Andre Greipel wins Stage 15 of Tour de France; Chris Froome leads

Andre Greipel took his third stage victory of this Tour de France by winning a bunch sprint at the end of Stage 15 on Sunday, while Britain’s Chris Froome remained in control of the overall race lead on a day when French police boosted security around his team.

Greipel, the Lotto-Soudal rider from Germany, powered to the line at Valence.

John Degenkolb of the Giant-Alpecin team was second, Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff third and Peter Sagan of Tinkoff-Saxo finished fourth on the 183-kilometer (114-mile) stage from Mende.

Police stationed half a dozen officers around Froome’s Team Sky bus at the start after the race leader complained the previous day that a spectator shouting “doper!” in French hurled a cup of urine at him on Stage 14.

Froome blamed what he called “very irresponsible” media for turning public opinion against him and his team by questioning their dominant performance. Froome repeated that claim at the finish in Valence.

“What I am saying is that if people are led to believe that these performances are not legitimate, that’s what’s going to push them to start booing, and to start punching and spitting and throwing urine on riders,” Froome said.

He again insisted cycling is cleaner than it was.

“Times have changed. Everyone knows that,” he said. “This isn’t the wild west that it was 10 or 15 years ago. Of course there are still going to be riders who take risks in this day and age, but they are the minority. It was the other way around 10 or 15 years ago. There is no reason in this day and age for that level of suspicion to continue. There’s absolutely no reason.”

Froome goes into the Alps, the last major obstacle, with a comfortable lead and is nearing closer to his second win, having first won the Tour in 2013.

The Sky team rider finished safely in the main pack with the other podium favorites on Sunday, and there were no changes in their overall placings.

Froome still leads second-placed Nairo Quintana by 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Tejay van Garderen of the BMC team remains 3:32 back in third.