It’s worth noting, without detracting from Matthews’s sterling second week of racing, that the DQ of Peter Sagan on Stage 4 dramatically shaped this race. Matthews and Sagan are similar riders: strong but not dominant sprinters, who climb well and are good in tricky finishes. Had Sagan still been in the race, he and Matthews would likely have split many of those points in the second week, and either Sagan would be in green or Kittel would be so far out front that he wouldn’t have cared who went on the attack.

RELATED: The Sagan Disqualification is Wrong, and Bad for the Tour

Now, stages 19 and 21 look to be an open shot for the sprinters left in the race. With Sagan, Kittel, Arnaud Demare, Mark Cavendish and Dan McLay gone, Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel might be the biggest beneficiary, joined by Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff. Matthews would love to add a bona fide sprint win to his haul, Dimension Data’s Edvald Boassen Hagen has finished top three four times and would certainly like to end the run of almosts, and Cofidis’s Nacer Bouhanni will see a clearer line to the front as well. Without Quick-Step to control, those sprints will be anyone’s game.

RELATED: How Does a Tour de France Sprint Work?

Pinot Also Out

Kittel wasn’t the only high-profile abandon on the day. FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot also climbed off early. Pinot never got going in the Tour after racing to fourth in May’s Giro d’Italia. Like Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, he simply hasn’t seemed to be able to recover in time to regain his form. That leaves FDJ with just three of their original nine starters. Guess nobody has to fight over seats on the team bus or share hotel rooms anymore. If FDJ loses one more rider, they will be declassified from the teams standings, because that competition is based on the times of each team’s top three riders. Not that it’ll matter that much at this point; they’re already dead last.

La Course Starts Tomorrow

The men’s field won’t be the only ones climbing the Col d’Izoard tomorrow. Thursday sees the climbing stage of the women’s La Course event. Previously a one-day race on the final day of the Tour on the Champs-Elysees, la Course is now a somewhat strange hybrid, consisting of a 67.5km climbing stage on Thursday, which is both its own competition and a kind of qualifier, since the top finishers will go to Marseille for a pursuit-style time trial event on Saturday, to be held on the same 22.5km course as the men will race.

We’re glad that there’s a women’s event associated with the Tour. We’re glad it’s expanded to two days from one. The format, however, is a little puzzling with its non-traditional time trial, and day off between races. We also noted that the profile cards for the men’s and women’s time-trial routes look different, with the scale on the women’s version (right) compressed to make the short climb to the Notre-Dame de la Garde look about half as steep as the men’s profile card (left).

Transfer Rumours Abound

Pro cycling’s free agent season doesn’t officially get going until August 1, but the Tour de France is always an active time with agents and managers talking deals. This year, there are lots of rumors but almost no confirmation (deals can’t be signed until August 1 but are often agreed to in principle well before).

Among the biggest? Nairo Quintana getting out of his Movistar contract to ride for Sky, super-domestique Mikel Landa going the opposite way, and Fabio Aru deciding on Astana or UAE Abu Dhabi. One big holdup seems to be what happens to Quick-Step. The team is searching for a new title sponsor, and general manager Patrick Lefevere told CyclingNews that the lack of news is holding up the transfer market because everyone is waiting to see if Quick-Step continues, and if so, which riders stay and which leave (Kittel is rumoured to be looking at a switch). Once some of the team sponsorships fall into place, expect a rapid game of musical chairs.

Tour of Spain Opts for Podium People

Cycling’s tradition of hostesses, or podium girls, presenting jerseys, awards and kisses during post-stage ceremonies has been the topic of debate for years now, with criticism that it’s degrading to women. This year, the WorldTour-rated Tour Down Under did away with podium hostesses altogether. Now, the Tour of Spain is tweaking its own approach. They’re not doing away with the hostesses, but they will add “elegantly” dressed male counterparts, and the congratulatory kiss will be retired.