Anyway, on that note, that’s all from me today. Thank you for reading, emailing, tweeting - and I’ll be back tomorrow for some stage 20 time trial action. Bye for now.
“Not sure it’s fair to lament Mohoric’s win as being a case of the others ‘letting him go’,” emails James Cavell. “Mohoric will have been studying who chased when others attacked, who was unwilling to work, who might have been soft pedalling on the front etc. He’ll have watched others attack first, gambling (or observing) that they’ll be brought back, studying the response, then timing his dig to perfection.”
Maybe, but then again, Politt just said others riders were looking to him to bring Mohoric back after he went clear, which shows there was definitely some hesitation to chase in the group behind. I’m sure plenty of thought went into Mohoric’s attack, but there is no doubt that the riders behind could (and arguably should) have co-operated better to bring it back. Mohoric asked the question, and got the stage, and well done to him.
Jeremy Whittle’s stage 19 report is here:
Tadej Pogacar speaks: “There were a few crashes and splits ... it’s really not nice to start a day like this. We kept the peloton quiet for a while, but after the sprint it was full attack mode, and it was a pretty strange race, but after the breakaway went clear, we started to be conservative again.”
Jasper Stuyven speaks to Eurosport: “As we’ve seen in the final ... there were a lot of strong guys there. Maybe they looked at me as the favourite, maybe that’s why I had a lot of attacks that were chased down, that cost me a lot of energy ... but I mean, I didn’t have the feeling I was targeted more than other guys, I think we all raced until everyone was empty. No one had much left in the legs. At the end it was just Eddy [Theuns] and me left ... we were all on the limit ... we tried, there was a bit of co-operation at one point ... then Politt went full from the back ... everyone was at the same empty level.”
“Cav is home”
It wasn’t his day today - but the truth is, Deceuninck–Quick-Step had a day off, and they didn’t work to set up a record 35th stage win for Cavendish. It would be interesting to know if they thought about starting to work when that second escape group closed the gap to the first six-man break.
Regardless, it will all come down to Sunday. Can Cavendish pull off another win in Paris and overtake Eddy Merckx on the final day of the 2021 race?
Cav is home and keeps the #TDF2021 green jersey.
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) July 16, 2021
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/ETyKpeV1O0
Laporte was second on the stage, Pedersen third, Teunissen fourth, Politt fifth.
#TDF2021 - Stage 19 - Top 10 pic.twitter.com/mLa6OA75Py
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) July 16, 2021
GC after Stage 19: Pogacar remains 5’45” ahead of his closest challenger, Jonas Vingegaard.
#TDF2021 - GC after Stage 19 pic.twitter.com/OegVULGmJw
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) July 16, 2021
Nils Politt speaks to ITV: “I was alone in this group, it was a big breakaway, I had to try something in the end ... It was quite hilly at the end, I almost tried on every hill, it was a hard fight, and everybody was dead ... fifth place in the end, it’s quite good. Actually, I was trying to select the group there [by attacking] ... everybody was looking to me [when Mohoric went clear], but it was not up to me to close this again, because there were some teams with two guys there. For sure, it’s not easy, if you already have a stage in your pocket, everybody’s looking [to me to close down the gap to Mohoric].”
Updated
The peloton has rolled home. As David Millar said on commentary, it’s like the old-school Tour de France, to see a breakaway get that much time on the peloton. For the second half of the stage, most of the riders were just rolling along happily and having a chat.
Updated
More from Mohoric: “I can’t believe it ... I was trying to do my best ... we were thinking that maybe it’s a day for the sprint, maybe Deceuninck would control ... when I saw those guys [the first breakaway group] going, I did a super-big effort to get back to them, then I saw I had good legs ... I spoke to the guys in the break, I said it was a good strategy to go as hard as possible ... that’s the best way to get the break all the way to the finish, because it’s hard to control ... I was disappointed (when the big group came back) ... we had no teammates there so I was a little bit disappointed, but I never give up ... when Nils [Politt] went I was so on my limit, I was almost exploding ... I said, I just need to do one more sprint ... then I looked back and nobody was there ... I went as hard as I possibly good, I was dying, doing ridiculous low power, but trying to stay as aero as possible until the line.”
