Anyway, that’s about us. Here’s your stage report – we’ll be back on Tuesday, after tomorrow’s rest day.
Wiggins reckons Thomas is in position to win the thing from here, but also that Ineos need to sort their tactics out.
A Sunday jaunt, Alaphilippe-style.
Simon Yates gets his stage-winner’s medal. He looks pretty chuffed with life.
Pinot is something, isn’t he? You could power a small town off his intensity.
Thomas has taken 37 seconds out of Alaphilippe today, which isn’t bad. Thinking again, I think he might’ve gone earlier because he had something left at the end; he can win from here, but it’ll take a colossal effort.
Geraint Thomas says he felt better than yesterday and needed to pace it when it all kicked off. He says he got stuck behind Alaphilippe and had the legs to do more – he’s relieved there’s something in them. He agrees that Pinot is doing well and a danger, then notes that it’s a mental game – everyone’s tired, everyone’s suffering. He can’t decide if he should’ve gone earlier, but is looking forward to the rest day.
And our overall top 10...
New GC #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/HeHvuXHJuj
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) July 21, 2019
Our top 10...
Top-10 on Stage 15 #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/qFUMQ630X0
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) July 21, 2019
So Alaphilippe retains the maillot jaune; by how much is still to be confirmed.
Alaphilippe rinses to the line, he’s absolutely devastated himself, and I think Thomas takes 30 seconds off him! There’s a lot to do here yet!
Now here comes Thomas driving for the line!
Pinot finishes 31 seconds or so behind Yates, Landa just behind him.
Updated
Simon Yates wins stage 15 of the Tour de France!
That’s his second-ever stage win.
Updated
Yates relaxes now, hands off the handlebars...
Pinot can’t get to Yates! He’s nearly home!
It’s caning it down with rain now, and Thomas bangs it out as Alaphilippe looks to fight back! 639m to go!
Thomas powers past Alaphilippe! How much time can he put between them?
Thomas goes! Can he get to Alaphilippe?
2.1km to go, the yellow jersey group 2.09 off the lead. Pinot is the only man who can stop Yates now, but there’s so much work to do and so little time in which to do it.
Thomas’ tongue hangs out while Alaphilippe weaves from side to side! He is absolutely did.
This climb at the end of the stage is sadistic genius. Pinot is going like the absolute clappers, while Yates calmly maintains, looking for his second stage victory. Now back to Pinot, who’s fighting to find Landa!
Updated
Surely Thomas will go for it soon. He can’t fall further behind if he’s got plans to retain his title.
3.7km to go; this is brilliant stuff, and Pinot keeps hammering away! Bernal doesn’t look to have much left!
Landa is struggling to make an impression on Yates, who looks good for the stage win. Thomas still allows Alaphilippe to lead him, or does he have nothing left? Pinot digs again, but Bernal goes with him!
Thomas holds on because he senses Alaphilippe doesn’t have much left. But then Alaphilippe goes again! This is hideous!
Alaphilippe looks like he might extend his lead tonight, going with Pinot. Can Thomas find something? Pinot follows Bernal, and Alaphilippe can’t respond!
Alaphilippe has found something alright! He’s beginning to look like champion! Landa is 1.06 down on Yates with 5.6km to go.
Landa, 1.05 behind Yates, is about to catch Geschke! Yates looks really strong, though, so it’ll take a major effort to catch him. And Pinot goes! Alaphilippe goes too, moving past Thomas!
David Guadu is setting a ferocious pace now, and it’s hurting pretty much everyone who isn’t him! 6.3km to go!
Alaphilippe is suffering! Pinot looks in much better nick, and Thomas is looking a little stronger!
Updated
Pinot is getting ready! Thomas is up with Alaphilippe!
“Two things,” says Matt Dony. “First; Back To The Future is clearly a wonderful film, but it’s no Grosse Point Blank. Second; I think it was David Sedaris who did an excellent piece on people saying foreign words with an accent. He talked about how one of his lecturers would always ostentatiously pronounce Nicaragua as ‘Nee-Har-Rah-Wah’, and used that as a shorthand for other flamboyant attempts at accents. For example, some football commentators throw themselves into ‘Nee-Har-Rah-Wahn’ French when naming the clubs in Ligue Uuuuhn. Also, as a Welshman, obviously I look out for Geraint Thomas’ name in TdF coverage. In this regard, Thomas de Gent is a frustrating distraction that always catches the eye. Too many shared letters. Shouldn’t be allowed.”
I do enjoy a good “Braseew.”
