George Bennett's chances of becoming the first Kiwi to wear the famous Tour de France yellow jersey have hit a roadblock.
The 29-year-old peddler had a disastrous 10th stage, dropping from fourth to 27th on the general classification standings, more than nine minutes behind teammate Wout Van Aert, who won the stage.
Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe still leads the tour, 11 minutes in front of Bennett.
Bennett's misfortune was none of his doing - the Jumbo-Visma rider was sent back down the road by his team to collect water bottles, with just 36km remaining in the 217.5km stage.
At the same moment, a giant crosswind hit, splitting the peloton and leaving Bennett alone to chase down the pack.
Jumbo-Visma have been the best performing team throughout the opening 10 stages, winning four, including the team time trial, with Bennett playing a major role.
Defending champion Geraint Thomas is well placed to attack the infamous French Alps, just 1min 12sec behind Alaphilippe.
Newshub.
