UAE Team Emirates rider Ben Swift frustrated with missed opportunity on Stage 19 of Tour de France

Sport360 staff 01:25 22/07/2017
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  • Ben Swift bemoaned the mistiming of taking a drink, as a day-long breakaway proved fruitless on Stage 19 of the Tour de France.

    The UAE Team Emirates sprinter was part of the 20-man break that formed early on in the mammoth 222.5km stage. He felt confident of a high-placing, but missed a split late on when Lotto-Soudal’s Thomas De Gendt attacked over an incline.

    The Briton was left frustrated and annoyed. “I was feeling really good today, but that was a demonstration of how to mess up a race,” he said.

    “I was having a quick drink and the next thing I knew there was a split with the strongest guys in the front. De Gendt did a little acceleration over the top, some others accelerated and it was hard to do anything. Once they were in the draft of the motorbikes, there is no way you can bring them back.

    “It’s the Tour de France and you don’t get these opportunities a lot. It was a long day in the saddle but one little mistake and that was it, it was gone.”

    Swift, 29, has finished in the top-10 of two stages, but illness in the second week set him back. He harboured hopes of an assault on the green jersey classification, but with two stages to go sits in 19th place.

    “The way Michael Matthews has gone about getting that green jersey has been impressive,” he added.

    “It was something I wanted to do going into the race. But it has unravelled. I had the crash and had to change my cleats. I was then sick in the second week. I’m happy to be going well in the final week. I need a fourth week.”

    STAGE 19 RESULTS

    Rider Name (Country) Team Result

    1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 5:06:09
    2 Nikias Arndt (Ger) ORICA – Scott 0:00:05
    3 Jens Keukeleire (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:17
    12 Ben Swift (GBr) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:37

    GENERAL CLASSIFICATION RESULTS AFTER STAGE 19

    Rider Name (Country) Team Result

    1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 83:26:55
    2 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Monidale 0:00:23
    3 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team 0:00:29
    8 Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates 0:06:52

    YOUTH RESULTS AFTER STAGE 19

    Rider Name (Country) Team Result

    1 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica – Scott 83:31:41
    2 Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates 0:02:06
    3 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bura-hansgroe 0:26:15

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