Updated
The peloton is still out on the road, rolling in ...
The stage winner Mohoric is asked what he was thinking during the final kilometre: “I was thinking mostly about what happened two days ago, in the evening when I felt like a criminal, no? With all the police coming to our hotel ... From one point of view it’s a good thing, because it means there is the control over the peloton ... they are checking all the teams. Of course they didn’t find anything because we have nothing to hide. From one point of view it’s a good thing [that there are doping checks], but from another point of view, I’m a little bit disappointed with the system ... it’s not a nice thing when the police walks into your room and starts just ... all your personal belongings, it never happened to me before, and it feels a little bit weird. When they go through your family photos, through your phone, through your messages ... It feels a little bit ‘like this’ but at the end of the day, I have nothing to hide. It’s OK at the end, I hope.”
Updated
Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) speaks to Eurosport: “It was a very hard battle to get clear from the bunch, I think we had to pull one hour, full gas, with that group until the bunch popped ... and the heat, at the end of the Tour - it was pretty hard.
“I really don’t understand how they cannot send the motos with the bidons [drinks] there ... I was asking for it with more than 20km to go, they just didn’t come - in heat like this it’s not so funny. In the end I think we were all quite on the limit ... there were attacks going all the way behind Mohoric ... he was pretty strong to stay out front there with a headwind like that.
“We were three guys [from Trek-Segafredo] but in the end we lacked the legs ... we did the maximum we could ... Mohoric was just really strong ... in the end the legs are pretty hurting a lot ... unfortunately it was not enough to go for the win.”
That was shaping up to be a fascinating stage finish, with loads of riders in the mix for the win. Mohoric’s ride was brilliant, but it wasn’t the most exciting climax.
A strange Tour de France for breakaways: next to no tactical suspense in the denouements, made for long-range attackers. Alaphilippe, Teuns, O'Connor, Mollema, Konrad, Mohoric x2
— Andy McGrath (@Andymcgra) July 16, 2021
Mohoric has already won stages at the Giro and Vuelta. He now has not one, but two Tour stage wins to his name.
Mohoric averaged 47.9km/h on his solo attack all the way to the finish. Impressive.
🇸🇮@matmohoric averaged 47.9km/h on his own in the last 26km to claim his 2nd #TDF2021 stage win 💐#TDFdata https://t.co/39re8O6lR7
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 16, 2021
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) wins stage 19!
A fearsomely powerful ride from the Slovenian, who has time to wave to the camera, smile and celebrate on his way to the finish line. That’s his second stage win of this year’s race.
He gives a ‘zip it’ gesture across his lips as he crosses the line, presumably a message against all the suspicion and criticism the team is experiencing currently.
Updated
1km to go: Mohoric is inside the final kilometre now and it’s a ride to guaranteed glory, with a gap of over a minute.
2km to go: The gap is holding steady at around a minute.
The riders in the chase group will be gutted. All that work to get up to the front of the race, and distance the peloton, and they let Mohoric escape and take the glory. Cycling is a tough sport, but they will be kicking themselves, at the same time, at having let such an obviously dangerous rider escape for the win.
3km to go: Video via Le Tour Twitter of Mohoric powering to his second stage win of the race -
🇸🇮 @matmohoric has gone solo! With 20 km to go, the Slovenian champion has an advantage of 40''.
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2021
🇸🇮 Matej Mohoric est parti en solo ! A 20 km de l'arrivée, le champion de Slovénie a un avantage de 40''.#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/pmtuMfPZAp
4km to go: The Slovenian champion Mohoric has a lead of a minute, and it’s flat until the line.
4.5km to go: “The organisation has gone out of it now,” says Kelly of the chase group. Which is quite right. They have handed this to Mohoric. You can understand that the guys with the slower sprint don’t want to help others win. But on the other hand, it would give them a tiny chance of a win, as opposed to zero chance. It’s Mohoric’s day if he stays upright.
6km to go: This really looks like game over now - Mohoric has 56” - and the chase group looks in disarray. They looked at each other for a few crucial seconds, and Mohoric didn’t need to be asked twice.
8.5km to go: “Whatever they create with this origami of effort is not going to take flight,” says Carlton Kirby on Eurosport, of the chasers’ efforts. That’s abstract.