Updated
The state of the kippers as they power up this climb. 8km to go, and Alaphilippe is still with the yellow jersey group.
The leaders are 1.26 ahead of the pursuers, 2.33 ahead of the yellow jersey group, and EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF! Simon Yates goes!
Landa is up with Quintana and passes him! 9.2km left!
The yellow jersey group have snatched 30s off the leaders, and Landa is moving up towards Quintana!
Alaphilippe, meanwhile, is on his bill.
Right, here we go! Ineos are hitting it hard, 10.2 km to go!
Updated
Oh, and Landa’s group are 2.12 off.
The yellow jersey group are 3.10 off the lead.
We’re at the foot of the finalP Prat d’Albis climb with 11.6km to go. Yates and Getschke lead the way, 1.36 ahead.
Bardet, Quintana, Lutsenko and Reichenbach have been joined by D. Martin, G. Martin, Kämna, Woods and Gallopin. The gap to Geschke and Yates is 1.15.
Alaphilippe takes some new peepers from the car.
“I really enjoy watching Le Tour even if I wouldn’t be an expert,” tweets Noel Fitzpatrick. “So tell me, would an Alaphillipe win be like a Leicester, or less of a surprise?”
Conor R has already answered: “Hard to compare to football - he’s been the best rider this year for the kinds of races he traditionally goes for, so great form and was fancied to win stages in TdF. The surprise is that he seems to have successfully reconditioned himself to be able to tackle the highest climbs. So maybe it’s more like Spurs putting in a serious, convincing challenge for the Premier League next year.”
Pinot’s mates drain their pockets for him; he’s about to go!
Anyone else sing Bardet to this?
Quintana, Lutsenko, Bardet and Reichenbach are 1.02 behind Yates and Geschke.
Landa and his mates are trying to get to Quintana’s second group, while Pinot looks primed for an attack through the final climb. I believe they call that “counter-intuitive”.
“I’m probably just a wannabe pedant,”says Brad McMillan, “but any Englishman who says choritho, in an English setting, is not to be trusted.”
I was agreeing with this, then remembered that I say hummus with a guttual “ch” because that’s what it is in Hebrew. I don’t think this is pedantry though, it’s morality.
I know the climbs are appalling, but the descents are terrifying. The leaders are absolutely bousting down before undertaking the final climb of the day. I feel ill just watching them.
26.8km to go; the yellow jersey group are 3.08 off the leaders.
“Surely, as the Polyglots amongst us should confirm, it should either be as follows,” emails Fraser Bannatyne. “Tour de Fronze (said with a Gallic shoulder shrug, whilst holding a coffee and a smouldering Gitane). Or, the more simple Tour OF France.”
I think we can allow the “de” because it’s the name of the thing. Incidentally, the poursuivants are 45 seconds off the tête de la course.
Updated
“On pronouncing foreign words,” tweets Alex Cowell. “Let’s face it, it brings out the tension between pedant and anti-pedant in all of us. Tweeting from the airport in Cancoooon.”
I hung about round those parts once, and later bumped into someone who asked me if I’d visited Isla Muchere. “No, but I really loved Isla Majuros.”
Geschke is first to Mur de Péguère, followed by Yates, who has pretty much caught him up. They’re 20 seconds ahead of the next little group.
“I was very interested yesterday to hear all the experts bemoaning the demise of G,” says Mark Harrison. “What they should have been watching was the way he limited his losses, saving his reserves for another day. The man may be taciturn but he is not a quitter. G stands for gold, solid gold....”
I think people were concerned that he looked exhausted, but he’s having a much better day today. The yellow jersey kids are 2.39 off the lead.
“Harking back to near the start of the stage,” emails Guy Hornsby, “I’ll second and third that, Back To The Future is almost pefect, Daniel. Lets forget about the Trump-esque sequel, though I’m fond of their wild west adventures. The question is, who would be the protagonists from the current peloton? I’d have said our yellow jersey holder had shades of Doc Brown, but he’s way too consistent now, so that goes to Sagan (and of course Tommy Voeckler in the past). Not sure about Marty. Fresh-faced local good guy... Gaudu?”
BTTF II was the first film I saw in the cinema that properly knocked me senseless – I was in Junior 4 and all the yeargroup teachers were ill, so we got two days off.
Simon Yates has had enough and leaves the chasing group, while it seems that Castroviejo, Moscon, Van Baarle and Kwiatkowski – all of Team Ineos – have been lozzed by the yellow jersey group.
Updated
39.4km to go now, and will Geschke’s break get him a stage win?His lead is 34s, down from 40s, so perhaps not. It’s foggy as you like at the top of this climb.
