Sagan edges Kristoff in photo finish to win 16th stage

Peter Sagan beat Norway’s Alexander Kristoff in a photo-finish in Bern to win his third stage of the 2016 Tour de France.

Kristoff (Katusha) raised his finger after crossing the line, but a replay showed Slovakian world champion Sagan finished in front by less than the width of a tire to claim his third stage win of this year’s race.

Kristoff pumped his fist in celebration but learned seconds later he finished second.

“It was a very hot stage”, Sagan said.

Froome got animated when he was asked about Sagan.

On a constantly undulating course, Dutch rider Dylan van Baarle made the most of the lack of co-operation in the breakaway to try his luck soon after the feed zone but was quickly joined by Tom Dumoulin, who countered him in the Cote d’Hotonnes. “I think most people in the peloton are scared of him and his ability”. He can do everything. He chooses when he wants to go in the breakaway, how he wants to ride.

The stage today is the flawless time for the fastest riders in the pack to take an early lead and gain some valuable seconds to close the gap on current leader Froome.

Team Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish, victor of four stages in this Tour, stayed with the final group on the cobbled climb but did not have the legs to engage in the sprint and rolled home in 22nd place.

It turned into a battle between Sagan and Kristoff, with Norwegian Sondre Holst Enger taking third.

The Briton leads Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) by 1:47 and compatriot Adam Yates (Orica-Bike Exchange) by 2:45.

Sunday’s 160km stage 15 from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz was seen as a key opportunity for contenders to make up time on Froome in the fight for yellow given it included six categorised climbs and more than 4,000 metres of climbing. “Other teams have said they’re going to attack this week in the Alps and I expect they will do. He jumped very late and that’s how I won”.

“You only need one bad day and you can lose a few minutes”.

The Tour de France has paid tribute to the victims of Nice attack with a minute of silence at the start and on the finish line before the 183 riders got on their way.

It was the first of three days of national mourning in France and fans waved the country’s flag all along the mostly flat 208.5-kilometer (130-mile) route from Montelimar to the bird sanctuary of Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-Les-Dombes near Lyon.

Etixx-Quick Step duo Julian Alaphilippe and Tony Martin led for the majority of the race, having made the break just 13km in.

Former world champion Rui Costa then launched a solo attack but Sagan preferred to wait until the Portuguese rider was caught, and take his chances in the bunch sprint.

Richie Porte crossed the line in 18th and the Australian remains seventh in the overall standings and 4min 27sec behind Froome.