Saturday, July 13, 2024 at 5:29 PM
Tadej Pogacar has received the primary Pyrenees stage of this Tour de France. The Slovenian, who suffered a psychological blow three days in the past, rode away from his primary rival Jonas Vingegaard on Pla d’Adet.
It took some time, however this Saturday the Tour de France headed again into the excessive mountains. After a flat method part of about seventy kilometers, the riders needed to sort out the Col du Tourmalet (19 km at 7.4%) and the Hourquette d’Ancizan (8.2 km at 5.1%), earlier than the ultimate climb to Pla d’Adet (10.6 km at 7.9%) was nonetheless ready. A day for the climbers!
Mathieu van der Poel is stirring
However because of the flat begin, we first noticed just a few exhausting riders attempt. Victor Campenaerts attacked from the beginning and instantly had Mathieu van der Poel on his wheel. The remainder of the peloton additionally responded instantly, which meant that the Belgian and the Dutchman have been unable to create a niche. It took some time earlier than a number one group did type. A bunch with Campenaerts once more, the very energetic Frank van den Broek and David Gaudu did achieve a little bit of a lead, however this escape try was additionally annihilated.
Teunissen additionally tried it just a few instances – photograph: Cor Vos
A number of extra assaults adopted, however it was solely when Mathieu van der Poel received concerned once more that it was a success. The world champion rode away with Arnaud De Lie, Cedric Beullens (each Lotto Dstny) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis). They have been later joined by 4 extra riders: Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Kévin Vauquelin, Raúl García Pierna (each Arkéa-B&B Inns) and Magnus Cort (EF Training-EasyPost).
Main group grows
The eight reached the foot of the Col du Tourmalet collectively, however within the meantime a second group was approaching. Amongst others Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay, who have been nonetheless combating for factors for the inexperienced jersey within the intermediate dash. Girmay was only a bit sooner and thus prolonged his lead within the aspect classification. Whereas the 2 dash bombs dropped again down afterwards, a number of the different counterattackers made contact with Van der Poel and co.
Mathieu van der Poel in assault – photograph: Cor Vos
As a result of some members of the unique main group needed to drop out, together with De Lie, we received eighteen males in entrance. Along with Lazkano, Vauquelin, Pierna, Cort and Van der Poel, these have been: Fabien Grellier (TotalEnergies), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny), Ben Healy, Rui Costa, Sean Quinn (EF Training-EasyPost), David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ), Marco Haller (Pink Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers) and Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco AlUla).
Col du Tourmalet in Hourquette d’Ancizan
On the Tourmalet, the main group rapidly thinned out once more, primarily because of the work of Sean Quinn. Mathieu van der Poel didn’t get into hassle. He reached the highest with the primary group of riders, simply behind Oier Lazkano. The Spaniard had attacked simply earlier than the highest and took the Memento Jacques Goddet with him. Within the peloton, UAE Emirates managed with first Tim Wellens after which Nils Politt. They made positive that the distinction with the escapees, which had grown to 4 minutes, was lowered to 3 and a half minutes uphill.
On the foot of the Hourquette d’Ancizan (8.2 km at 5.1%), the ten remaining leaders nonetheless had three minutes on the peloton. After two kilometers of climbing, Van der Poel needed to let his fellow escapees go. He was not the one one to fall off. On the high, we nonetheless had 5 riders on the entrance: Healy, Meintjes, Kwiatkowski, Lazkano and Gaudu. The latter reached the highest first, forward of Lazkano. Within the peloton, Marc Soler had taken on many of the climb. The Spaniard actually stepped on the gasoline, as a result of the distinction with the escapees had shrunk to only over a minute.
Healy holds out for a very long time at Pla d’Adet
When turning onto Pla d’Adet, the ultimate climb, the lead had elevated a bit. That appeared removed from sufficient to combat for the day’s victory, however Gaudu and Healy instantly flew into it. It was the Irishman who appeared to have the most effective legs. He rapidly went solo and stored the hole to the favourites group steady for a very long time. Nonetheless, the tempo was additionally very excessive there because of the troops of UAE Emirates. First Soler rode in entrance, then Sivakov after which Almeida, quantity 4 within the classification. For Wilco Kelderman it was already going too quick at this level.
At 7.5 kilometres from the highest, an assault got here from the favourites group. It was Adam Yates, quantity seven on the classification and teammate of yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar, who jumped away. Matteo Jorgenson of Visma | Lease a Bike then began to regulate. Nonetheless, Yates was in a position to journey half a minute away from the Pogacar-Vingegaard-Evenepoel group. He was nearly at Healy, when Pogacar attacked at 5 kilometres from the highest. The yellow jersey wearer instantly created a niche with Vingegaard and Pogacar, after which Yates waited for him.
Pogacar goes alone
Yates took the lead forward of Pogacar. The UAE Emirates duo went up and over Healy, as did Vingegaard and Evenepoel somewhat later. The distinction between the 2 pairs remained restricted, however with 4 kilometres to go Pogacar went himself. Now the Slovenian cautiously began to extend his lead over Vingegaard. With three kilometres to go he had ten seconds on the Dane, in the direction of the ultimate kilometre the distinction elevated to greater than twenty seconds.
Within the remaining kilometre Pogacar didn’t cease. In actual fact, he even prolonged his lead. Ultimately Vingegaard needed to give 39 seconds. Remco Evenepoel, the quantity three of the stage outcome, got here in at one minute and ten seconds.
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