breakaway that was in sight of the sprinting peloton the sprint teams will not want to make the same mistake twice but other teams may not agree to that tactic It will be a frantic and punishing fight to get a breakaway with the category 4 Côte du Boise de Lionge at kilometre 23.7 The climb is 1.9km long and averages 5.7% - enough to put a sting in riders' third-week legs The next climb comes more than 120km later before the category 3 Côte d’Ivory (2.4km at 5.(%) and is the last before a much flatter final 21km following the descent The climb may be unappealing to a pure sprinter but it will be right up the alley of someone like Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) or maybe even Tom Pidcock (Ineos), who shipped over 30 minutes on the stage to Courchevel. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling By Wolfgang Greiner2023-06-07T06:09:00 French Rossignol Group has hired Liz Wilson as General Manager of the group’s Global Softgoods Division an experienced outdoor and active lifestyle expert Wilson’s extensive professional experience working with leading sports and outdoor lifestyle brands underscores the group’s commitment to diversifying its business and global development strategy in the apparel SUBSCRIBE TODAY! View all subscription plans on our subscription page. analysis and advice for the global sporting goods industry Site powered by Webvision Cloud France (BRAIN) — France's Rossignol Group — which besides its ski business owns Rossignol Bike Time Sport and Felt Bicycle — says it is considering making big changes to the Time frame business and its frame factory in Gajary The changes could include downsizing, closing, or selling the factory, according to a statement Rossignol's PR agency provided to the French trade press. Time's shoe and pedal business is excluded from the company's strategic review of options. Rossignol bought Time in 2016 a few months after the brand's founder "Sales of frames and bikes under the Time brand have dropped by almost half in the past year," the statement read Our limited production capacities do not allow us to offer competitive prices against high end bikes competitors that design their products in countries with low manufacturing costs despite the synergies achieved following the consolidation of the production of the frames activity at our factory in Gajary The brand's employees were told that this examination concerns the carbon frame production and assembling site in Gajary and the brand's headquarters in Saint-Jean-de-Moirans where the design and marketing departments are located A U.S.-based representative for the brand told BRAIN the company will release more details about its strategy soon the company will consider options including the closure of the Gajary facility and an exit from carbon frame production "The (examination) procedure aims to inform the employees of the structural difficulties and to share with them the various options currently under study including the resizing of production and the sale of the factory," said the company Two buyers have shown interest in purchasing the factory although it's not clear if Rossignol is interested in selling the Time frame business or just the facility The company did not say if it would consider moving production to Asia where most of its competitors build their frames Last year Rossignol announced a restructuring plan that led to the closure of its frame factory in Voreppe Frame production was consolidated in Gajary "to optimize the production and to improve the integration of Time Sport in the Group's bike division bringing it together with Rossignol and Felt," Rossignol said at the time The French company bought Felt in 2017 it said it hoped to triple its cycling revenues Download the 2019 Industry Directory Read the 2021 Sales Training Guide Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts Global investment package of €50 million will assist ambitious growth plans Clothing/​Footwear After a strong rebound in its 2021-2022 financial year when it achieved €313 million in revenue the Rossignol Group has recorded very strong growth for the year to March 31st 2023 Founded 116 years ago in the French Alps and headquartered in St-Jean-De-Moirans Rossignol plans to soon generate close to 30% of its business through its clothing and footwear offerings by continuing to develop products for year-round The group is also aiming for the circular production of one-third of its ski ranges by 2028 The strong market recovery observed during the winter of 2021-2022 continued in the 2022–2023 season the company reports,  despite sometimes variable snow conditions throughout different periods and geographic areas Rossignol took full advantage of the high traffic in ski resorts and the increasing appeal of the mountains and the group is growing strongly across all markets – + 36% in France Rossignol has announced a global investment package of €50 million to 2026 including €27 million of industrial investments €15 million of which is linked to its Respect environmental progress programme The group will reinforce its French industrial roots by investing in the Sallanches site in Haute-Savoie with the aim of making this plant the world’s leading factory for eco-designed and recyclable skis and a centre of expertise for repair and second life It is also investing in its own poplar plantation in Spain which will directly supply two ski factories with the ultimate goal of covering 50% of its annual requirement for wood This operation is part of a 15-year cycle to plant a forest of more than 50,000 trees on a currently treeless site and to capture a total of 14,000 tons of CO2 A collaboration with Fairly Made is also underway to improve the traceability of the group’s textile products and to better understand their footprint Rossignol’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection will feature a QR Code on labels that consumers can scan to find detailed and transparent information www.grouperossignol.com Record breaking figures for JEC World 2017 Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor Fabian Cancellara was in contention for his first Tour stage win since 2012 but his hopes were dashed by Peter Sagan on Monday Switzerland - This is why Fabian Cancellara is retiring His mind was willing but his 35-year-old legs couldn't deliver the classics specialist and time trial expert earmarked Monday's 16th stage for a special emotional finish on the medieval streets of Bern working for his Trek-Segafredo team leader Bauke Mollema which he claimed he could "ride blind" and were lined with fans' signs of encouragement Furiously pedaling the customized white bike emblazoned with his "Spartacus" nickname he fought hard in the tricky finale featuring some cobblestones a terrain on which the three-time Paris-Roubaix and Ronde van Vlaanderen champion excelled throughout his storied career He was in contention for his first Tour stage win since 2012 and for sure he will also be a legend," said Sagan who defeated Cancellara when he claimed his first Tour stage win in 2012 "The best riders were at the front fighting it out but I gave it my all and that's the main thing "It's special to ride in your own streets but Cancellara will retire at the end of the season a feat only two-time champion Chris Froome has been able to better among the current peloton first made his mark at cycling's biggest event 12 years ago when he won the prologue in Liege in his maiden appearance and seized the yellow jersey at the expense of Lance Armstrong he briefly led the standings after the second stage but was involved in a spectacular crash that left him with broken bones in his spine "The wine will be for the