The Tour de France 2022 Stage 15 Live - Can the sprinters keep their cool to conquer in Carcassonne?

1. Jasper Philipsen
2. Wout van Aert
3. Mads Pedersen
4. Peter Sagan
5. Danny van Poppel

“I know what losing is like in the Tour de France. It worked out today and it’s incredible…

It’s just too many things at the same time. It’s been a massive search for this victory. We worked really hard for it and I’m super proud we could finish it off. Everybody still believed it was possible.

I knew I had good legs. We just had to wait for the right opportunity and the right moment.”

Thomas is tagged at 450m to go. Jasper Steuyven (Trek-Segafredo) leads out for Pedersen who has to sprint first, fighting off the onrushing Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma) on his right, and Philipsen to his left. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has the momentum and the stronger throw, to take it from Van Aert and another Grand Tour stage victory for his team.

Tongue hanging out as he fights for all his life as the road gets technical. He won't make it but what a great effort.

On a straight, relatively wide road the breakers and the bunch are in the same shot. Jumbo and Ineos are in charge, but they'll hand over to the sprinters' teams very shortly. Not impossible for the two, which has now become one, to hang on, but a big ask. Thomas is now in TT mode.

On the descent, Ineos Grenadiers emerge at the front of the bunch, adding to the effort and hurting the pair's chances, 200m behind them. Fearful of crosswinds, they're all about safety first for their leader, Geraint Thomas. Good news for the fastmen, but it's not over yet.

The tarmac is visibly breaking up in the 40 degree heat.

Robbie McEwen thinks these two have "a great chance" of getting to the line. Carlton Kirby is more sceptical. They're descending for another 5km, which won't hurt their hopes, but there's a lot of firepower behind. They just have to commit and keep cooperating.

The pair are now 30 seconds to the good. Don't rule out the possibility of them snatching this, but there a lot of teams now invested in a sprint.

None more than BikeExchange-Jayco, who have done a superb job of bringing Groenewegen back into the race.

At the rear, Alexander Kristoff (Intermarche Wanty Gobert) pedals with his entire body to stay with it towards the top of the uncategorised climb. Whatever works, big Al.

Bike Exchange are closing the gap, with yesterday's stage winner Michael Matthews turning super team-mate. There is now about 50 seconds from them to the peloton, but Bora-Hansgrohe have joined the effort to keep that gulf as wide as possible.

The maillot jaunce is well placed towards the front of the bunch, and with Wout van Aert in front of him, but the white jersey of Tadej Pogacar looks to me a little further back than he would want to be.

Local rider Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) takes two KOM points, and Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels-KTM) the remainder, as the pair push on. Trek aren't going to particularly want to slow down, because that would allow the fastest sprinters to regain contact. Team DSM are giving them a hand, as they've got Alberto Dainese in the bunch.

Dylan Groenewegen is a minute off the back of the peloton.

And it's at a hard enough pace to send Caleb Ewan (Jumbo Visma) and Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl) out the back. Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange Jayco) is the last man to lose contact, but he has team-mates, so it might not be permanently. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuinck) can take the pace, and won't be complaining about Trek's tactics.

Bauke Mollema is burying himself, before handing over to Quinn Simmons.

And not long after, Wout van Aert leads the peloton through to mop up the rest. Who's that on his wheel, though? it's a certain Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian seems ready to jump into green in the event Jumbo Visma's bad luck continues.

In all that, the gap between break and bunch has all but evaporated. Just ten seconds between them.

The Dutch team are on the floor again. Tiesj Benoot seemed worst off, but this time the maillot jaune is also involved. Vinegaard must have fallen because, as he is led back to the bunch by team-mates, we see his jersey has soot on his left shoulder. He doesn't appear badly hurt, though, and will get back on soon enough. Not what they wanted, though. It doesn't rain, but it does seem to be pouring for Jumbo Visma.

The camera cuts to what appears to be the aftermath of a big crash involving Jumbo Visma's Steven Kruijswijk, Martjin Tusveld (Team DSM) and Jakob Fuglsang (Israel PremierTech). The Dutch rider did not look to be getting up in a hurry, was clutching his collabone and elbow and very much did not appear to be about to resume the race. In fact he's already abandoned, and is seen being wheeled into an ambulance. Of course he's wearing race number 13.

The incident occurred moments after and not far from the where, a minute earlier, a couple of protesters invaded the course before being quickly hauled off the road by gendarmes.

Owain Doull (EF Education EasyPost), enjoying a snack the back of the bunch, rides over a casually discarded bidon with his back wheel, and falls heavily. He's now getting attention from the medical car while going downhill at 70kph.

It was a luminous yellow one, which means Intermarche Wanty Gobert. Tsk tsk.

With his aforementioned team-mates putting in the effort at the front of the bunch, they need all he can carry.

Trek-Segafredo, Alpecin-Deceuninck and BikeExchange-Jayco. If you're wondering who Trek are riding for, that would be Friday's stage winner, Mads Pederson. A full bunch sprint will likely be too fast for him, so they're going to need to make it really hard on the 20km between Rive-de-Gier and La Talaudiere. Although not a climb, the road does rise up by over 250m so could afford an opportunity to make it too hard for the likes of Groenewegen. Probably not Jasper Philipsen, though.

It's sunflower time at Le Tour, and the bunch is now cruising. The average speed for the stage has fallen to a mere 46.3kph.

A few years ago I had a very enjoyable chat with one of our breakaway duo at a QuickStep training camp in Calpe. Rather than bike racing, we talked intellectual pursuits, such as Aristotle, and political ones, including Brexit. Loath as I am to share a link to my former employer's website, a bit of self-promotion doesn't hurt, does it? Why not give it a read:

Just kidding. For now it's still just really, really hot, such that Politt and Honore are sharing blocks of ice between them. 2'15 their lead over the peloton, who are just passing through the feedzone. One permission that has been agreed today is that riders are allowed to pass bidons to spectators at the side of the road.

There is the possibility of crosswinds nearer the finish, which could shake things up, though a headwind is more likely.

Jonathan Harris-Bass will kill it, cook it and eat it.

Sorry veggies, but when in France...