Mikel Landa has a shy from the yellow jersey group! Jakob Fugslang goes with him!
The break has dumped Bilbao, Fraile and Roche.
Have a look! Geschke is 35 second clear now, while Alaphilippe has been isolated! Thomas shadows him and things are hotting right up!
“A real grammatical grey area this,” emails Chris Collinson. “File alongside sports teams teams taking both the singular and plural forms. However, pronouncing grammar in the non English accent always sounds slightly pretentious – ‘Paris or ‘Paree’ being the worst offender.”
People who talk about “Michellan” stars and “Parmegyan”.
“Look out for Ineos’ Bernal and Thomas in first and second on the podium in Paris!” emails Elston Wade. “Bernal will demolish the contenders in the mountains!”
Simon Geschke pulls himself away from the leading group as they near the end of this frankly revolting climb. He leads by 15 seconds or so with 42.8km to go.
Etiquette question: if you’re English, is it “Tour de France” or “Tour de Fronze”?
The leading group now comprises: Bardet, Gallopin, Molard, Reichenbach, Quintana, Amador, Soler, Bilbao, Fraile, Lutsenko, Woods, S. Yates, Geschke, D.Martin, Bernard, Ciccone, Kamna, Roche, Herrada, G.Martin and Kreuziger.The peloton is 4.01 behind.
The Mur de Péguère climb is getting going – the steepest of the entire race. It doesn’t look too bad to me, no idea what all the fuss is about.
Updated
“Barm!” responds Brad McMillan. “I’ll stick with muffin thanks, I grew up in Hampshire!”
Reported.
Nothing to do with cycling, but I believe Harrance Kane has just scored from the halfway line.
Quintana hits the front with 49km to go. Is he ... enjoying this?
52.1km to go as Brad McMillan gets in touch: “I didn’t learn the term polka dot from those marbles,” he says, ‘because they’re spotted dicks. The only marble I kept (in the loft somewhere) from my childhood collection was a spotted dick triple emperor pearl, I never lost with it. Anyway... the cycling!”
It’s a barm.
Shut up!
This is brilliant
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) July 21, 2019
Dutch TV have made a short film about the TDF crew whose job it is to spot painted genitalia on the road and adapt it beyond recognition. This is a high art form.
👏 https://t.co/YZZ7D0f0Dk
Ah, it’s not just Nibali who’s been absorbed back into the peloton but Mollema and Matthews too.
“I’ve no searing analysis or insight to provide,” brags Gareth Evans, “I’m dramatically hung over, but I have noticed that the team name Trek Segefredo scans nicely to the tune of Smoke On The Water and am mumbling it to myself. Much to my wife’s annoyance.”
She’s quite right; you should be singing it at the top of your voice.
Updated
Nibali has been dropped from the chasing group, as Bradley “Brad” Wiggins tells us that the winner will come from the group which currently leads.
Updated
Who didn’t learn the term “polka dot” from these?
64.5km to go as Bardet hits the front of the sprint, taking maximum points! Someone thinks they look good in polka dots!
Quintana is back! He leads Martin and Kreuziger.
Thibaut Pinot is a belter of a rhyming name, up there with Gokdeniz Karadeniz which I think is a pararhyme (please correct me).
“Yates, Reichenbach and Molard, Roche and Lutsenko formed seminal Grind core collective ‘Trojan Death Overkill’, much favoured by John Peel back in the day,” emails Chris Collinson.”
As we’ve said, riders love to suffer.
Other great Guillaumes:
Hello! Michael Woods, Omar Fraile and Guillaume Martin join the leaders!
Quintana heads a group 18 seconds off the lead now, and the peloton are 4.37 behind as we near one of the three grade one climbs. The leaders are: Rudy Molard, Sébastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Pro Team), Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Lennard Kämna, Nicholas Roche (Team Sunweb), Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Romain Bardet, Tony Gallopin (Ag2r La Mondiale), Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Roman Kreuziger (Dimension Data) and Andrey Amador (Movistar Team).
Apparently my email wasn’t quite right above, so if you’d like to get in touch, please refresh your page or just click on daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com.
Er, as I was saying, Quintana has dropped off the leading group, and as the best-placed rider in that collection, the yellow jersey doesn’t look under threat today.
“I’m firmly in the Anyone But Ineos camp,” says an anonymous emailer, “so I’d be delighted if Alaphilippe takes it all the way to Paris. But I wouldn’t call two minutes definitive with so many climbs to come and I’d never underestimate Ineos’s power to sway things their way - especially when they’ve got two in the top five. Let’s also not forget Simon Yates’s fate in the Giro (sorry Simon). Fingers crossed Alaphilippe will do it though!”