end of the season." On Friday 21st September  at our site in Moirans Validation and Quality (IVVQ) team took part in the filming of a mainstream media campaign led by UIMM (Union des  Industries et Métiers de la Métallurgie) to be launched this December As a student studying Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing at the School of Engineering Grenoble INP - Phelma (Physics Electronics & Materials Science) and currently undertaking an apprenticeship at Thales she works on the automation of radiology detector and imaging solution test benches with the goal to test their function to ensure high quality and reliability Fanny has gained a professional experience in engineering and looks to use it alongside our teams to improve the daily lives of medical professionals and optimise patient care UIMM looks to highlight the career opportunities that the industry domain can offer as well as contributing to the development and competitiveness of organisations These objectives are being driven by the organisation's media campaign "Je fabrique mon avenir" ("I make my future") that seeks to inspire the future workforce and Thales was chosen to showcase how this can work in reality The campaign is to be launched in December and will showcase our activity in the field of radiology via several media platforms; in cinemas We are thrilled to have been chosen to take part and a huge thank you goes out to everyone who participated and helped to make the shoot a success Breakaway survives for second day with O'Connor taking third The two riders outsprinted Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) following an animated chase between a series of breakaway groups in the final 20km of the 172.8km stage with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) winning the sprint for fourth place from a pursuing group containing teammate Mathieu van der Poel Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) amongst others The stage was heavily anticipated to be an orderly transition stage no doubt fuelled by tensions in the sprint teams after a disastrous loss to the breakaway on stage 18 and Asgreen came painfully close to a second Tour stage win in a row The stage proved to be exceptionally aggressive with an average speed of 49.1kmh - one of the fastest stages in Tour de France history - and described by Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) as “one of the hardest days on a bike of my life” that the main peloton rolled in more than 10 minutes behind the lead breakaway with the 30-riders who had found their way into the lead breakaway group finishing in splinter groups between the two “I wasn't meant to be in the breakaway,” O’Connor said after the stage finish “I was meant to relax and take it easy “I guess in the final with Kasper and Matej I'm kind of always going to lose those two boys - they’re two of the strongest Rouleurs in the peloton and I don't think there's really much else I could have done today,” he added gave an emotional rendition of his third stage win at the Tour de France “It means a lot because it's hard and cruel to be a pro cyclist,” he said you sacrifice your life and your family and do everything you can to be ready Then after a couple of days you realize everyone is so incredibly strong that it's hard to follow the wheels sometimes.” he retold the tense finale with Asgreen.  “To be able to follow the decisive attack when Kasper went - he was so incredibly strong - he went on the attack yesterday and won the stage to have the will and determination to do it all over again I knew I had to make everything perfect - I tried my best,” he said “I somehow found the strength to follow I also tried to contribute to staying away because if I didn't “At one point I felt sorry for Ben because I knew he had no chance in the sprint but he still pushed because he also wants to contest the win I knew Kasper was going to react so I followed his wheel and he basically led me out.” in the wake of the tragic death of teammate Gino Mäder the win also took on special significance for Mohorič and Bahrain Victorious “I'm not here for just myself but also for Gino and for the team.” Mohoric ended his post-race interview on a philosophical note “Every single rider [here] would deserve to win - I saw the faces on the Col de la Loze - you know what everyone is going through “I know how much a Tour stage can change your life I wish everyone could win but it's just not possible The peloton set out from Moirans-en-Montagne for 172.8 kilometres of relatively flat riding and milder temperatures than the peloton has suffered through with successive days near 40 degrees Celsius in the midst of France’s savage heatwave Eddy Merckx himself was the star guest at the race start as he posed with polka dot jersey wearer Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and yellow jersey wearer Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) As the peloton rolled out of the neutralised zone anticipations of an orderly sprint stage were torn into pieces as attacks came in quick succession Chief among them was the combativity award winner of stage 18 Campenaerts began the stage with a score to settle On stage 18 the startlingly small margin of the unlikely breakaway win was one of almost historic rarity on a sprint stage Campanaerts sacrificed himself as lead-out man for teammate Pascal Eekhoorn but both were bested by Soudal-QuickStep’s Kasper Asgreen with EF Education-Easypost doing the lion’s share of the chasing while a series of other abortive strikes followed including a solo breakaway from Peter Sagan lasting the best part of 2km It was at the 116km mark that a move at the front of the peloton eventually stuck The attack contained nine riders - Nils Politt (Bora–Hansgrohe) Georg Zimmermann (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) the break had over a minute to the peloton while a considerable group of dropped riders formed an effective second peloton on the road Politt lost his spot in the breakaway after suffering a broken chain having rolled through three different Shimano neutral service bikes in an attempt to regain touch with the breakaway The breakaway never managed to ride clear of that one-minute margin a split from the main peloton driven by Alpecin-Deceuninck duo Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel took off from the front of the main peloton caught the initial 10-man break driven by a number of Uno-X riders alongside Van der Poel formed a new breakaway group totalling 36 riders from across the major teams Its riders included Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Ion Izaguirre (Cofidis) among a host of others The gap to the main peloton was 90 seconds Pedersen attacked at the intermediate sprint in Ney beating Philipsen to some green jersey points but stealing only three over the Belgian in the green jersey didn’t do much to threaten his 137-point lead Campenaerts' business with the stage was far from done and with 60km remaining Campenaerts attacked along with Simon Clarke (Israel Premier-Tech) and the two stretched out to a lead of around 40 seconds a margin that contracted and stretched over the next 20km but never afforded them a big enough gap to break free of the main breakaway’s gaze which soon swallowed up a flailing Campenaerts and stretched out 30 seconds over the sizeable Philipsen chase group The main peloton containing Vingegaard and the major GC contenders was over seven minutes down entering the final 25km and it was now certain that the stage winner would come from the lead three-man break or from this main chase group That didn’t stop attacks and splits from this chase group with Pidcock and Laporte then Zimmermann