On the road to Saint-Étienne it was not only love that could break your heart, if you were Fred Wright then it was Mads Pedersen who held that ability as he took the stage from the day’s breakaway, another great win for a Danish rider. This was one of the only stages between here and Paris that looked like ending in a conventional bunch sprint but that went out the window when Caleb Ewan’s heart was broken by a crash that left him nursing a knee injury and unable to regain touch with the bunch. On a harder than expected day, the absence of Caleb’s team at the front of the chase meant that the stage swung in favour of the powerhouse breakaway.

Rose, Ian, and Francois are joined by Ed Pickering for this episode.

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