Marcel Kittel claimed his fourth Tour de France stage win when he powered to an impressive Stage 10 success in a bunch sprint as Britain's Chris Froome retained the overall lead.
German cyclist Marcel Kittel. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Kittel's compatriot John Degenkolb was second and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen took third place with Froome finishing safe in the bunch to keep the yellow jersey.
It was a good day for New Zealand's cyclists with Dion Smith finishing in 20th place while Jack Bauer finished 25th.
Bauer was involved in an incident just seven kilometres short of the finish line when French rider, Nacer Bouhanni, punched him in the head.
IT HAPPENS AGAIN @BouhanniNacer HITTING A @quickstepteam RIDER #TdF2017 pic.twitter.com/mZalgbseBR
— cyclingnieuws (@cyclingnieuws1) July 11, 2017
Bouhanni, who finished sixth in the stage, was fined $280 for the incident and docked a minute.
Fellow New Zealander George Bennett remains in the top 10, he's in 10th place, three minutes and 53 seconds behind Froome.
"It was a quiet day, no stress at all," said Froome, who like the other riders enjoyed a rest day yesterday.
"It was one of the most relaxed days we've had in this Tour de France. It was like having a double rest day," he added.
"Now it's about saving energy for the Pyrenees and the Alps," added the Team Sky rider, who will on Wednesday spend his 50th day in yellow to match the great Jacques Anquetil's mark.
The record is held by Belgian Eddy Merckx with 96 days in the leader's jersey.