and Ion Izagirre all trying to break clear of the main chase - no doubt conscious that with both Groenewegen and Philipsen in the main chase their prospects for a sprint win would be slim to none the chase group saw dramatic fragmentation as Zimmermann Trentin and Van der Poel drove a savage attack on the front and split the field into pursuing groups Mezgec joined that four-man pursuit - bolstering it considerably - and the aggression at the front of the race saw a full minute put between Asgreen O'Connor and Mohorič and the remnants of the main chase group we were set for a game of cat and mouse between the two attacking groups Philipsen’s group of pursuers couldn’t coordinate their chase quite tightly enough and Mohorič and Asgreen rode into the final set up for a three-way sprint battle Results powered by FirstCycling overseeing editorial output across all of Cyclingnews' digital touchpoints Peter was the digital editor of Rouleur magazine Starting life as a freelance feature writer with bylines in The Times and The Telegraph he first entered cycling journalism in 2012 Peter has a background as an international rower representing Great Britain at Under-23 level and at the Junior Rowing World Championships Bike Europe is a part of VMNmedia. The following rules apply to the use of this site: Terms of Use and Privacy / Cookie Statement | Privacy settings Thibaut Pinot with his Groupama-FDJ teammates prior to stage 19 start in Moirans-en-Montagne Thibaut Pinot climbs on stage 17 to Courchevel Stage 20 in the Vosges marks farewell and final opportunity for Frenchman In Moirans-en-Montagne on Friday morning, there was the familiar crowd holding vigil outside the Groupama-FDJ bus. Jonas Vinegaard (Jumbo-Visma) might have the yellow jersey of this Tour de France Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) may continue to vie for the title of G.O.A.T. but Thibaut Pinot commands an adulation that goes far beyond the vagaries of form or the strictures of the results sheet When Pinot emerged from the bus and reached for his bike he was greeted with a ripple of warm applause A young man called Hugo was brandishing a cardboard sign bearing the hopeful legend and the clapping grew louder still when Pinot was alerted to the request and walked over to fulfil it cheering the act of courtesy with a sudden fervour that put one in mind of Marc Madiot’s exhortations when Pinot scored his maiden Tour stage win at Porrentruy in 2012.  “He’s different to the other big riders He’s very humble and he shows his emotions,” said Hugo who smiled after Pinot had scribbled his name on his top tube Pinot has grown used to being public property even if one senses he has never truly felt comfortable with the acclaim this essentially private man was asked if he really even wanted to win the Tour at all given all the attention that such a success would inevitably entail “It’s not an obsession,” Pinot admitted to L’Équipe back then “I like my life as it is at the moment It’s the life I dreamt of and if I win the Tour de France It would prove to be the quintessential Pinot Tour he looked increasingly like the best rider in the race as he moved to the brink of becoming France’s first Tour winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985 he suddenly and surprisingly abandoned with a torn thigh muscle climbing tearfully into a Groupama-FDJ team car the moment his window to win the Tour definitively slammed shut but the cruelty of his ordeal and the rawness of his reaction seemed only to heighten his appeal Winning the Tour might have reduced Pinot to a name on a roll of honour Losing it in such a brutal way only burnished the legend still further Sporting fandom is ultimately about powerful emotions and no rider of this generation provided them in as visceral a way as Pinot Plenty of his peers in the peloton are admired “It’s because he’s not cheating people,” Groupama-FDJ directeur sportif Philippe Mauduit told Cyclingnews on Friday and I think a lot of people see themselves in him That’s why he’s so popular.” In January, Pinot announced that this would be the final season as a rider but even though he will continue to race until Il Lombardia in October it’s hard to shake off the feeling that Saturday’s penultimate stage of the Tour marks the spiritual ending of his professional career The 133.5km leg brings the race through Pinot’s beloved Vosges en route to Le Markstein with his name sure to be daubed all over each of the six classified climbs a big screen has been installed for the occasion in the local sports complex though it’s less clear if his legs will carry him to a valedictory stage win on home roads a lot of riders will look at Thibaut and it will probably be really difficult for him to be in the breakaway We know the game and what can we do?” Mauduit said They will all look at him until the finish line Pinot was in the early break on the final Alpine stage though he had to settle for 11th place in Courchevel after the move broke up on the mighty Col de la Loze he sounded a defiantly optimistic note afterwards about this weekend’s grand finale “I'm thinking more along the lines of ‘see you in three days’ so there's still a lot of motivation,” Pinot said Mauduit maintained that Pinot has been racing with an altogether more relaxed mindset in this that much seemed clear at the Giro d’Italia where his constant aggression saw him claim fifth overall in Rome and the maglia azzurra of best climber “He’s a completely different rider this year,” Mauduit said “It’s all about enjoying what he’s doing it’s all about freedom and enjoying his last year He wants to achieve it in the right way and that’s what he is doing he just deserves to have that big victory before he quits cycling…” Mauduit joined the Groupama-FDJ staff ahead of the 2019 season partly at Pinot’s behest and in the injury-blighted seasons that followed he saw a rider who occasionally made himself a prisoner of his own expectations “Thibaut was not a kind of rider who felt the pressure coming from outside The pressure was coming always from deep inside him – he was eager to do well eager to do always better,” Mauduit said “He was putting all that pressure on himself and sometimes he had some big injuries and illnesses “He’s not a rider who was ever difficult to work with The most difficult thing with him was to try to make him accept to just let it go but don’t put that much pressure on yourself That was the most difficult job for us.” Pinot’s paradoxes were always part of the appeal uninhibited style on the bike was accompanied by a guarded shyness off it.  “I hate talking about myself,” he admitted to ITV’s Daniel Friebe earlier this week that one of the peloton’s quiet men has still been among the most outspoken on doping voicing concerns that lamentably few of his peers dared to raise The pressure Pinot put on himself to try to win the Tour always seems to have coexisted with the nagging thought that maybe it wasn’t really what he wanted at all the adulation for Pinot is so intense precisely because he didn’t win the Tour claiming yellow in Paris would have been predictable; missing out in the way he did was poetry saw little point in ruminating on what might have been in 2019 Saturday’s last waltz in the Vosges will be an occasion “I think we just have to be thankful to life for giving us these emotions We are just living in the present at the moment It’s just fantastic to be with him at the moment in the team He’s not just a kid riding his bike and trying to perform.”  