Patrick Konrad claimed the biggest win of his career after launching a solo run to victory on Stage 16 of the Tour de France in Saint-Gaudens. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider broke away from a small group 36.5 kilometres from the finish in the day's last significant climb and never looked back as his chasers reacted too late. The 29-year-old crossed the line 42 seconds before Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli, who outsprinted Australian Michael Matthews for second. Tadej Pogacar, meanwhile, retained the yellow jersey as the group of favourites crossed the line almost 14 minutes later, with no significant changes at the top of the general classification. It was another relatively stress-free stage for the Slovenian as the race resumed following Monday’s rest day – with damp conditions on the treacherous descent of the Portet-d’Aspet the main concern for the peloton. The UAE Team Emirates rider continues to lead by five minutes and 18 seconds from Rigoberto Uran going into Wednesday’s 178km stage to a summit finish on the Col du Portet. “It’s my first win in the WorldTour and it’s the biggest cycling race in the world – I won a stage of the Tour de France so I’m speechless,” Konrad said. “This victory is of course for my family, my friends, all my believers, and also for Bora-Hansgrohe – they always give me the trust for it and they always told me to fight for it, they said, ‘You have the legs for it, you have the talent for it’. “I think this really comes at the right moment in the [national] champion’s jersey, to win a stage here makes me really proud.” Meanwhile, three-time world champion Peter Sagan has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics road race after undergoing surgery following an injury sustained at the Tour de France. The Slovak injured his knee on Stage 3 of the Tour and abandoned the race last week, opting for minor surgery. Sagan also failed to compete at the road race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, going for the cross country mountain bike event instead where his hopes were dashed by a puncture.