Mohoric has 47”. Politt, Pedersen try to counterattack back down the road. But it looks like it’s not going to be enough.
“Demoralisation starts to kick in,” says David Millar, over on ITV4. “None of them are strong enough to make the difference.”
Updated
10km to go: Mohoric, the Slovenian, has 43” on his rivals.
The peloton is over 17 minutes down on the front of the race. I hope they don’t miss the time cut.
Updated
11.5km to go: Mohoric has 41” on the chasers. He has one more little ascent to negotiate, then it’s a fast descent and a flat section to the finish.
Updated
13km to go: If you missed it, the Bahrain Victorious hotel in Pau was raided the night before last, and an investigation opened by the local prosecutor’s office into allegations of doping -
Updated
14km to go: This will be Bahrain Victorious’s third stage win of the race, if Mohoric can hang on. Mohoric and Dylan Teuns have already taken a stage each.
Updated
15.5km to go: Politt counterattacks! The gap comes down a little, to 42”.
Updated
17km to go: Mohoric has 47” as the chasers head down into a bowl section of road, sweeping down and then up on the road to Libourne. It looks like Mohoric is going to turn this into a bit of a procession. Teams such as Trek-Segafredo will be irritated that he’s been allowed to escape after they put so much work in.
It’s possible that Mohoric will run out of steam, of course, but it doesn’t look very likely right now.
Updated
19km to go: Mohoric has actually pulled out more of an advantage - his lead is up to 40” - as he glides through the corners on his own. He looks insanely strong.
He even bunny-hops over a central reservation in the road to take the racing line into a right-hander.
Updated
20km to go: It’s good to see the chase group now working, through and off, to try and close down Mohoric. Without that, it was game over. And it still might be, but at least they have realised that they need to join forces to chase down their hugely powerful rival up front.
Updated
22km to go: Lonely Laporte presses on, between the chase group and Mohoric up front, but he looks to have little chance of catching the Slovenian on his own.
Mohoric’s lead is up to 27”! Is this the winning move? Surely the chasers have to work together, or this is over.
Updated
23km to go: As Sean Kelly points out on Eurosport, Mohoric is turning a huge gear, and his resulting low cadence does not demonstrate how fast he is moving, and how hard it is for the chasers to close him down.
Updated
24km to go: Laporte is trying to get across to Mohoric. But he is struggling.
This looks like it may be a decisive more by Mohoric, the Slovenian - he now has 21” on the chasers.
Updated
25km to go: Ballerini blows up, and gives up his attempt to try and make it back into contact with the front group.
Mohoric - another rider with a stage win at this year’s race - now attacks alone at the front. They badly need to close this down or he might disappear up the road ...
26km to go: The break is on one of these short, uncategorised climbs. Turgis and Pedersen have been pulled back. Meanwhile, back down the road, Ballerini attacks from the group behind, trying desperately to make it back into the final selection.
Updated
27km to go: Anthony Turgis fins himself on the front. Casper Pedersen (DSM) then puts in a massive attack! And gets a gap with Turgis on his wheel.
28km to go: A group of several riders, including Ballerini and Izagirre, have been dropped by the front group.
30km to go: The German rider Nils Politt, who already has a stage to his name, thinks about going long with a powerful attack. But it looks like he was bluffing a bit, if anything, just checking to see who might respond.
Updated
31km to go: Theuns, for Trek-Segafredo, puts in an impressive dig to close the gap to Laporte.
One of these teams in the final shake-up will be toasting stage success with a glass of champagne this evening - or perhaps a glass of the local Bordeaux.
Updated
32km to go: Laporte now has a bash for Cofidis off the front after that previous attack group of three riders was reeled in. He gets a little gap and looks impressively strong as he looks back to see if anyone is able to follow.
Updated
34km to go: The gap is 13’00” now, in view of the action at the front of the race.
35km to go: Gesbert has joined Bonnamour and Rutsch at the front. This group of three has a small gap.
All these riders are, quite naturally, completely knackered after nearly three weeks of hard racing. But who is going to have that extra little kick left in the tank to take the stage glory?
Updated
36km to go: Encore une fois for Bonnamour, who powers away from the lead group with Jonas Rutsch on his wheel.