Hello and welcome to our live coverage from stage 16 of the Tour de France Good morning and welcome to Moirans-en-Montagne for the start of stage 16 of the Tour de France We're heading through the Jura and out of France and into Switzerland with a stage that could come down to either a bunch sprint or a breakaway Only one categorised climb it's a day that will be up and down throughout and the riders will be crying out for Tuesday's rest day by the time they reach the finish in Berne later this afternoon We're around 50 minutes from the official rollout but riders are already signing on and warming up you just roll with the punches on days like this You can wait and see what happens but you wouldn’t back yourself with a cobbled climb near the finish because there’ll be attacks there and it’s the last chance for a lot of teams to go for a stage win especially given that so many teams haven't won a stage yet Dimension Data have been greedy and won 5/15 so there are a lot of teams that will see today as their last chance to win We've still not had a French stage winner so we can expect a flurry of attacks from the gun today.  Cavendish has five and he could get over the hills today Kittel has a point to prove but Katusha and Orica could be key to everything Kristoff could see off a few of the fastmen on the rises before the finish and he's still looking for a win here Orica might turn to Matthews for the stage too There are a number of scenarios that could come from the day they'll want the easiest of days possible with four tough mountain stages just around the corner Here's what our sister publication Pro Cycling had to say about the stage in their magazine preview:  The stage profile is slightly misleading in that the roads are nowhere near as lumpy as the profile suggests All the racing takes place within 500m between its highest and lowest points It’s one of the longer stages of the race but there’s little in here to prevent the usual story of a small break getting away early and being recaptured somewhere close to the outskirts of Berne Route director Thierry Gouvenou has cast a lure to finisseurs by including a small cobbled climb just before the sprint any 35-year-old locals with a history of performing well on cobbled climbs will be watched like a hawk here The fairy-tale ending would be Cancellara winning the stage but all the evidence points to a much more run-of-the mill denouement in which the sprinters teams decide the spoils it will be a party to remember for the city and the Tour A quick reminder of how things stand coming into the race We shouldn't see the GC standings change today but here they are anyway Mollema in second and Adam Yates in third.  1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 68:14:36 2 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:47 3 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:02:45 4 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:02:59 5 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:17 6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:04 7 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:04:27 8 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:04:47 9 Daniel Martin (Irl) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:05:03 10 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:05:16 If Cavendish can get over the hills and win his fifth stage and Sagan finishes a few places back then it become a much closer affair Sagan can go on the attack in the mountains and gobble up intermediate points but Cavendish also has Paris to look forward to 1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team 340 pts2 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data 278 3 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 228 4 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie 145 5 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal 128 6 Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 127 7 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha 122 8 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 112 9 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 106 10 Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis In the KOM competition it's Majka's to lose He has to watch a few rivals but he's the best climber in contention and while it could all change in the Alps you can bet he'll go on the attack later in the race 1 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff Team 127 pts2 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 90 3 Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis Solutions Credits 69 4 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data 62 5 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin 58 The start is about 20 minutes away and the majority of the peloton have signed on for the stage with a few already gathering on the line and waiting for the rollout and the neutralised section to begin.  The words of Greg Van Avermaet at the start this morning: "It's a pretty good stage and a nice finish in Berne It's one of the only chances left for me in the Tour so hopefully I can do a good stage and win again." We're racing into Switzerland and that our home for our sponsor BMC so we're all motivated to go a good stage It's not easy to take a stage in the Tour but we'll try for it The finish is good for me so I'll try and be up there so it Matthews and they're impressive with these sprints that are a bit uphill." but the final kilometers include two short climbs (one of which is cobbled) @Etixx_QuickStep Mon Don't forget you can download the Cyclingnews Tour Tracker app, right here Before the rollout there was a massive media scrum around Fabian Cancellara In case you've been living in a cave for the last year He could certainly feature in the break today and here's what he told Cyclingnews about today's stage You can read the full story, here The stage has moved out from the start line and is currently going through the neutralised zone In a few minutes the flag will drop and we'll be officially racing stage 16 of the Tour de France - all 209 kilometres of it Applying sunscreen before the start of another sunny stage a #TDF2016 @Lotto_Soudal Mon And we're off through the neutralized zone and the stage has begun Away from the first attacks for a moment and an interesting piece here from our own Patrick Fletcher and it's about Movistar and whether they think that the Tour can still be one by one of their won.. Froome and Sky look so strong at the moment that they'll really need to have a collective bad day in the Alps for the jersey to be lost. The story, with quotes from several parties, is just here.  As you'd expect it's a frantic start to the stage but no break has gone clear after 5km of action Unless a top 15-20 rider tries a little move off the front it's unlikely that the GC riders will care too much It's going to be the sprinters' teams and the teams that miss the break who will decide a lot about today's final outcome.  