Today’s stage: Libourne – Saint-Emilion, 30.8 kilometers
A last effort of 30 kilometers before the final stage towards the Champs-Elysées. The 142 riders who, despite the falls, the Dantesque stages at the start of the Tour or the mountain stages, managed to complete the three weeks of the Tour will have to face a second time trial, after that of the fifth stage won by Tadej Pogacar. Besides the Slovenian, of course, Stefan Küng, Kasper Asgreen, Wout Van Aert or the second in the general classification, Jonas Vingegaard, are the favorites this Saturday.
As with the first time trial, the profile of this 20e stage run exclusively in Gironde, between Libourne and Saint-Emilion, is fairly flat. And if the suspense for the yellow jersey has disappeared for a while, the race is still open to know who will be the dolphin of Pogacar, between the Dane Jonas Vingegaard (2e, at 5 min 45) and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (3e, at 5 min 51).
The runner: Tadej Pogacar
Before making the double on the slopes of Saint-Lary-Soulan and Luz Ardiden, Tadej Pogacar had already folded the 2021 edition of the Tour on the fifth stage, during the time trial between Changé and Laval. It is therefore an understatement to say that it will be eagerly awaited today. Especially since starting in last position, he will know exactly how much time he must take (or can concede) to his opponents on each part of the route.
Over the 27 kilometers, on June 30, the Slovenian pushed back Stefan Küng, European champion in the discipline, to 19 seconds, during the 5e step. About what leave the Swiss rider completely annoyed on arrival. Best placed rider among the Top 10, Jonas Vingegaard had conceded “only” 27 seconds, or one per kilometer. Richard Carapaz finished at 1 minute 44.
A year after having surprised Primoz Roglic on the penultimate stage, the winner of the Tour 2020 and future winner of the Tour 2021 has no other objective to seek today than a fourth stage victory on this editing. Over the last twenty editions, among the yellow jerseys only Lance Armstrong (four in 2002 and five in 2004) and Vincenzo Nibali (four in 2014) have managed to do as well.
A deviation
He will not see the arrival in Paris either. A possible time best climber of this Tour, Michael Woods was finally non-starting Friday morning, before the stage between Mourenx and Libourne. Two days before the passages on the Champs-Elysées, the Canadian rider preferred not to line up on the last three stages, now that he no longer had any chance of leaving with the polka-dot jersey. For “To recover well from your injuries and to prepare well for the Tokyo Olympics”, where it will be aligned with the road race, let his Israel Start-Up Nation team know.
The Canadian therefore adds his name to the small list of runners who have chosen to leave the Grande Boucle to prepare for the Olympics. Before him, the Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel, but also the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, winner of the Tour in 2014, did the same. Not to everyone’s taste: “Putting everything we have knowing that we will be leaving after eight days is not very respectful of the Tour de France! “, had reproached them the French rider Guillaume Martin.
The declaration
“I was treated like a criminal. “
After the searches that targeted, Wednesday evening, the Bahrain Victorious team in its hotel in Pau as part of an investigation into “Acquisition, transport, possession, import of a prohibited substance or method for use by an athlete without medical justification”, Matej Mohoric had warned that he did not intend to keep a low profile. After taking the breakaway, Thursday, he managed to show himself a little more, Friday, by winning alone in Libourne (Gironde). The second stage taken by the Slovenian on this Tour after the one obtained at Le Creusot on July 2nd.
In reference to these searches, Mohoric pointedly showed his sponsor on Friday at the finish line, before putting a finger in front of his mouth. He then explained his gesture to the press. “I was treated like a criminal. For me it shows that we have been checked and that nothing has been found, he justified. It’s still complicated to see a policeman come and search your room. I had nothing to hide “
The image
? From one legend to another. Respect! ? From one legend to another! Respect! # TDF2021 https://t.co/Jeuj13ZAmH
From the top of this embrace, 68 stage victories contemplate you. Eddy Merckx and Mark Cavendish hugged each other on Friday just before the start of the 19e stage, in Mourenx. In this Béarn town, the Belgian had won the 17e 1969 Tour stage after a long solo breakaway, eight minutes ahead of his first pursuer.
Merckx had already congratulated the Briton for this record shared a few days ago and had said “Very happy for him”. If a long-haul breakaway did not allow for a massive sprint on Friday, Mark Cavendish can still celebrate a 35e victory of stages on the Champs-Elysées, and thus overtake “the Cannibal”.