Gall wins 17th stage of the tour
“Dead” Pogacar loses more than five minutes on the king’s stage
7/19/2023, 5:39 p.m
The king’s stage of the Tour de France goes to an Austrian: Felix Gall reaches the finish of the 17th stage first. Behind, Tadej Pogacar conceded the second heavy defeat in a row. Overall leader Jonas Vingegaard surpasses him by several minutes.
Jonas Vingegaard got stuck in the traffic jam of the support vehicles – but not even the traffic chaos on the roof of the tour slowed down the man in the yellow jersey: Despite a short blockage of the route, the defending champion finally overtook his demoralized permanent rival Tadej Pogacar on the king’s stage of the 110th Tour de France and has dispelled the last doubts about the renewed triumph in Paris.
One day after the demonstration of power in the individual time trial to Combloux, Vingegaard massively extended his lead without much resistance and ensured clear conditions on the 165.7-kilometer 17th stage to Courchevel. With four stages to go, the Team Jumbo-Visma captain is 7:35 ahead of Pogacar (UAE Emirates). The day’s victory went to the Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citroen).
Pogacar’s expected counter-offensive did not materialize. The two-time Tour champion lost the connection early on the brutal final climb Col de la Loze and has to bury his dream of a third overall victory after 2020 and 2021. “I’m dead. I’m completely exhausted,” Pogacar said over the radio in the final stages.
Vingegaard’s incredible time trial, when he outpaced Pogacar by 1:38 and his teammate Wout van Aert by almost three minutes, continued to spark debate the day after. Such a dominance arouses skepticism in cycling because of the past. The tour organ “L’Équipe” headlined a photo of Vingegaard “From another planet”. Even tour director Christian Prudhomme felt compelled to comment. “The questions about the various suspicions are absolutely not unjustified,” said the 62-year-old newspaper. A few days ago, Vingegaard himself said that he could understand the skeptics. He stressed that he would not take anything and his victories would never be stripped away.
Pogacar falls shortly after takeoff
The last potential hurdle for Vingegaard will be the mountain stage in the Vosges on Saturday. However, shifts at the top of the rankings are not to be expected in the climbing passage to Le Markstein. The Tour of France traditionally ends on Sunday in Paris on the Champs Élysées. Vingegaard can chill the champagne.
The key stage on Wednesday had already begun with a moment of shock for Pogacar, who was doomed to attack. At the foot of the first climb, Col des Saisies, the Slovenian fell onto his left side but quickly got back on his bike and rejoined the group around Vingegaard.
Around the Dane, the Jumbo Express controlled what was happening in the peloton. The Dutch team confidently set a high pace and made it difficult for their rivals early on. Nevertheless, a large and prominent escape group, including Gall, got away. The German champion Emanuel Buchmann, fourth on the 2019 tour, once again fulfilled his role as the noble helper of the Australian Jai Hindley with the Bora-hansgrohe team.
Vingegaard sees Pogacar’s weakness and drives off
The big exchange of blows between Vingegaard and Pogacar was expected at the 2304 meter high Col de la Loze, the highest climb of this year’s tour. But the duel that had dominated the tour for a long time did not materialize. Almost eight kilometers before the summit, Pogacar lost contact with the group of favorites. Exhaustion was written all over the face of the 24-year-old wearer of the white jersey. Vingegaard looked around in surprise and soon gave full throttle.
After increasing the pace, the 26-year-old raced up the mountain and gradually built up the cushion on Pogacar. A motorcycle and a vehicle belonging to the tour organization briefly blocked the way in the crowd. Vingegaard found a gap between the vehicles and headed towards the finish line.
During the well-deserved break from climbing on Thursday, the German sprinter Phil Bauhaus will no longer fight for the stage win. The 29-year-old from Team Bahrain Victorious left the race on the second difficult climb, the Cormet de Roselend. Bauhaus was convincing in the sprints at its tour premiere. Overall, he drove to three top 3 positions. It wasn’t enough to win.