Key events
Any thoughts on today’s stage? You can email me or tweet. Allez!
Ion Izagirre mounted a superb lone breakaway yesterday to snaffle Cofidis’s second stage win of this Tour. Here’s Jeremy Whittle’s report, kicking off with some “Hell yes, I’m tough enough” thoughts from Vingegaard on the looming battle with Pogacar on Grand Colombier:
Chris Froome enjoyed some good times on Mont Ventoux, of course, but things are rather different now. Sylvan Adams, Israel-Premier Tech’s owner, took the opportunity yesterday to point out that the four-times Tour winner has not provided value for money since signing for the team in 2020:
Seven years ago today: everyone’s favourite Belgian breakaway specialist, Thomas de Gendt, won the stage on Mont Ventoux. (Being pedantic, it wasn’t “atop” Mont Ventoux as the Lotto Dstny tweet states. The finish was at Chalet Reynard, I think, but certainly not atop the mountain as you can see from the photo.)
It’s the 14th of July – Bastille Day – a time for French pride and, perhaps, a French stage winner?
Here’s a picture of Tony Gallopin (Lidl-Trek) waving the flag, a proud Frenchman, but not the type of rider who will be in contention for today’s win.
Below that, a hint from the Tour’s official Twitter that we may see an appearance from the Patrouille acrobatique de France.
The omens could hardly be better for UAE Team Emirates today. In 2020, Tadej Pogacar won stage 15 atop Grand Colombier on a day that Egan Bernal’s attempt to defend his title with Team Ineos disintegrated. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) remained well placed for the overall win, or so it seemed before that fateful final time trial.
Preamble
Have you got much planned for this weekend? The Tour de France certainly has: three mountain stages, beginning today, that may just determine the overall winner. The race hits the Jura Mountains this afternoon before two punishing days in the Alps on Saturday and Sunday. This afternoon’s route is relatively short, at 137.8km, but very sharp with a summit finish atop Grand Colombier, 17.4km long, peaking 1,501m above sea level.
We will almost certainly see a full-on early fight to form a breakaway among the peloton’s climbers who fancy a stage win, but regardless of how the rest of the stage plays out, attention will be focused on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar on that final, attritional ascent. The Slovenian Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is just 17sec behind his Danish rival in the general classification. Vingegaard, of Jumbo-Visma, may still lead the race, but there is a sense Pogacar is getting stronger and merely waiting for his moment.
Perhaps the GC teams will seek to control things, and let Vingegaard and Pocagar duke it out for the stage win as well as precious seconds in the GC at the front of the race? However it shakes down, the relatively short distance and the finely-balanced situation at the top of the standings means it’s going to be gripping entertainment anyway.
Scheduled stage start time: 12.55 BST
