Tales from the gruppetto - Read this story on Magzter.com

CYCLING WEEKLY|July 28 2016

For many the battle isn’t for a jersey — it’s to beat the broomwagon

What do you do when you’re faced with one of the toughest stages of the Tour de France, 19 days in, featuring multiple Alpine climbs and you’re not a climber? How do you get through and make the cut?

In Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc British sprinter Dan McLay rolled over the line dead last, almost four minutes behind the other riders. The 24-year-old spent most of the stage alone after being dropped on the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin — the first of the day’s four categorised climbs — and crashing.

Despite his clear exhaustion at the finish, McLay had a massive smile on his face. The driver of the broomwagon gave him a thumbs up as he drove by — having spent the day shadowing him — and McLay waved back laughing. He had made it to the end inside the time cut, just, and lived to ride another day at the race.

This story is from the July 28 2016 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.

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This story is from the July 28 2016 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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