Bauer misjudges time as Nibali tightens grip on yellow jersey

Bauer had disappeared into the lead at the very beginning of the 222km stage between Tallard and Nimes but lost out in the closing stages as the chasing pack eventually put in a push.

Stormy conditions and difficult crosswinds made life difficult for Bauer and Elmiger but they maintained their lead until Katusha’s Kristoff led the sprinting pack past – leaving Garmin-Sharp rider Bauer in tears at the finish.

It seemed as though the sprinters had miscalculated the time they needed to reel in the long-standing leaders, with a number of roundabouts requiring safe navigation in slippery conditions.

But, as the closing metres were knocked off, Bauer, who eventually came home 10th, and Elmiger – who had worked well together to keep themselves clear – dropped back into the field.

Green jersey holder Peter Sagen came third as Vincenzo Nibali remained in the yellow jersey heading into the 16th stage with a four minute 37 second lead over Alejandro Valverde.

Richie Porte, meanwhile, says a chest infection has ruined his chances of challenging for Tour de France glory.

Porte, the default leader of Team Sky after Chris Froome pulled out injured on day five, had been keeping pace with leader Vincenzo Nibali and was second overall after 12 stages.

Bad days on the 13th and 14th stages left him 13 minutes and 40 seconds adrift, though, with his inability to stay the course in the Alps on Friday particularly striking.

The Australian says his breathing has been inhibited.

“I have not been feeling 100 per cent so I went on antibiotics to try and knock the infection on the head,” said Porte.

“I have been feeling it on my lungs and I haven’t been breathing well.

“All the guys have been riding so strongly for me, but this bug has really taken it out of me. It’s just one of those things unfortunately.”

Porte says he is feeling his struggles all the more knowing that he was Sky’s main man with Froome out and Sir Bradley Wiggins not selected.

“It’s really disappointing, especially as this was my first real chance to show what I could do in the Tour,” he added.

“I’m going to take things day by day but I really want to complete the Tour and hopefully I’ll be able to make it to Paris.”

Orica-GreenEdge confirmed on Twitter yesterday that Simon Yates would take no further part in the tour.

Yates’s withdrawal does not come as a surprise as he was drafted into the team at the last minute.

But it does mean that Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas is the last British rider remaining this year.

Poland’s Rafal Majka broke away on the final climb to win the 14th stage of the Tour de France on Saturday and claim a first stage victory for his Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team.

Majka pulled clear with 10 kilometres to go and maintained his lead to finish the 177km stage in five hours eight minutes and 27 seconds. Nibali finished second, 24 seconds behind Majka, to retain his overall lead.

Yorkshire’s Russell Downing had to settle for third as the Ryedale Grand Prix in North Yorkshire yesterday was won by Cheshire’s Richard Handley.

Riding for the NFTO Pro Cycling team, Downing won a bunch sprint for third, around a minute and a half behind the two leaders, at the end of a tough 93-mile race in Ampleforth, York.

A five-rider break had dominated the race, but this was whittled down to three riders from the Rapha Condor-JLT team. Eventually the pace proved too tough for Preston’s Hugh Carthy, and it was left to team-mates Handley and Mike Cuming to fight it out for victory, with the former winning by seven seconds.

The winner in the previous week’s Stockton Grand Prix, Downing took third to boost his overall bid for the National Elite Road Series.

In the women’s Ryedale Grand Prix, Women’s National Road Series winner Nicola Juniper continued her dominance of the competition with victory by around a minute and a half from Laura Massey (Epic Cycles), while 17-year-old Beth Hayward was crowned National Women’s Junior Road Race champion when she raced to third at Ampleforth.

On Saturday, Tristan Robbins (BH Solidor) won the National Men’s Junior title in North Yorkshire, holding off Nathan Draper (RST Racing Team) and Tom Bayliss (Haribo) in a thrilling sprint finish.

In time-trialling, Hessle rider Joel Wainman clinched victory in the VTTA Yorkshire 25-mile event in North Yorkshire, clocking 49min 35sec to take victory by more than a minute and a half from Barnsley rival Richard Dean. Another Team Swift rider, Blain Metcalfe, took third, while fastest female was Seacroft Wheelers’ Emma Coldwell with 57-46.

In Lincolnshire, Leeds rider Andy Jackson had to settle for second in the Sleaford Wheelers Nev Crane Memorial at Donington.