Sean Yates spoke at the start this morning and the battle for Green:"We want to win more stages for sure but at the same time we don’t want to lose the green jersey so if there’s a breakaway with 20 guys for us it’s ok – the points won’t be taken by Cav "If it comes to a sprint then we need to make it hard on the final climb to compromise Cav or Kittel’s chances of getting a result Kristoff did a good sprint the other day but his form has been iffy They will certainly be up for it because apart form the Champs Elysees it’s the last chance The climb and cobbles he deals with them ok – better than Cav or Kittel we’re confident we can run top three for sure and confident we can beat Kittel and Cav." Race radio crackles through that Bardet has a flat but he's back with the peloton in quick time Still no break from the bunch with 10km of the stage covered one of the few riders capable or willing to attack Froome and Team Sky in this year's race It's in his DNA to try and split the race in the mountains but like with so many climbers here if Sky have already softened you up before the final climb there's not much that you can do has slipped away with his teammate Tony Martin The pair have a small gap but Lotto Soudal are looking to bring this one back together as they chase down their Belgian rivals still looking for their first stage win in the Tour The Etixx pair have 30 seconds and the bunch have slowed ever so slightly which allows the break to move out to around 30 seconds They need more help and it's coming in the form of Bertjan Lindeman (Lotto NL - Jumbo) who has attempted to jump across to the pair 25km of the stage already covered and we have the three leaders They've 55 seconds over the main field and now is the perfect chance for other riders to make the juncture and create a bigger group didn't make it to the Etixx tandem so it's just Martin and Alaphilippe out front and they have a gap of 40 seconds after 30km of racing More attacks from the main field so we're either going to see the Etixx pair caught or a counter attack bridge over to them Either way the race is at full speed right now The next few kilometres are relatively flat before we have a long but gentle uphill gradient With the gap at 40 seconds and two riders up the road willing to commit now is a good opportunity for riders to bridge over Martin and Alaphilippe will want the assistance because they've realistically got little chance if the bunch just keeps them at a safe distance for almost 200km of racing.  Trek will surely want to mark this move at the very least We know what Martin can do when he's given a decent gap and there's no way Cancellara would just shrug his shoulders and accept a Martin win in his hometown I'll bet you all the Toblerone in Switzerland on that.  The gap to the leading pair has moved out again to 1'20 with no one yet able to jump clear and join them A move tries to go clear but it's then brought back The current situation really plays into the hands of the sprinters though They don't want a strong and robust move off the front much easier to control two men even if they are of the calibre of Martin and Alaphilippe Etixx of course won't chase but this stage on paper is too hard for Kittel.  Le Tour report that Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac) Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) and Vegard Breen (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) are trying to make it over to the leading pair Twenty years ago at the Tour the race went into Pamplona that day invited the Spaniard onto the podium with him I wonder if Froome will extend the same gesture to Cancellara with the race finishing the Swiss rider's hometown of Berne today 1:45 for the Etixx - Quick-Step duo on the chasers and 3 minutes over the peloton Katusha and Direct Energie have men on the front of the peloton controlling the pace with 148km to go I think he wants to sit up and wait for the riders chasing him down.  Our four chasers are Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac) Vegard Breen (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) and Timo Roosen (Lotto NL - Jumbo) and they're 1'30 behind the break They should make contact at this rate.  It's all Martin at the front as he leads his French teammate The four riders in the counter attack are trading turns for now 4 riders versus 1 Tony Martin  - seems like reasonable odds.  It's surely too much of an ask if they're thinking of staying away The counter attack are at 2'08 with the bunch still at 5'08 Martin turns back to check that Alaphilippe is still with him smiles and then moves back into his TT mode The French rider has to just stick with it Froome and Sky are near the front but they're of course happy to let Katusha and Direct Energie do all the work at the head of the peloton They gap to the two leaders is now up to 5'39 so the Etixx pairing are putting more time into the chase.  Breaking news: Alaphilppe has taken a turn on the front of the break So Martin gets some rest and the chance to scoff down some lunch as he teammate takes over It looks as though Martin sets the pace on the flat and Alaphilippe takes over on the shallow climbs.  125km to go and the leaders have 5'56 on the bunch and that's the biggest lead that they've had so far in the race Meanwhile Direct Energie have posted another man on the front of the bunch so they're up to two riders with Katusha and Team Sky waiting in the wings gap to the 2 leading riders is 6' #TDF2016 #BoraArgon18 @BoraArgon18 Mon Right at the back of the peloton is Adam Yates While the pressure if off that's fine but he can't afford to hang around too long there He sits third overall in the race and wears the white jersey as the best young rider on GC He's had a storming Tour d France this year The peloton have responded and chipped off about a minute off the leaders' advantage Once again we've got Martin on the front leading Alaphilippe with 110km to go.  Meanwhile the chase group have lost time to the leading group More and more teams are coming to the front of the peloton Cofidis and BMC included and that's only going to weaken Etixx's current position.  The leaders reach a gentle false flat and that allows Alaphilippe the chance to take a turn The Frenchman was on the attack yesterday so he's got to be feeling it in his legs.  Tinkoff have also put a man on the front and the chase is only going to intensify in the next portion of the stage.  BMC are on home roads too of course and that's partly why they're chasing In Greg Van Avermaet they have a ride in form and a man who already has a stage win to his name The cobbled sector at the end of the stage @alafpolak and @tonymartin85 are enjoying a 5-minute advantage with Tony Martin leading the Tour de France from France and into Switzerland so much for an easy transition stage as we head into the second rest day Direct Energie have upped the pace again and that's brought the gap down to 4'11.  The counter attack that included Craddock has sat up and been caught by the bunch Boasson Hagen looking to add to @TeamDiData success at @letour with win on Mandela Day https://t.co/jFNM7uf7Jt https://t.co/OIUbf3jrye @Cyclingnewsfeed Mon Martin is doing all he can out there but the bunch have his number with the gap dropping further to 3'44 We've still around two hours of racing to go with the bunch still lined out No sign from Giant or Dimension Data who might also be interested in pulling the break back for their respective sprinters.  The Lotto Soudal rider is back with the team car and picking up drinks for his teammates The Lotto man hasn't won a sprint yet in this year's Tour de France and the uphill section might be too much for him today It's all about Paris now for the former HTC Highroad man 80km to go and the bunch have the leading pair where they want them Now that we're in Switzerland it's BMC who are taking up the chase for their owner Andy Rihs They'll be looking to set up Greg Van Avermaet for the finale.  