Combative Storer helps save Tudor's celebration blushes
The honour is bestowed on the rider who is deemed the most aggressive on a stage and the Australian earned his with his constant attacks on the 169km ride from Muret to Carcassonne.
The Pyreneean stage was won by UAE's Tim Wellens, wearing the Belgian champion's jersey, with compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma Lease-A-Bike) second in a fitting 1-2 on the eve of Monday's rest day, which is also Belgium's national day.
Further back there was no change at the top of the general classification, with the main favourites finishing some six minutes after Wellens.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) remains four minutes, 13 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease-A-Bike) with Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) third, just shy of eight minutes off yellow.
Both Belgians had been in the breakaway with Storer but he was swallowed up before the sprint for third, won by Tudor teammate Julian Alaphilippe, who unfortunately celebrated as though he had won the stage, which he thought he had having been without a working radio after hurting his shoulder in an early crash.
The Frenchman skipped the podium and interviews, with Tudor claiming he had a suspected dislocated shoulder, though the way he punched the air after crossing the line suggested his shoulder was fine.
While Tudor CEO Raphael Meyer pointed out the team would have been very happy with third if offered that before the stage Storer's award helped ease any embarrassment with Meyer paying tribute to his "amazing" ride.
The breakaway had formed after the crash split the peloton. With Vingegaard and Lipowitz delayed UAE and Pogacar tried to slow the peloton to enable them to catch up - mirroring a similar response by his rivals when he crashed a few days ago.
The breakaway was gradually whittled down to four with Storer attempting to go solo at that point only to be reeled back in. With a little over 40km to go the leading group were eight-strong, at which point Wellens, who had hitherto sat on the others' wheels, launched his break which quickly became decisive as the others debated how to respond.
"It was a very special victory," he said. "Everybody knows the Tour de France, everybody wants to ride the Tour de France but not many get to win at the Tour de France so it's very beautiful."
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