Kwiatkowski won the last alpine stage of the Tour de France.
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The Ineos Grenadiers team has celebrated the overall winner for the last five years, and after Wednesday’s resignation of last year’s champion Egan Bernal, he won the laurel for the still suffering British team Kwiatkowski today. About the galusk in front of his teammate Carapaz, whom he helped significantly in the steep hills, which the Ecuadorian appreciated in the finish.
Carapaz figured in the seventh place in the fight for the best climber on Wednesday, but in the 18th stage he attacked and in a tug-of-war with a polka dot jersey he now has a two-point lead over Pogačar, Roglič dropped to third place. In the battle for the best mountaineer, Carapaz succumbed three times today to Marco Hirschi, but the young Swiss, also seeking a leading position in suoboji for the best mountaineer, fell in one of the descents, lost contact with the leading group and the South American took full advantage of his absence.
Profile of the 18th stage of the 107th Tour de France
“It was a day. I can’t even say how grateful I am to the whole team and Richard,” said a moved Kwiatkowski after his first individual Grand Tour victory. “It was an incredible day for us that I will never forget. I may have had a wonderful time cycling, but this is something new. I had goosebumps for the last few kilometers because I knew we had a big lead. We will celebrate in the evening, we deserve it get it, “said the 30-year-old world champion in the 2014 mass start race.
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Swiss Marc Hirschi, loser of the 18th stage of the Tour de France. After the fall, he lost hope of a good location.
Benoit Tessier, Reuters
Roglič defended the lead in the last mountain battle with five bonuses without any problems. He finished fourth alongside his main rival Pogačar, losing 1:53 minutes to the Ineos duo. The distance between Roglič and Pogačar three days before the finish in Paris is still 57 seconds. The third overall is the winner of Wednesday’s royal stage, Colombian Miguel Ángel López.
“We have a challenging two days behind us. We did great again, so we can cross out the next day. A lot can happen in the hills, but we survived as a team,” said Roglič.
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Slovenian Tadej Pogačar will hand over a polka dot jersey for the best climber on the Tour de France in Friday’s 19th stage to Carapaz.
Benoit Tessier, Reuters
After three exhausting days in the Alps, the peloton will have a flat stage on Friday with a chance for spurturs, followed by a mountain time trial, which will determine the winner of the 107th Tour. It is not traditionally a race on Sunday. Due to the coronavirus, a maximum of 5,000 spectators will watch the race on the famous Champs-Élysées.
“The time trial will decide, but we also have to be careful tomorrow. We can’t be sure of anything,” Roglič said. By the end of the Tour, his Jumbo-Visma team will have to do without sports director Merijn Zeeman, who was expelled for intimidating and insulting a member of the UCI cycling union. The incident occurred after Wednesday’s 17th stage, when an official checked after the round stage. The UCI performs these checks due to possible mechanical doping. In addition, Zeeman was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (50,000 crowns).
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Thanks mate! Ineos drivers Richard Carapaz (left) and Michal Kwiatkowski worked together to dominate the 18th stage of the Tour de France.
Anne-christine Poujoulat, Reuters
| Tour de France cycling race: |
| 18th stage Méribel – La Roche-sur-Foron (175 km): |
| 1. Kwiatkowski (Pol./Ineos Grenadiers) 4:47:33 |
| 2. Carapaz (Eq./Ineos Grenadiers) same time |
| 3. Van Aert (Belg./Jumbo-Visma) -1: 51 |
| 4. Roglič (Slovenian / Jumbo-Visma) |
| 5. Pogačar (Slovenian / SAE Team Emirates) both -1: 53 |
| 6. Door (Austr./Trek-Segafredo) |
| 7. Mas (Šp. / Movistar) |
| 8. Landa (Spanish / Bahrain-McLaren) |
| 9. Caruso (It./Bahrajn-McLaren) |
| 10. Dumoulin (Niz./Jumbo-Visma) all -1: 54, |
| …24. Hirt (CR / CCC) -4: 34 |
| 148. Kreuziger (CZE / NTT) -31: 32. |
| Running order: |
| 1. Roglič 79:45:30 |
| 2. Pogačar -57 |
| 3. López (Kol./Astana) -1:27 |
| 4. Gate -3: 06 |
| 5. Land -3: 28 |
| 6. But -4: 19 |
| 7. A. Yates (Brit./Mitchelton-Scott) -5:55 |
| 8. Uranus (Col./EF) -6: 05 |
| 9. Dumoulin -7: 24 |
| 10. Valverde (Sp. / Movistar) -12: 12, |
| …68. Hirt -3:24:20, |
| 108. Kreuziger -4:34:22. |
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