Sagan Stretches for the Win!

Michael Schär left the peloton early today and rode courageously alone until the peloton caught him inside of 7 km (4 mi) left in the race.  I was hoping he could hold on because I was inspired by his efforts.  But when the cyclists got into Valence, the elite sprinters took over.  Peter Sagan timed his sprint perfectly and stretched as only he can at the finish line (click on image for a larger view).

The Slovakian finished just ahead of Alexander Kristoff of Norway and France's own Arnaud Démare.  It was a fantastic finish!  Oh, and check out how our prediction fared in today's stage.

• Stage 13:  3h 45' 55" (actual), 3h 42' 28" (prediction), 03' 27" fast (-1.53% error)

I'd say I'm happy with that!  Sagan averaged 45.02 kph (27.97 mph) today.  Not too bad!  But I can't leave with Sagan.  I have to show an image of Michael Schär (click on image for a larger view).

He really pushed the peloton and made me root for him today.  He definitely earned the red jersey today!

Tomorrow's Stage 14 is classified as medium mountain, but it has some good climbs, including a category-2 climb near the finish in Mende.  The 188-km (117-mi) stage begins in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and heads west.  Our prediction is given below.

• Stage 14:  4h 38' 11" (prediction)

How will the climbs during the second half of the stage shake up the general classification?