The leading duo on are on a descent and trying to hold their advantage as high as possible but it's a losing battle at this point The bunch have eased ever so slightly with the gap at 3'00 and not coming down as quickly as it was before I wonder if Etixx are trying to set this up for one of  their riders who could attack in the finale if there's a split and the main sprinters are dropped If that was the case then Alaphilippe would have been the perfect candidate to try something he'll be shattered for the final 20 kilometres or so Boasson Hagen and Dimension Data have ridden well today They've not taken on the Martin time trial show and have just sat back and allowed other teams to make the pace and control the break It should mean that they have men for the finale when the break has been caught and the attacks start At the moment the gap between the break and the bunch is at 2'55 The intermediate sprint comes up in 9.5km and Etixx will take one and two Will Sagan and Cavendish clash for third with the Green jersey still up for grabs The sprint is certainly having an affect on the break though with the gap down to 2'33 Kittel has a wheel change and quickly gets going Today isn't a stage for him but he's going to fight on until Paris BMC have left just one man at the front but all of Direct Energie are moving up Still no sign of Dimension Data and Trek have held back too concentrating on protecting Bauke Mollema and their GC hopes The peloton has lined out once more due to that injection of pace Alaphilippe rolls over the line and takes the 20 points for the sprint ahead of Martin The peloton are at 1'20 with 40km to go and Peter Sagan has moved up in order to try and take third on the line.  Sagan moves to the front uncontested and takes third ahead of Cavendish in fourth That was a bit of an non-event in the end really Tinkoff who have toyed with the front of the bunch all day have now positioned two men at the head of affairs And there's a Dimension Data rider in the mix as well Several teams are chasing our riders inside the final 35 kilometers and the gap is dropping to 1:20 31km to go and the gap to the break is now less than a minute Tony Martin is suffering out there and who can blame him He's made the pace so hard for the rest of the bunch though  - although I'm not sure that's going to make him too many friends ahead of tomorrow's rest day @fmk_RoI @dnlbenson surely watching the peloton chase Tony Martin as he tows Alaphilippe halfway across Switzerland is something @petercossins Mon Interestingly AG2R are starting to organise themselves on the front Is that to set up Bardet for the hilly finale or are they just looking to protect their team leader ahead of a tense finale.  And on the only categorised climb of the stage Martin pushes on and Alaphilippe sits up Dimension Data have started to help with the chase Lotto Jumbo and Direct Energie also playing their part.  Martin goes over the top with a gap of 22 seconds on the bunch.  Martin takes on a bottle from the side of the road takes one swig and then tosses it aside for a fan to pick up it's almost all over but the Etixx rider once more drops down into his TT position and goes as aero as possible 21km to go and Martin sits up and his passed by the bunch Kittel is also off the back and struggling as well.  And it's from Lampre Merida but the gap just 30 meters at the moment It's former world champion Rui Costa so the peloton can't afford to give him too much room The gap has grown out to 50 meters with 20km to go attacking just after Martin was caught and there was a slight lull in the pace He has 14 seconds but there's still a lot of tough racing left in this stage He' looks back to see if anyone is coming across to him but the road is clear It's Cummings who is leading the chase at the front of the peloton The road descends here gradually and that's given Rui Costa the chance to get aero and extend is lead He gobbles down a gel and then tucks his shoulders in on the descent once more 17km to go and the gap is still holding at 14 seconds His lead is down to just 8 seconds though with 15km to go Cummings is bringing it all back together.  Now the road points upwards for a energy sapping rise that will sting legs after 200km of racing Costa has maybe 9 seconds as he gets out of the saddle but this look like a tall order for the Lampre Merida man Costa has found a couple more seconds here and his lead is back to around 11 seconds with riders starting to pop off the back of the bunch due to the increased pace The riders really deserve tomorrow's rest-day with Kristoff moving his men to the front and with 12km to go Rui Costa has 12 seconds Cummings still there but in second place.  flat and wide sections do not lend themselves to his efforts.  More and more GC teams are coming up and making sure that their team leaders are protected That's cut two seconds off Rui Costa's lead and the bunch can see him Costa takes a corner at full tilt and that helps him hold his lead at 11 seconds Cummings hits the front once more and this is going to take a huge effort from the Dimension Data rider to catch Rui Costa Now Trek move up with Rui Costa at 6 seconds We have a tricky corner coming up and Cancellara has to be near the front if he wants his win IAM Cycling now push the pace with three men at the front The road narrows and then descends with IAM still on the front and stretching out the race Just 3km to go and the pace is so high no attacks can be made Now on the cobbles and the final little climb before the line Lotto lead onto the climb and Sagan and Boassan Hagen are near the front He's caught with Cancellara Sagan and others on the other side Giant are setting the pace for Degenkolb though Kristoff opens up the front but here comes Sagan and Degenkolb.  as they're neck and neck as they come to the line together Kristoff celebrated as he came over the line but it's the Tinkoff rider who wins Sagan threw his bike to the line and just edged it If the line had been a meter back then the Katusha rider would have taken it Bravo Sagan though who takes another stage win in this year's race and surely that's the green jersey in the bag now.  Sagan says he has destiny on his side after a number of second places in the last 12 months or so and Tinkov for their support and he's obviously overjoyed with his result.  @albertocontador Mon We don't yet have the top ten but here are the results we do have:  1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team 04:26:022 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha 3 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling 4 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 5 Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 6 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek-Segafredo 1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team 04:26:022 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha 3 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling 4 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 5 Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 6 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek-Segafredo 7 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 8 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Etixx - Quick-Step 9 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 10 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team In GC we have no changes inside the top five: General classification after stage 16 1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 72:40:382 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 00:01:473 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 00:02:454 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 00:02:595 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 00:03:17 Sounds like half of Slovakia has made the trip to Berne as well Riders on the peloton and both Alaphilippe and Tony Martin are given the combativity award as a joint award Peter Sagan:"It was a very long stage and it was very hot I'm so happy and proud of my team because they did a very good job A lot of times I lose the race for this [photo finish] I believe in destiny and now it is turning back "Fans came here from Slovakia and it is very nice that they could come here to see me and to cheer for me but Tony [Martin] has won stages