Breakaway wins on mountain arrival
Tour rivals deliver one-second thrillers
07/16/2023, 6:20 p.m
The 15th stage of the Tour de France is characterized by stalking the two favorites. Jonas Vingegaard and challenger Tadej Pogacar cross the finish line together. Ahead, breakaway Wout Poels wins the final hilltop finish. Several falls, including one by Emanuel Buchmann, end lightly.
One-second thriller on Mont Blanc: defending champions Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar provided the next gripping climbing show on the mighty Alps and are entering the final week of the Tour de France almost at the same time. In Saint-Gervais, the duo crossed the finish line side by side, but this had no impact on the overall standings. After 15 stages, Vingegaard is just ten seconds ahead of Pogacar, and the red carpet has been rolled out for a thrilling final week.
(Photo: REUTERS)
Meanwhile, the stage win in Saint-Gervais at the foot of Mont Blanc was a matter for the escapees. The Dutchman Wout Poels won the 1400 meter high finish as a soloist ahead of the Belgian Wout van Aert and the Frenchman Mathieu Burgaudeau. The favorites reached the ski area almost six minutes behind.
Focus on the duel behind the front
But the focus was clearly on the duel between Pogacar and Vingegaard. On the final seven-kilometre climb, Vingegaard was waiting for his rival to attack, but he wasn’t tempted for a long time. The first attempt came only one kilometer from the finish, but unlike the previous attacks, Pogacar could not break away. Vingegaard even followed a second acceleration while sitting. Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez remains third, Bora captain Jai Hindley dropped back to fifth. His helper Emanuel Buchmann fell in a descent on Sunday, but continued the race.
Possibly Pogacar could have taken the lead on Saturday. Heading into Morzine, the two-time champion looked like the stronger rider on the final climb, the dreaded Col de Joux Plane. When he launched an attack a good 500 meters before the pass, a TV and a photographer’s motorcycle blocked the narrow road and Pogacar had to brake. Although he downplayed the incident at the finish, he admitted that he had wasted energy unnecessarily. He lost the sprint for the bonus seconds at the top of the pass against Vingegaard.
The Tour imposed both motorcycle crews with a suspension for the stage on Sunday and a fine of 500 Swiss francs (around 515 euros) each. The photographer apologized. “I will not defend the untenable. We shouldn’t be in this situation. I should have asked my biker to distance me faster and earlier,” said Bernard Papon, a contributor to French sports daily L’Équipe. He explained the incident with the many spectators on the mountain.
Mass fall because of a fan
A fan took center stage on the way to Saint-Gervais on Sunday. With about 128 kilometers to go, he stood too far on the road and stuck out his arm, apparently holding a smartphone. The American Sepp Kuss, who was at the front of the field, touched his arm, fell and took more than 20 drivers to the ground. In the mountains, Kiss is Vingegaard’s main helper.
“This is the driver’s office. Don’t go to their office,” said Eurosport expert Jens Voigt, who accompanied the stage on the motorcycle. “Don’t try to be part of the spectacle. The drivers are the spectacle, they are the show. Leave the road to the drivers,” appealed the ex-professional. John Degenkolb was also involved in the crash, which immediately forced no driver to retire.
On Monday, the second rest day offers the pros the opportunity to recover from the hardships in the Alps. As a rule, the riders get on their bikes for a maximum of two hours for a relaxed ride, are treated by physiotherapists, attend media appointments and receive family visits.