Updated
Bardet and Amador join the leaders too - there are now eight of them. Meanwhile, Wellens is struggling and has been dropped by the peloton.
Yates, Reichenbach and Molard lead ... and now Roche and Lutsenko join them!
The leading group: Gallopin, Caruso, Tratnik, Molard, Reichenbach, Soler, Bilbao, Groendahl Jansen, S. Yates, Geschke, Bernard, Ciccone, Roche and Herrada.
We see Simon Yates putting it in – he’s attacking! Nibali, who looks bushed from yesterday, is in what’s just become a second group of leaders - if that’s possible. Bardet, Quintana, Zakarin and Woods are also there!
Updated
“It really comes down to who’s got the legs,” we’re told, and suddenly I find myself singing this.
Updated
We’re climbing at Port de Lers; the riders are mainly standing again.
At the front, Politt ploughs on, looking to open up a little lead.
We all love zane.
Our next test is on tap as the distance remaining dips below 80km.
The gap to the peloton is now 3.23. Quintana in particular will be loving this.
I mentioned Nîmes earlier, more than enough excuse to post this.
Updated
Nico Portal was asked what was said to Geraint Thomas yesterday. “Not much”. More insight as I get it.
The pace has relaxed a little now, as the leaders glide through a village.But now we have an intermediate sprint! Caruso tries to attack, looking to help team-mate Sonny Colbrelli, but Matthews rinses him and Nils Politt.
Updated
It’s pretty cloudy in the Pyrenees today, but fear not; in Nîmes, where we’re headed after tomorrow’s rest day, it’s 36-38 degrees. I’m feeling faint just thinking about it.
We’ve got 94.6km to go; there are three climbs in the final 60.
In commentary, they’re wondering whether Alaphilippe has the back-up to get through the Alps, before noting that they’ve been wondering about him all the way through the race and he’s answered every question so far.
The break lead the peloton by 2.33.
Geraint Thomas, meanwhile, is having lunch. He’ll be hoping he’s got more in the tank than yesterday, where he just sor tof expired.
Updated
Alexey Lutsenko has a drink. I doubt I’ve ever experienced pleasure so intense in my life.
Frank, Matthews, Sicard, Perichon, Politt, Bouet and Perez have caught up with the lead group. Decent job of work.
112km to go. The first hour was 27km/h for the first hour; it’s slowed a little now, but only a little.
🗣 "There ya go, mate!" 🇦🇺@luke_durbridge1 picks up a few bottles for @MitcheltonSCOTT, while a few riders stop for a nature break 😅@SirWiggo is backing @TeamINEOS to start marshaling the stage now... #BradOnABike #TDF2019 #TheBreakaway pic.twitter.com/F9aSYGL6rw
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 21, 2019
The leading group are now 2.33 ahead of the rest. We see that Alaphilippe is one of them, and he looks pretty chill.
They’ve got a couple of minutes on the peloton now.
There are 28 riders in the break, and these are they:
Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Romain Bardet and Tony Gallopin (AG2R-La Mondiale), Vincenzo Nibali, Damiano Caruso and Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida), Rudy Molard and Sébastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), Nairo Quintana, Andrey Amador and Marc Soler (Movistar), Pello Bilbao, Omar Fraile and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Michael Woods (EF Education First), Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Simon Geschke (CCC), Julien Bernard, Giulio Ciccone and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Lennard Kämna and Nicolas Roche (Sunweb), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin), Romain Kreuziger (Dimension Data) and Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Amaël Moinard (Arkéa-Samsic).
The break is nicely installed now, around 30s ahead of the rest, led by Quintana; Nibali is one of those with him. Pinot has stopped for a slash, and Alaphilippe is in the first group behind the leaders.
Konrad, Bardet, Nibali, Caruso goes the psychopathic order as the climb continues. There are a couple more in amongst them, but the gap isn’t significant yet.
They’re standing in the saddle now, as Bardet moves to the front. This might be the moment!
We’re on the Col de Montségur, a second-level climb, and Caruso has been yanked back.
Is Back to the Future the greatest film of the 80s? And of all-time? What it is for sure is perfection.
The climb is now upon us; or “us”, I should say.
There’s been a split! Caruso leads everyone, pounding away perhaps 20m away, and the peloton is now in two pieces.
They’ve covered 47km in the first hour. Where’s Mr Strickland when you need him?
