He won solo the 7e stage of the Tour de France, the longest of the event with 249 kilometers, disputed Friday July 2 between Vierzon and Le Creusot in 5:28 and a few seconds, at an average speed of 45.6 km / h: the champion of Slovenia Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) put more than a minute in the sight of his pursuers, Belgian Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Dane Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education-Nippo). Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin), 4e of the stage at the same time as his great Belgian rival Wout van Aert, keeps the yellow jersey.
Waiting for the Alps
Slovenian Primoz Roglic, second in the Tour last year, was left behind in the last twenty kilometers, four days after his fall at the start of the Tour. He ultimately lost more than three minutes on the other candidates for victory. The Welshman Geraint Thomas, the 2018 winner also handicapped by a fall at the beginning of the week, also found himself in difficulty in the final. On the eve of entering the Alps, a terrain that is not favorable to him, Mathieu Van der Poel precedes the general classification van Aert, second, by 30 seconds.
Very incisive, Mohoric left behind in the Signal d’Uchon, the most severe climb of the day, his last escape companions (Stuyven, Van Moer). On the line, the Slovenian beat Belgian Jasper Stuyven by more than a minute.
In this very long stage crossing the Morvan, a breakaway-river, formed around the 40e kilometer, brought together 29 runners representing 18 different teams. Van der Poel found in this group van Aert but also the Italian Vincenzo Nibali and several strong rollers (Van Moer, Asgreen, Schär, etc.).
Behind this breakaway, the UAE team of the outgoing winner, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, assumed the weight of the pursuit with the partial help of TotalEnergies, not represented. But she let go of the ballast until the gap widened beyond 7 minutes.
Primoz Roglic left behind
Up front, Mohoric provoked the decision 87 kilometers from the finish. He was joined by the Belgian Brent Van Moer then, at the entrance of the last fifty kilometers, by two other Belgians, Victor Campenaerts and Jasper Stuyven, before delivering the decisive blow in the Signal d’Uchon.
Roglic, left behind in this climb located at the entrance of the last twenty kilometers, was not expected by his teammates. For his part, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz attacked as he approached the summit, but was joined to finish on the line by the group of favorites.
Mohoric, 26, won the world title in the junior categories in 2012 and prospects the following year. He is also known to have been the first to adopt a daring downhill position, sitting on the tube of the bike, prohibited by regulation since 1er April. Stage winner in the Giro (2018) and the Vuelta (2017), he touched on goal in the Tour de France, which he is playing for the third time.
In May, Mohoric suffered a severe fall during the 9e Giro stage and suffered a concussion which forced him to retire. He removed from the Slovenian championship.
Saturday, the 8e stage includes the first real passes of the Tour between Oyonnax (Ain) and Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie). The 150.8-kilometer route presents three climbs classified in the first category in the last fifty kilometers (Mont-Saxonnex, Col de Romme, Col de la Colombière).