Team Sunweb delivered an exceptional display of dedication and commitment to a shared goal today, as their control of the stage was rewarded with their third 2017 Tour de France victory at stage 16.
The Tour de France saw a Team Sunweb masterpiece today, with Michael Matthews (AUS) making it three for the team after sealing the victory in Romans sur Isere. Team Sunweb’s intentions became clear in the early stages of the day with the team neutralising breakaways, setting the tempo at the front for its entirety, marking last minute attacks and positioning Matthews perfectly to finish off the job. A flawlessly timed sprint meant that Matthews could storm past his rivals to congratulate Team Sunweb’s 185 kilometre magnificent performance with the stage 16 victory.
“Today our plan was open and we were prepared for different scenarios, as it was difficult to predict how the stage would unfold,” explained Matthews. “Once we heard that there were splits in the peloton we were all really motivated to push on and extend the gap. From then on it was an eight-man team time trial to the finish and I was able to finish off the job in the last 500 metres. I’m so grateful for these opportunities and to take the win after the guys worked incredibly hard today is really special.”
Team Sunweb’s Tour de France coach Aike Visbeek (NED) said: “This is definitely a team victory today. We had nine guys that went full gas for the entire day and we can be extremely proud of the outcome. We knew that there could be a scenario where sprinters could dropped on the first climb and the team knew that if that was the case, they would go for it. It’s a really impressive performance from the entire team and I’m pleased that Michael was able to finish off their hard work.”
STAGE RESULT
1. Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) in 03H 38′ 15”
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data), st
3. John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo), st
INDIVIDUAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Christopher Froome (Team Sky)
2. Fabio Aru (Astana Pro Team) at 18’’
3. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) at 23’’