like this before [Julian] Alaphilippe being out there wasn't really part of our master plan especially after yesterday and maybe he will regret hanging out there Tony said that every day they have been chasing for a bunch sprint and today they can chase me and it looked like he was hurting everybody To have two riders out there was sort of an honour also for being in a big race like the Tour de France Chris Froome:"I wasn't actually up at the front those last few kilometers it was pretty sketchy through all the towns lefts and rights and obviously over the cobbles I was just trying to stay out of trouble and get to the finish as good as possible I think everyone is quite glad there's a rest day tomorrow I'm looking forward to the last few days now I don't think we've ever been at this point with nine riders left and we have the leader's jersey and a lot to fight for still We're looking forward to getting back into the mountains now." Guess my legs will be very happy with the restday tomorrow @Jasperstuyven Mon Mark Cavendish:"I was just hanging on there How bad was the heat today and how hhg was the tempo When you have Tony Martin in frtn it’s not going to be easy You can find more post-stage quotes right here Thanks for joining us today. You can find our complete results, photos and report, right here Tomorrow is  rest-day but we will be back on Thursday for the mountain time trial Sagan's late bike throw denied Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) the stage he has been seeking while Sondre Holst Enger (IAM Cycling) was third Tour de France: Stage 16 finish line quotes Tour de France: Stage 16 highlights - Video Hometown hero Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) mixed it up in the sprint coming in sixth behind John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) and Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange) Sagan was pleasantly surprised to be awarded the stage victory especially in light of his two-year streak of winning the green jersey competition without ever taking a stage victory and his long stretch of second places before this season This year he has racked up three Tour stages equalling his record from the 2012 Tour de France with one more chance to come on the Champs-Elysees in Paris and so proud of my team because they did a very good job The stage was a last hope for the sprinters ahead of the second rest day and four tough mountain stages and time was running out for Kristoff and Katusha who have gone winless so far this Tour de France The brief moment of jubilation that Kristoff experienced quickly turned to more disappointment as the review of the cameras showed Sagan pushing in front of Kristoff by millimetres "At the beginning we were really happy and celebrating because we thought we had the win it started to filter through that we hadn't," Katusha directeur sportif Jose Acevedo said The organisers were saying Sagan had won and Kristoff was second "The team has worked really hard since the beginning of the Tour and right at the end we lost by a few millimetres and so we have another chance in Paris and hopefully Kristoff can win on the Champs-Elysees." Sagan further padded his lead in the points classification over Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) fuelling speculation that the Manxman will abandon on the rest day to begin his preparation for the track cycling events at the Olympic Games in Rio Although the final kilometers were riddled with opportunity for disaster to strike Chris Froome (Sky) finished safely in the peloton to remain in the race leader's yellow jersey Froome continues to hold a 1:47 lead on Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and 2:45 on Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) the latter holding onto his white jersey of best young rider "I wasn't actually up at the front those last few kilometers lefts and rights and obviously over the cobbles," Froome said "I was just trying to stay out of trouble and get to the finish as good as possible the riders hit the Alps for three road stages and a short and looking forward to the rest day," Froome said calm day greeted the riders as they departed Moirans-en-Montagne with a 206km journey to Berne across the Swiss border and it was a knock-down drag-out fight to be in the breakaway as the sprinters' teams were not about to let the kind of large breakaway escape as has happened in the previous stages Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) had a puncture but he quickly rejoined the peloton Tony Martin towed his Etixx-Quickstep teammate Julian Alaphilippe off the front the Frenchman having had his ambitions of a stage 15 victory scuttled by a mechanical on the descent from the Colombier The pair were chased by several riders trying to join in including Bert-jan Lindeman (LottoNl-Jumbo) and then a second counter-attack by Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac) Vegard Breen (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) and Timo Roosen (Lotto NL - Jumbo) that was equally futile Martin went into long-distance individual time trial mode doing all of the work with Alaphilippe in tow The German was too strong even for four men to bridge across and the quartet were swept up by the peloton finally after dangling in no-man's land for the better part of 80km The Martin-Alaphilippe tandem maxed out its lead over the peloton at six minutes but as the stage wore on the peloton's strength began to overpower them and then dangled around 40 seconds ahead of the peloton clearly enjoying their time in the spotlight laughing and joking all the way to the day's only classified climb after a long afternoon of suffering behind the three-time individual time trial world champion gave up the wheel before the top of the climb as Dimension Data halved Martin's lead to only 21 seconds Etixx-Quickstep's ambitions for the stage win appeared to become unglued along with Marcel Kittel who was dropped on the Muhleberg and was attended by Iljo Keisse and then Alaphilippe Astana lost patience with Martin's breakaway finally ended the German's time off the front Martin went straight out the back of the bunch without even lifting his pace to help Kittel who was still trying to chase back on with Keisse Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) had a go with 21km to go and built up a solid 15 second advantage on the wide open flat Swiss motorway as the sprinters' teams began to get organized for the approach to the finish line in Berne Direct Energie and Dimension Data were mainly responsible for keeping Costa within arm's reach looking at a possible win for Van Avermaet and wanting to keep their GC men Porte and Van Garderen safe from the tricky run-in with numerous roundabouts but there was little organisation outside the 10km to go banner a three-time Tour de Suisse winner continued to pour everything into the seemingly futile attack Steve Cummings led for most of the final kilometers while Katusha finally found Alexander Kristoff and delivered him to position with 6km to go IAM Cycling finally brought Costa back with 4km to go leading into a technical section of the course through multiple turns looking to put Sondre Holst Enger onto the podium for the team's second stage victory after Jarlinson Pantano's stage 15 win Sep Vanmarcke found the pave to his liking and attacked with 1700m to go marked by Ramunas Navardauskas and a Dimension Data rider but the move could not last as Giant-Alpecin led the peloton past for Degenkolb Matthews and even Cancellara pushing for the win but Sagan took it in a photo finish.Media type: TwitterMedia src: https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/755062188918931458Media