Canada's Mike Woods works way to 10th overall in Stage 4 despite crash
Suffers small cut to elbow; Elia Viviani wins stage, Julian Alaphilippe maintains lead
Team EF Education First rider Michael Woods of Ottawa was involved in a minor crash late in Stage 4 of the Tour de France on Tuesday and finished 64th, but still moved up one spot to 10th overall.
"The crash was a result of a small lapse in focus," Woods told the EF website from Nancy, France. "I was chatting with someone, looked to my side, and all of a sudden a bunch of guys grabbed their brakes in front of me.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/rusty_woods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rusty_woods</a> takes a fall at the back of the peloton but the Canadian is straight back up on the bike and off again.<br>Chute de <a href="https://twitter.com/rusty_woods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rusty_woods</a> à l'arrière du peloton, mais le canadien repart rapidement.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TDF2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/08Lihkbwpi">pic.twitter.com/08Lihkbwpi</a>
—@LeTour"I almost stayed upright but ended up on my elbow. There's a small cut to my left elbow, but it's really insignificant. I'm OK."
The 213.5-kilometre (133-mile) flat route from Reims to Nancy did not pose any major difficulty and was a perfect opportunity for sprinters to get a stage win, a day after Julian Alaphilippe seized the yellow jersey with a solo effort.
Power, speed display
Elia Viviani had left the Giro d'Italia utterly disappointed.
Two months later, the Italian rider left bitterness and his sprinting rivals in his wake to claim his first career stage win in the Tour de France after storming a bunch sprint on Tuesday with an impressive display of power and speed.
Viviani, who has now posted stage wins at all three Grand Tours, was stripped of a victory in Italy after the race jury ruled he had irregularly changed his line and blocked an opponent in the sprint.
Mother, father witness victory
There was no such hiccup on the finish line in the eastern city of Nancy, and Viviani was clearly the best.
The 2016 omnium Olympic champion was ideally set up by the Deceuninck-Quick Step leadout train in the finale and made the most of the slight uphill finish to prevail. Viviani edged Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan, claiming the fourth stage of the three-week race.
"It means a lot. Probably I can't believe it. It was a big goal of the year," said Viviani, who dedicated his win to his fiancée and parents.
"My father and mother were on the finish line today, they were set to leave [Monday] but finally decided to stay because the stage was for sprinters."
Alaphilippe, Viviani's teammate and the first Frenchman to wear yellow in five years, kept the overall lead, with no change at the top of the overall standings.