The terrain is real one-day classics stuff now, rolling up and down, winding left and right, and it’s going to stay that way until the finish.
95km to go: Now the breakaway is splintering, I will remind you of the riders who are up there, now more than 12 minutes ahead of Pogacar and friends back down the road in the main bunch:
Jonas Rutsch and Michael Valgren (EF Education)
Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels-KTM)
Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert)
Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma)
Julien Bernard, Jasper Stuvyen, Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo)
Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Christophe Laporte (Cofidis)
Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Fenix)
Elie Gesbert (Arkéa-Samsic)
Casper Pedersen (DSM)
Brent Van Moer (Lotto Soudal)
Ion Izagirre (Astana)
Max Walscheid and Simon Clarke (Qhubeka-NextHash)
Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies)
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)
Updated
39km to go: Walscheid now has a crack. It’s going to be all-out attacking from here until the finish. Who will be the last man standing?
41km to go: Four riders had a little gap including Ballerini, Theuns and Turgis, but they have been reeled in. The escape group is back together as they make their way up a gentle ascent.
42km to go: The attacks at the front have begun. Ballerini is having a dart, along with one of the EF Education riders. The gap between break and peloton is a nice, comfy 11’24”.
Updated
46km to go: Following Wednesday’s stage 17, Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal) was riding back down the Col de Portet, when he saw a cyclo-tourist lose it on a corner and crash into a ravine. Gilbert, along with Chris Froome and Chris Juul-Jensen, stopped to help and to raise the alarm.
“I lost almost twenty minutes to help this man! We called for help because he was still badly messed up,” Gilbert told Belgian broadcaster RTBF, via cyclingnews.com.
48km to go: Following their earlier complaints on Twitter about teams blocking the road and stopping others attacking, Trek-Segafredo are feeling happier with life now they have three riders in the break, and a decent chance of a stage win.
#TDF2021 “You guys coming?” @Jasperstuyven
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) July 16, 2021
📸 A.S.O./Pauline Ballet pic.twitter.com/fqHCgqGcUl
50km to go: We’ve seen something of a ceasefire in that front group of 20 riders, as they work together to secure enough of a gap to battle for the stage win. They now have 10’33” on the peloton, so the question is, when are the attacks within the breakaway going to start?
Updated
55km to go: It’s hard to imagine how physically tired some of these riders must be, with over 3,000km already on the clock, and one of the most full-on Tours de France in memory. Some of them will be so grateful for what is now something of a ‘day off’ - if riding 207km can ever be thought of as such.
57km to go: The gap is teetering on the edge of 10 minutes now.
Some very decent scenery today, and of course a few chateaux along the route. Here’s a 10/10 example, the Château de Morlanne, courtesy of Felix Lowe on Twitter.
🏰Chateau!🏰
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) July 16, 2021
Oh my - talk about saving the best till the last... The Château de Morlanne ticks all the boxes for me: flag, tower, amazing views, pronounced crenellations, a wall you can walk around, courtyard, moats, a high keep, Canaletto on the walls. 10/10 #ChateauWatch pic.twitter.com/mlfI0ZyErE
Updated
60km to go: Wilco Kelderman, who is fifth on GC, has a few tears visible in his kit - he clearly hit the deck earlier today. He looks happy enough, however, and is chatting to his compatriot Wout Poels as they ride along in the bunch.
Updated
62km to go: There are a few little ups and downs coming up on the route. Teunissen, Ballerini Laporte and Stuyven are among the fastest riders in the break, with a view to a potential sprint finish. There will be others who will hope to attack on the little climbs, and try to shake off the fast men before the finish.
Updated
65km to go: Aaaaand it’s 8’00” for the break now. Today is not a Cavendish day. But Sunday, well, that’s another story.
68.5km to go: Now 7’08” for the break ...
73km to go: The gap is 5’50”. I’m going to make a cup of tea.
77km to go: The gap is up to 4’00”. Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar ride alongside each other, having a bit of a chuckle. They are already thinking about what’s for dinner.
The closest rider on GC in the break is Bonnamour, who is 1hr 18min down, so all the GC teams can relax, while the breakaway riders battle for glory up ahead.
