<\/div>\n
A pair of late crashes cost Sepp Kuss what looked to be a Tour de France stage victory, but roadside safety netting helped him avert disaster Saturday.<\/p>\n
\n
The American climber was alone off the front of stage 20 \u201cqueen stage\u201d across the Alps when he crashed twice on the narrow, high-speed descent off the HC Col de Sarenne inside the final 10km.<\/p>\n
Kuss avoided a potentially devastating fall in the second spill, with safety netting mounted to a cement barrier appeared to prevent him from tumbling down the steep mountainside (see video below<\/em>).<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to maintain the gap to Carapaz. I knew he wasn\u2019t far behind and I was trying to gain as much time as possible on every corner,\u201d Kuss said. \u201cI thought I\u2019d read the right line. Luckily, there were nets. It wasn\u2019t too scary.\u201d<\/p>\n The chasing Richard Carapaz swept past him in the second spill to win the stage, Kuss quickly got back on his bike, but the hopes of a stage victory were gone.<\/p>\n Remco Evenepoel attacked out of the yellow jersey group to pass Kuss near the line, and the Visma-Lease a Bike climber finished third in the epic stage across the French Alps.<\/p>\n Kuss crossed the line with blood streaming from his left elbow in a heartbreaking end to a strong Alpine weekend after finishing fourth atop Alpe d\u2019Huez on Friday.<\/p>\n