Kiwi cyclist Jack Bauer has produced another classic Tour de France cameo, clocking speeds up to 80km/h during his attempted breakaway on Stage Six.
The Takaka veteran - one of four NZ riders in this year's classic - is on his fifth Tour and while he has never finished inside the top 100 on general classification - and has twice failed to finish - Bauer usually finds a way to make his presence felt.
His main role this time round is to help Mitchelton-Scott teammate Adam Yates towards overall honours.
On Thursday, he briefly pursued his own agenda, breaking away with 15km remaining and hurtling downhill at terrifying speeds, before he was eventually gobbled up by the peleton with 4km left.
But the commentators love him and he'll be back… just like his TV action-hero namesake.
TOP JACK BAUER TOUR DE FRANCE MOMENTS
2013 Stage 19
Bauer had to withdraw from the tour after he left the road and ploughed into a barbed-wire fence, suffering severe facial injuries.
2014 Stage 15
Bauer and Swiss Martin Elmiger broke away from the peleton early, and stayed away for 222km, before they were mowed down by the field within sight of the finish-line. That's still the closest a Kiwi has ever been to claiming a Tour stage.
2015 Stage Five
Bauer was rushed to hospital and withdrew from the race with a fractured hip, after crashing in high winds.
2017 Stage 10
Bauer and French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni tangled over the final metres of the 178km journey. The Frenchman threw a punch at his rival, and was later fined $NZ280 and penalised a minute in overall standings.
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