King and Poels are now on the attack, but there’s no indication that they’ll get anywhere; we’re 7km from the start of the climb. Good luck, lads.
The climb begins in around 12km, so expect an effective break by then. But you really never know.
Oss makes another move. He looks pretty sprightly, and also kind of spritely.
Nibali is also up the front, but the peloton have pretty much caught up; after 40km, we’re basically where we were when we started, except everyone is in even more pain.
I feel slightly nauseous just looking at the incline. Riding up it, Bardet gasps for air.
The peloton is splitting at the front: Romain Bardet is on the attack, and Jack Haig is going with him, Oss and a few others too. The chaps are heading uphill now and approaching the first climb of the stage.
Vincenzo Nibali takes it on, and oh my days, Bradley Wiggins is wearing a union jack anorak. He just wants to be different.
They’re setting a pretty fearsome pace here, which should favour the expert climbers later on.
Serge Pauwels decides he fancies a go. He opens up a lead of roughly 34cm, then the pack swallows him up.
So lazy.
💨 20 kilometres of racing, still no clear breakaway.
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2019
💨 20 kilomètres de course, et toujours pas d'échappée détachée.#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/fuNBFYQr6G
There are spectators wearing cycling gear. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they rode over.
Julien Bernard has a little shy at a break, then Michael Woods takes it up.
No one can get away. Scully is close to the front, but stops short of mounting a proper attack.
They’re setting it up and setting it up as the incline gently increases; if the stage were a jungle tune, the drop would be imminent.
Haller is summarily reeled in, and Mohoric takes it on.
Marco Haller, who’s ridden more competitive miles this term than anyone else, has a bash at a break.
The scenery on this stage is absolutely lush, loads of green-covered peaks. I’m sure that’s significant compensation when you feel like you might die.
Oss now leads, from Cosnefroy.
Damiano Caruso is now at the front, but the peloton has closed.
Sven Erik Bystrøm of UAE Team Emirates is having a dart. He leads by about 10 metres, but it doesn’t much look like a decisive break.
It must be a right laugh setting the course for this.
“How can inflict most pain on these?”
“How about an uphill finish?”
“Chauette!”
Sagan catches up with an attempted breakaway – there are six of so riders maybe three metres clear of the rest. No one has yet put their foot down.
Today #TDF2019 riders will cross over Aude and Ariège, into territories with a lot of history. 🏰 https://t.co/fft43ViwU4
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2019
Aujourd'hui les coureurs du #TDF2019 traverseront l'Aude et l'Ariège, dans des territoires fortement marqués par l'histoire. 🏰 https://t.co/CT3wmgGctn pic.twitter.com/4FTwcwzbGh
Various of the chaps are moving to the front – De Gendt, Mohoric, Wellens, Teuns, Geschke, Würtz Schmidt and Naese amongst others – checking to see whether anyone comes with, then allowing themselves to be caught.
This is going to be brutal. Talking of brutal...
Thomas is already at the front of the group. We’re expecting a succession of attacks through the stage, which should make for an entertaining little jaunt.
And off we go!
The départ is almost upon us.
I had some glasses of wine last night. These lads don’t even know they’ve been born.
Wiggins reckons yesterday’s stage winner, Thibaut Pinot, will win again today. That’d be an absolutely ludicrous effort.
Bradley Wiggins is showing off his tattoos on Eurosport; I can’t even. He thinks today is do or die for Thomas, and if Alaphilippe is wearing yellow at teatime, he’ll be very difficult to stop.
Here’s William Fotheringham’s stage guide:
A second summit finish in a row, and a different proposition with two first category mountain passes beforehand, both short and brutally steep, as is the ascent to the chequered flag. A pure climber’s stage, a target for a rider who is going for the mountains jersey, with lots of points available on the three first cat climbs in quick succession: Julian Alaphilippe springs to mind. There should be a straightforward selection among the yellow jersey contenders who should be down to a handful by now. It’s the kind of stage that screams Egan Bernal or Nairo Quintana.
Preamble
Whenever I think about Le Tour, I think about something Mark Cavendish once said: “It means something to suffer that much”. Well, after yesterday’s Tourmalet, which included the bonanza of 3,000m-odd of climbing, it looks very much like this year’s suffering champion will be Julian Alaphilippe. With seven stages left, he leads Geraint Thomas by 2.02, and it’s increasingly tricky to see that gap as anything other than definitive.
Today, the sufferers take on the final Pyrenees stage, which includes, among its 185km, three major climbs: the Port de Lers, the Mur de Péguère and the delicious uphill finish at Prat d’Albis. What better way to pass a lazy Sunday?