Updated
80km to go: It looks like it’s game over for today. The peloton has sat up. It’s over 3’11” between break and peloton now. Cavendish, in his green skinsuit, is pictured laughing happily away in the peloton. I think he’s more than happy to have a ‘day off’ and target glory in Paris. UAE-Team Emirates are massed at the front of the peloton.
Updated
82km to go: The temperature is a pleasant 25C. The riders were expecting a constant headwind today, which would have made it harder for a smaller breakaway, but it won’t be such an issue for a 20-man break, which is a mini-peloton in itself.
The gap has flown out to 2’30”.
Of the riders in the break, Walscheid jumps out as someone with a fast sprint, who will be certainly be in the mix for the stage win if he can make it to the finish with the front group.
Updated
86km to go: Israel Start-Up Nation and Team BikeExchange riders are at the front of the chasing peloton. Both teams missed the break, and both have been tasked with bringing it back. But the gap is shooting up, to 1’43” now, which demonstrates the strength of the riders up front.
87km to go: Still flat-out racing at the front. The gap is up to 1’30”. It looks increasingly likely that today’s stage winner will come from this 20-man escape group.
90km to go: The gap continues to rise, it’s 1’10” now. Movistar Team and Israel Start-Up Nation are both teams with no rider in the break.
95km to go: The 20 riders in the break, who now have a minute advantage on the peloton: Jonas Rutsch and Michael Valgren (EF Education), Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels-KTM), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma), Julien Bernard, Jasper Stuvyen, Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick-Step), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Christophe Laporte (Cofidis), Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Fenix), Elie Gesbert (Arkéa-Samsic), Casper Pedersen (DSM), Brent Van Moer (Lotto Soudal), Ion Izagirre (Astana), Max Walscheid and Simon Clarke (Qhubeka-NextHash) Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious).
97km to go: The gap is out to 47”. It looks like the peloton aren’t going to work to close it, at least for the moment.
100km to go: The previous breakaway of six is now caught, so we have two groups on the road. There are 20 riders up front. The gap between break and peloton is 37”. These riders have already put in a big effort to make it to the front. Will any of them have the gas left in the tank to stay away from the chasing peloton? We will know in a couple of hours ...
Updated
102km to go: “It’d be great to see Cav win today of course, but it would be so much more romantic if he breaks the record on the Champs on Sunday, in green, led out by the rainbow jersey,” emails Robin Hazlehurst. “That could yet prove his last-ever grand tour stage, and some mic drop it would be. So maybe the cycling gods won’t want him winning today anyway.”
103km to go: The chase group is down to 14 riders and they continue to battle to make it up to the breakaway. They are 21” behind the front group. The yellow jersey group, containing Cavendish, is 1’03” behind the front of the race.
Updated
112km to go: The gap between break and chase group is now under a minute. But the peloton is riding hard behind, and they are only 22” behind the chase group. So it looks like it’s all going to come back together after all! Although with over 100km to race, there is plenty more action to come.
The peloton rides through a feed zone. Theuns grimaces with effort as he continues to power on at the front of the chase group. He doesn’t bother to take anything to eat. Is that going to cost some of these riders on such a long day?
Updated
116km to go: Jasper Stuyven is putting in a huge effort at the front of the 20-man chase group. The gap is 1’22” to the break. The yellow jersey group, including Pogacar and Cavendish, is about 30 seconds behind the chasers.
Updated
120km to go: The gap between the chase group and break appeared to be down to 1’20” but now the graphics have changed and it’s back out to 2’00”. Confusing. Anyway the good news for Cavendish is that the peloton is only 30 seconds behind the chase group. So perhaps this will come back together for a sprint after all?
Updated
126km to go: The good news: we are not going to have a boring day with a doomed break followed by a sprint.
The bad news: It is surely more unlikely now that Cavendish will win the stage, because a breakaway group of this size is going to be impossible to control.
The story of this day, I suspect, may come down to the fact that Cavendish is just exhausted after the mountains, and told his team there was no point working because he doesn’t have the legs to sprint.
But today and the time trial tomorrow could give him a chance to recharge the batteries for the Champs-Élysées.