caption: The architecture has been designed specifically for Rossignol, a fusion of the company’s functional and fantasy aspects, in a surprising and minimalist form: it is inspired by board sports, by fluidity of motion, and also by relief, snow and glaciers sculpted by the elements. The roof, which envelops the whole project, is topography in osmosis with nature and the landscape. Its organic, timber-clad shape echoes the profile of the mountains that surround the site. In order to create the “House of Rossignol”, the Rossignol Group will be assembling on these site different entities that are currently spread over several locations, but which all contribute to the company’s identity. © André MorinThe roof covers three types of space: - The racing ski production workshop, the brand’s technological showcase, and technical rooms, all grouped alongside the motorway. - The office floors, which include the administrative and sales departments, R&D, research and design, etc. - The street, spectacular and bright, the space of social encounter, which crosses the building from side to side. At its end, the street widens to become the showroom. © André MorinOn the motorway side, the facade creates a kinetic and dynamic effect reinforced by the repetition of the logo, which appears gradually. The front of the building rises to form a roof over the workshops and then on to the apex, and descends again on the south-western side to cover the office area. It is then intercut with patios planted with birch trees that seem to grow through the roof: nature and building intertwine. © André MorinThe irregular profile of the roof and office facades leaves the opportunity for future extensions as required. Additions can be built without disrupting the balance and identity of the project. From the start, the architecture embodies its own growth process. The roof ridge, with a glasshouse running along it, is situated above the street, a high-level space giving onto the “high-altitude restaurant”, the highest point of the structure, which refers to ski slope restaurants. © André MorinThe building is designed for minimal environmental impact. The technical choices make it an efficient and energy-saving building, well insulated and protected from the summer sun by the timber over-roof. The systems are optimised – the heat produced by the workshop machines is recovered and re-injected into the heating network. The offices receive natural ventilation through automatic window opening. The mountain sport equipment specialist led by Bruno Cercley has indicated it needs to restructure its winter sport operations and its ski production organisation in particular [ski] equipment specialists have been faced with significant reductions in output volumes owing to the growing popularity of ski renting combined with increasingly irregular snowfall rates in mountain resorts,” said Rossignol in a press release “Business has slumped due to the worldwide health crisis amplifying the market's structural contraction and leading to a drop in volumes of approximately 25% in 2020 and to significant uncertainty about the positive outcome of the next winter season,” added Rossignol.Against this background the group has announced a restructuring drive affecting 92 of its 1,310 employees Two thirds of the jobs in question are based in Sallanches where Rossignol operates a ski production facility that underwent a first streamlining 10 years ago the group announced it will cut 24 jobs at its Saint-Jean-de-Moirans headquarters 7 in Saint Etienne de Saint Geoirs and 61 at the Sallanches factory adding however that the evolution and transformation of its business will lead to the creation of 15 new jobs local media mentioned the possibility that some of the output from the Sallanches factory might be shifted to another Rossignol facility in Spain’s Barcelona region.The group gave further indications about its manufacturing organisation goals: “This project makes it possible to clarify the two sites’ respective roles to ensure that our production facilities are complementary and to give a clear mandate to the Sallanches site,” said Cercley who also confirmed the Rossignol group's firm intention of maintaining industrial operations in France and western Europe Eddy Merckx looks on as Giulio Ciccone (L) and Jonas Vingegaard (R) await the start of the 19th stageAFPCycling's all-time great Eddy Merckx (78) believes Jonas Vingegaard's (26) climbing makes him stronger on Grand Tours than his rival Tadej Pogacar (24) he told AFP ahead of stage 19 on Friday.The Belgian hailed the testing course of the 110th Tour de France and the duel between the two current big guns of road cycling "This has been a fabulous Tour de France wouldn’t you say?" the five-time Tour de France winner said at the starting enclosure of the stage at Moirans-en-Montagne Merckx said the duel between overall leader Vingegaard and second-placed Pogacar, as well as the route itself, had delivered a great Tour. "It’s been a thrilling race," he said. Jonas Vingegaard waits for the start of the 19th stageAFP"Also with Pogacar and Vingegaard racing neck and neck helped, until the time-trial anyway," he said. "There wasn't much difference between the two of them and then with what happened the day after, well after that the suspense was gone after the big mountain stage," he said. The pair had engaged in a thrilling struggle for supremacy over the first 15 stages, and were separated by seconds. Vingegaard however then took a 1min 48sec lead over the Slovenian in the individual effort on stage 16 before totally crushing the two-time champion in the high mountains on stage 17. "Pogacar is still a more complete rider," said Merckx, who has previously spoken highly of the adventurous style with which Pogacar races. "But for the moment, in the high mountains at least, Vingegaard remains the stronger of the two," he said. The Dane won the 2022 Tour de France by turning the screw on the then two-time defending champion Pogacar on a sizzling day on the final climb of a major mountain stage. The pack of riders cycle in Moirans-en-Montagne at the start of the 19th stageAFPPogacar vowed to fight back this year, but a broken wrist in April hindered his preparations. And Vingegaard again turned the screw in the mountains to take a rock-solid lead of over seven minutes. Merckx raised his eyes to the heavens as if to say 'if only', when asked if he would have fancied his chances against the pair. "I would really have loved to have raced in this Tour de France," said Merckx, who won the event from 1969-1972 and again in 1974. "But I'm happy to have raced in my day," he said. Merckx won a total of 11 Grand Tours, picking up a colossal 64 stage wins along the way and shares the all-time stage win record on the Tour de France of 34 wins with Mark Cavendish. The Tour de France winds up in Paris on Sunday with the only real threat to Vingegaard's lead being an unlikely meltdown 24 hours earlier on the mountainous stage 20. taking out stage 19 of the 2023 Tour from a late attack.Soudal Quick-Step's Danish rider Kasper Asgreen (L) and Bahrain - Victorious' Slovenian rider Matej Mohoric (R) sprint to the finish line of the 19th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race 173 km between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny in the Jura department of central-eastern France (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images) Source: AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images Stage 19 - Mini Stage - Tour de France 2023 Stage 19 - Daily Highlights - Tour de France 2023 Stage 19 - Full Replay - Tour de France 2023 Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News