"That was a really nice experience. There were so many spectators on the last three bends. Nobody will take that away from me," said the huge talent after his Bora-hansgrohe team missed out on another stage win on Saturday. Instead, the Dane Sören Kragh Andersen brought the German Sunweb team its second stage win of the 107th Tour de France. Andersen soloed to victory on the 14th stage.
Five kilometres before the finish, Kämna was suddenly alone at the front, after he was supposed to control the breakaway for his captain Peter Sagan. "I thought to myself: now I can also ride from the front," explained Kämna. But a counter-attack by Andersen gave the peloton the rest. The Dane rode to victory alone and triumphed after 194 kilometres from Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon ahead of the Slovenian Luka Mezgec and the Italian Simone Consonni.
The German Bora team had prepared the finale perfectly for superstar Sagan. The men in green and white had set the pace in the peloton for almost the entire stage, leaving the top sprinters such as Sam Bennett and Caleb Ewan behind early on. However, Sagan only managed fourth place in the finale. Sagan made up 23 points on the Irishman Bennett in the battle for the green jersey. "That's not what we hoped for," said Kämna and Sagan added: "The goal was more points, but it's never easy at the Tour."
So it was Andersen who secured Sunweb's second victory at the Tour after Marc Hirschi. "This is extraordinary and we didn't expect it like this. We are one of the youngest teams here. We are looking to the future," said the 26-year-old.
There were no big cheers in the finish area, but this was not due to Andersen. Spectators were not allowed on the Quai Jean Moulin in Lyon due to the rising number of coronavirus infections in France. However, it was all the more crowded on the way to the finish. The Grand Colombier will also be closed to fans on Sunday.
Everything remained the same in the overall classification. The Slovenian Primoz Roglic continues to wear the yellow jersey, 44 seconds ahead of his young compatriot Tadej Pogacar. Third is 59 seconds behind last year's winner Egan Bernal from Colombia.
Roglic was also pleased that his Jumbo-Visma team didn't have to work that hard. The Bora team was keen to make the stage difficult and leave the sprinters behind. Maximilian Schachmann and Co. had already worked hard over the last few days without being rewarded.
Kämna and Schachmann finished second and third on Friday at the mountain top finish on the Puy Mary. After all, Schachmann was allowed to wear the red start number for the most aggressive rider. "But for me it's more important to go for a stage win," said the former German champion.
For Schachmann's former team-mate Bennett, the man in green, on the other hand, it was another tough day. After the second of five climbs, the Irishman was left behind. Only the day before, Bennett had just managed to stay within the time limit at the mountain arrival on the Puy Mary, more than half an hour behind. Two-time stage winner Caleb Ewan from Australia also rode far behind the field on Saturday.
And it doesn't get any easier for the sprinters. On Sunday, the 15th stage with the mountain finish on the 1501 metre high Grand Colombier will be the next battle. On the 174.5-kilometre section starting in Lyon, the climbing begins after just over 100 kilometres when the Montée de la Selle de Fromental and then the Col de la Biche, two first-category climbs, have to be conquered.
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