Updated
128km to go: We have 20 riders in the chase group: Valverde, Izagirre Insausti, Stuyven, Fraile, Politt, Hundahl, Dillier, Gesbert, Van Moer, Turgis, Arcas, Teunissen, Garcia Cortina, Van Avermaet, Laporte, Gruzdev, Theuns, Ballerini, Pedersen, Walscheid.
Updated
130km to go: There is a huge chase group that has surged away from the main bunch. A lot of big names there - Valverde, Van Avermaet, Stuyven, Diller, Pollitt, Fraile. The gap to the break is coming in - it is now 2’46”. It looks like we are going to see plenty of action for the rest of the day, to say the least. The chase group already has a minute on the peloton!
Updated
133km to go: Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) has powered away from the peloton with Nils Pollitt (Bora-Hansgrohe). He flicks his elbow at the German, asking him to come through and do a turn.
The gap to the break is 3’10”.
135km to go: Team BikeExchange take to Twitter to celebrate Michael ‘Bling’ Matthews’ ‘victory’ at the day’s solitary intermediate sprint.
#TDF2021
— Team BikeExchange (@GreenEDGEteam) July 16, 2021
Some great teamwork sees @blingmatthews pick up the maximum remaining points at the intermediate sprint 👏 pic.twitter.com/QeLoYYTLuw
136km to go: The gap is down to 3’08” and there is lots and lots of attacking at the front of the bunch. It looks like a few riders have their sport directors in their ears, telling them to try and bridge across to the break - or bring it all back together and start again ...
140km to go: A teenager on a mountain bike, sporting some kind of inflatable green costume, is pictured alongside the peloton doing an impressively long wheelie.
142km to go: It’s very lively in the peloton now. Multiple attacks coming and the bunch is strung out. The gap has come down to 3’49”.
144km to go: A group of riders has clipped off the front of the bunch. Kwiatkowski (Ineos) is one of them. The gap is 4’02”.
Updated
149km to go: I quite agree with James Cavell’s point below about the big teams wanting an easy day today. Pogacar will say he was telling teams not to attack after that early crash because of the old gentleman’s code. But the truth is he and his team want a relatively easy, structured day rather than a draining plus-200km full-on fight.
What the precise strategy is for Deceuninck–Quick-Step, we don’t know, but it’s obvious they are happy for other teams to do the work at the moment. And why shouldn’t they be? With Alaphilippe’s victory on the first stage win plus four for Cavendish, they’re already had a fantastic Tour.
Updated
150km to go: Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) mops up nine points at the intermediate sprint by striking out from the front of the peloton. Colbrelli is next, then Luka Mezgec who was leading out Matthews is third. Cavendish, a couple of seconds behind, is fourth over the line from the chasing bunch.
Updated
151km to go: “This looks like one of those tedious situations where the big teams want an ‘easy’ predictable day that follows the script (long doomed breakaway then sprint finish) and are unhappy that smaller teams are not playing along,” emails James Cavell.
“I doubt that Alpecin and DSM are hitting the front with this intensity at this early stage to work for a sprint, more likely they failed to get a man in the break and got a bollocking. If they had gotten riders in the break then Deceuninck would have to reel it in and they could just scrap for Cavendish’s wheel. However, Cavendish aside, there is a complete absence of elite fast finishers in the race, so these teams might even be looking to get riders in a break and hope it sticks.”
152km to go: Zimmerman wins the intermediate sprint, beating Bonnamour to it.
The gap between break and peloton is 3’58”.
Updated
154km to go: Another rider in the break, Franck Bonnamour, has been very active in this Tour, often trying to get in breakaways and earn some valuable TV time for B&B Hotels. But he has never won a professional race.
Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) has won a stage at Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var but that is his only pro win. However, this is his seventh start at a grand tour, and he has completed all six so far, which is an impressive feat. He has done the Giro d’Italia twice, the Tour twice and the Vuelta twice.
Updated
161km to go: Given that the race has only just emerged from the mountains, it would be entirely understandable if Deceuninck–Quick-Step didn’t fancy working on the front the whole day today. Perhaps they already have one eye on Paris on Sunday? They will be confident of placing Cavendish in the right place for a sprint finish there. They are saying to the other sprint teams - Alpecin-Fenix and DSM - that if they want a sprint today, they are going to have to work for it.
