Thomas up to second in Tour de France after dramatic stage 10

Geraint Thomas is followed by Julian Alaphilippe, wearing the yellow jersey (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP)

Defending Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas is up to second in this year's general classification (GC) after a chaotic 10th stage.

The 33-year-old had started the day fifth overall, but benefitted from a surprising late split in the peloton.

Following a mostly mundane day of riding, the stage exploded into life with 30 kilometres remaining on the journey from Saint-Flour to Albi as the main yellow jersey hopefuls hunted each other on the rural roads.

Wout Van Aert crossed the line first for his maiden stage triumph, with Thomas' 12th place finish enough to see him spring up the GC as a number of his rivals lost time in the crosswinds.

Julian Alaphilippe finished 11th to remain in the yellow jersey, while Jasper Philipsen of UAE Team Emirates claimed an impressive 6th place.

More from Sports

  • Sarfaraz named Pakistan's test coach for Bangladesh series

    Pakistan appointed former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as head coach of their test team for the two-match series in Bangladesh next month, the country's cricket board said on Saturday.

  • Coventry promoted to Premier League after 25-year absence

    Coventry City ended their 25-year absence from the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, securing promotion from the Championship with three games to spare on Friday.

  • Gujarat sink Kolkata with adaptable bowling in IPL

    Gujarat Titans adapted to conditions to secure a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said, focusing on tight bowling instead of the explosive batting that has been the hallmark of the Indian Premier League.

  • Alcaraz pulls out of Madrid Open for second straight year

    Carlos Alcaraz will miss the Madrid Open for the second consecutive year after withdrawing on Friday with a wrist injury, dealing another blow to the world number two's clay court preparations ahead of his French Open title defence.

  • Injured Djokovic to miss Madrid Open

    Novak Djokovic is still working through the injury problems that forced him to miss recent tournaments in Miami and Monte Carlo and said on Friday that he will not feature at next week's Madrid Open, one of the last stops before the French Open.

News