Tour de France: Peter Sagan wins his second Zwift Rider of the Day

Another Tour de France stage win for Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) means a second Zwift Rider of the Day award. Possibly the best sprinter in the race even before the mass withdrawals of the Alps, he owns that title now, outclassing his remaining rivals on stage 13 in Valence.

Like several stages of the 2018 Tour, today's transition stage was less thrill ride, more snooze cruise. A standard flat stage following the standard formula of the break going away with no real chance of victory before the sprinter's teams reel them back before the finish. Even with the two Lottos, Dimension Data and Quick-Step Floors without their top sprinters to work for, enough remain that the end-stage scenario of stage 13 was never in doubt.

BMC Racing's Michael Schär, one of the contender's for this award, gave the break something of a stay of execution, attacking with 22km to go as his breakmates were caught. His efforts brought him the day's combativity award, with the Swiss rider dangling around 20 seconds out front until being caught at the 6km mark.

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But back to Sagan, and the world champion was surfing trains again, notably getting prime position on the wheel of European champion Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) in the final kilometre. After Philippe Gilbert's (Quick-Step Floors) late attack was shut down and Groupama-FDJ's lead-out man Jacopo Guarnieri peeled off, it was a showdown between Sagan, Kristoff and Arnaud Démare, also of Groupama-FDJ.

Démare led the charge for the line, sprinting from 230 metres out, with Kristoff hitting the wind with 150 metres to go. Sagan jumped out from Norwegian's wheel soon after, pulling alongside before taking win number three of the race and bolstering his green jersey lead to a massive 228 points. 

Already tied for 21st in Tour history for stages won, Sagan could be up to 14th, tied with Philippe Thys and Louis Trousselier by the end of the race. Doing that with wins on stage 18 to Pau and the final stage in Paris, both of which he's certainly the favourite for, would bring his career Tour win total to 13.

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