Pogačar crashes and Abrahamsen wins stage in Tour de France
Abrahamsen beat Swiss rider Mauro Schmid in a photo finish in a final sprint after Belgian-born Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel made a late push to catch them. It was the Norwegian rider's first stage win at the Tour and the first in this race for his team Uno-X Mobility. Van der Poel was 7 seconds behind in third while the GC group including Pogačar and yellow jersey-holder Ben Healy finished 3:28 back. Healy, only the fourth Irish rider ever to hold the yellow jersey, still leads by 29 seconds from Pogačar.
After the first rest day on Tuesday, Wednesday's stage was a 156.8-kilometer loop from Toulouse back to the southern Pink City with views of the Pyrenees. It was expected to suit the sprinters, though there was a sting in the tail with a 20 percent incline on the Côte de Pech David before the finish. Abrahamsen attacked with 155 kilometers to go and was joined by Schmid and Davide Ballerini, prompting persistent attacks from the likes of Van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Victor Campenaerts. Ultimately, all their efforts were in vain.
'It's a crazy stage guys,' the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team riders were told over their radios, 'A crazy stage. Stay focused.'
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