VALENCE, France -- 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.
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.
Because of its flat finish, the stage represented the last opportunity for sprinters to shine before climbers take back the spotlight in the Alps next week.
Mark Cavendish, the only rider to beat Greipel in a massed bunch sprint at this Tour, wasn't able to contest for the win in Valence because he was dropped by the speeding pack early in the stage that was hilly at the beginning.
Cavendish rolled in among a last group of 26 riders who finished nearly 16 minutes behind Greipel. Greipel launched himself at top speed about 300 meters (yards) from the line and held on for his ninth stage win overall at the Tour. At this Tour, he also won stages 2 and 5.
The manager of Cavendish's Etixx-Quick Step team, Patrick Lefevere, said the British rider was exhausted after a bad night's sleep in a hotel without air conditioning.
"After two weeks of the Tour de France those things kill you," Lefevere said.
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 remains 3:32 back in third.