Updated
163km to go: Now Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos) has ridden up alongside the Alpecin-Fenix men, seemingly remonstrating with them for going hard at the front. There are all sorts of discussions going on. Sean Kelly points on on Eurosport that they were already working at the front before that crash, and therefore they have a right to continue.
The gap is 3’47”.
166km to go: There are no pictures of that most recent crash, only the immediate aftermath, although again it occurred on a narrow country road, with the peloton unsuccessfully trying to squeeze itself through. However, it looks like no one has been seriously hurt, and I think everyone is back on their bikes. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious), the Italian national champion, goes back to his team car for a dash of magic spray.
Updated
167km to go: Another crash in the peloton! Sonny Colbrelli is one of the riders caught up in it. Cavendish seems to be safely through the danger.
169km to go: The Australian Simon Clarke, up in the breakaway, has previously won two stages at the Vuelta a España, in 2012 and 2018.
He was also the rider who gave his compatriot Richie Porte a wheel at the 2015 Giro d’Italia, despite them riding for different teams ...
170km to go: The peloton is motoring, at above 50km/h. The gap is down to 3’39”.
174km to go: It will be interesting to hear Pogacar’s post-stage thoughts on what unfolded following that early crash.
Meanwhile, Alpecin-Fenix have strung out the peloton with their efforts to control the gap to the breakaway. That gap has come down a bit to 3’58”. UAE-Team Emirates are the second team on the road.
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176km to go: Controversy! Trek-Segafredo have just tweeted: “We were looking forward to an exciting start to the stage, but a few teams decided to block the road to deter any more attacking.”
#TDF2021 We were looking forward to an exciting start to the stage, but a few teams decided to block the road to deter any more attacking 👍 pic.twitter.com/Pu3kg4YXen
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) July 16, 2021
177km to go: The gap is 4’17”.
Here’s footage of Cavendish and Merckx having a hug on the start line:
68 #TDF2021 stage victories right here 👇 pic.twitter.com/szcYHbWZ3D
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) July 16, 2021
180km to go: The pattern of the day’s stage has been set. The closest rider to Pogacar in GC, in the breakaway, is Bonnamour. But he is 1hr 18mins down on the Slovenian. So hardly anything to worry about for UAE-Team Emirates.
Nils Pollitt and Andre Greipel are pictured back in the peloton, having a laugh and a joke. Alpecin-Fenix have really taken up the chase at the front of the bunch.
Deceuninck–Quick-Step haven’t done any work yet, so I guess they are saying to the other teams - ‘It’s down to you to work if you want a sprint’.
185km to go: The gap rises again, to 4’00”. Alpecin-Fenix have taken up the chase at the front of the peloton. UAE-Team Emirates are massed at the front too.
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188km to go: The gap between break and peloton has extended to 3’25”.
It’s hard to imagine Cavendish’s team allowing them much more rope than this? Although of course there is a long way to go.
Sean Kelly, on Eurosport, thinks that early crash has made this stage much easier to control.
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190km to go: Here’s a shot of Pogacar moving up to have stern words with some of the riders trying to attack a few minutes ago, immediately after that crash.
What's Slovenian for 'le patron'? pic.twitter.com/iV652UU3Kz
— Edward Pickering (@EdwardPickering) July 16, 2021
192km to go: All is now calm in the peloton. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) is pictured back at his team car, but I think all the riders who were caught up in that crash are now back in touch with the main bunch.
Clearly the make-up of this six-man break is satisfactory for the teams back down the road, although perhaps Deceuninck–Quick-Step would have preferred a slightly smaller group, as six riders working together well could be a tough proposition to reel in.
“I’m looking forward to today’s stage more than any other, for the simple reason that part of it will go through Les Landes,” emails Dan Catton.
“I’ve holidayed there pretty much every year for the past 33 but haven’t visited since 2019 due to the pandemic, so footage from Hagetmau to Luxey will have to suffice for this year’s taste of la Forêt des Landes.”
The six-man break now has 1’22”, the riders in the break are:
Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM)
Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo)
Jonas Rutsch (EF Pro Cycling)
Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux)
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)
Simon Clarke (Qhubeka NextHash)
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198km to go: Pogacar, the yellow jersey, is really annoyed about something. Now he’s talking to Jasper Stuyven, one of the Trek-Segafredo riders. I can only assume Pogacar, as the yellow jersey, is saying that no one should have been attacking while there were others were trying to get back on to the peloton at the back of the field after that early crash.
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199km to go: Bonnamour, Bernard, Rutsch, Zimmerman and Mohoric and Clarke are the men in the break and they have 22”. Interestingly, Pogacar is having words with Michal Kwiatkowski of Ineos who is just off the front of the pack. I’m not sure if Pogacar is saying they should be waiting after the crash?
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200km to go: We now have a break of five up the road. The pace is hot. Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) is one of the riders in there. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) is trying to get across.
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201 km to go: Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) had attacked at the front but has now dropped back. Geraint Thomas (Ineos) and Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën Team) are among the riders trying to make it back into the peloton having been caught up in that crash.
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203km to go: Crash in the bunch! There is a big knot of riders in the middle of the road. A Lotto Soudal rider appeared to clip a Bora-Hansgrohe rider just ahead of him, veered off the side of the narrow road, on the left, then fell back on to the tarmac and that sparked a pile-up. Thankfully, the peloton wasn’t going all that fast and it looks like everyone is OK.
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The flag drops! We are off and racing. There is a flurry of attacking, which is quickly reeled in. Then De Gendt goes again and tries to get a gap. The road is undulating up and down and the sun is shining ...
Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) is pictured up behind the commissaire’s car as the flag is about to drop ...
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Cav and ‘The Cannibal’.
The neutralised roll-out has begun. Having exchanged pleasantries with Eddy Merckx, the man whose stage-wins record Cavendish is aiming for today, Cavendish is pictured rolling gently along at the front of the pack.
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The day’s solitary categorised climb, the Côte de Bareille, comes after just 12.1km.
The intermediate sprint is at Saint-Sever, after 54.1km, which comes at the top of a little uncategorised climb.
A bit of breaking news on abandonments: Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Miguel Àngel López (Astana) are non-starters today.
Cavendish and ‘The Cannibal’ himself, Eddy Merckx, are now pictured sharing an embrace and a few warm words at the start line. Lovely scenes.
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Cavendish speaks to Eurosport at the start line, on prospects for today’s stage: “Obviously we’d like a sprint ... but as you saw into Nîmes, you know, if a big group goes, with strong guys, it’s difficult to control.”
Cavendish is referring to Nils Politt’s breakaway win for Bora-Hansgrohe on stage 11:
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If you have any thoughts on today’s stage - which is a mere 20 or so minutes away now - you can email me or tweet @LukeMcLaughlin. Allez!
Is there a more photogenic sporting event than the Tour de France?
Here’s a gallery of fans and locals dotted along this year’s route:
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Today’s route features one category-four climb and one intermediate sprint.
Given the prize on offer for Cavendish today, it would be a surprise not to see that power-packed Deceuninck–Quick-Step team keep any breakaway on a tight leash before reeling them back in to set up a bunch finish in Libourne.
Preamble
When Mark Cavendish and four Deceuninck–Quick-Step teammates rode across the finish line at the ski resort of Luz Ardiden yesterday they were smiling, despite the fact they rolled in precisely 32min 06sec behind the Stage 18 winner and yellow jersey, Tadej Pogacar.
Cavendish’s only race yesterday was against the time limit, and with the help of his loyal teammates, it was mission accomplished: they made it home by around six minutes. The Manxman accordingly stays in the race until Paris, with two chances remaining to break Eddy Merckx’s all-time record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. The first of those is today’s largely flat, 207km trip from Mourenx to Libourne.
Cavendish has wisely tried to bat off recent media questions about the Merckx record, but his comment to teammates after his record-equalling 34th stage win on Stage 13 - “We made history” - showed he is only too aware of the opportunity he has to elevate himself above ‘The Cannibal’ Merckx in the Tour’s record books.
After Cavendish’s maiden Tour stage in Châteauroux in 2008, no one could have predicted the ‘fat banker’ (as he once referred to himself in a Guardian interview) would make it this far. Will he hold the record in just a few hours’ time, after 207km of racing? As this Tour de France has shown so far, it is unwise to bet against him.
Neutralised start: 11.20 UK / 12.20 CET
Race start: 11.30 UK / 12.30 CET
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