Another dominant display from Tadej Pogacar in the mountains has all but sealed the overall race - with the Slovenian 22-year-old mopping up the polka-dot and white jerseys for good measure. The GC battle may have been effectively over for a while, but there is plenty of intrigue left in the final three stages - especially for British fans, as they urge Mark Cavendish on to a historic 35th Tour stage win. I’ll be back tomorrow to see if he can pull it off. Bye for now.
Here’s Jeremy Whittle’s snap Stage 18 report, hot off the press:
“Tadej Pogacar ended any further debates over his Tour de France dominance with another summit finish victory in the Tour’s final mountain stage, to Luz Ardiden, in the French Pyrenees, 24 hours after winning on the Col du Portet.
As on stage 17, to the dizzying heights of the Portet, the denouement was between the trio vying for the Paris podium – Pogacar of the UAE Emirates team, Ineos Grenadiers’ leader, Richard Carapaz, and Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma. But as at the Col du Portet, Pogacar was too hot for his rivals to handle and he again accelerated clear to take his second mountain-top finish and his third stage of the race.”
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William Fotheringham’s pre-race preview for Stage 19 makes no mention of a certain Mark Cavendish. And why would it? The Manxman was drafted into the race at the last minute, and even then, the idea of him winning multiple stages was far-fetched. But here we are. Cavendish would break Eddy Merckx’s all-time record if he wins tomorrow - or, of course, in Paris on Sunday.
Stage 19, Friday 16 July, Mourenx – Libourne 207km
The sprinters will have been attempting to survive for the last few days, with this stage and Sunday’s run in to Paris in their minds. That’s enough incentive for most of them but the outcome of the stage may depend on how many of their teammates have got through the mountains as well. Five successive mountain stages may see off more of the domestiques than usual, and it might see off sprinters who really can’t climb like Kristoff or Ewan. So it’s a day for perhaps a rider like Matthews or Colbrelli, who will deal with the mountains better than most.
Pogacar in those polka-dots:
#TDF2021 A new edition to the collection.🔴⚪️#UAETeamEmirates #RideTogether pic.twitter.com/NX30eDWE62
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) July 15, 2021
Out stage 18 report is coming up shortly. Meanwhile, here is Jeremy Whittle’s story from earlier today about an investigation being opened into Bahrain Victorious, following last night’s police raid on the team hotel in Pau:
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It sounds like President Macron’s Tour de France trip to press the flesh isn’t quite going to plan:
Guillaume Martin doesn't even look at Macron. Talks to Prudhomme, who tries to include the President of the Republic in the conversation.
— Matt Rendell (@mrendell) July 15, 2021
Pog in yellow, polka-dots, and white:
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) July 15, 2021
Pogacar is only the fourth rider to win consecutive summit finishes at the Tour. Geraint Thomas is one of the others.
💛@TamauPogi averaged 22.4km/h in the final 5km of stage 18, and 23.7km/h in the final 3km, to become the 4th rider to dominate two consecutive summit finishes in @LeTour history ⛰️#TDF2021 #TDFdata pic.twitter.com/FjeNdGBQEr
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 15, 2021
Pogacar has the polka-dots wrapped up. He now has 107 points after taking double points atop Luz Ardiden, with Poels of Bahrain Victorious on 88, and Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma on 82.
Updated
Cavendish is now coming across the finish line! He comfortably makes the time cut to stay in the race, by about six minutes, and now has two more chances to win stages and break that record. Cavendish and his four Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammates are all smiling as they make it home safely - mission accomplished.
Updated
Top 10 in GC after Stage 18:
- Tadej Pogacar 75hr 00min 02sec
- Jonas Vingegaard +5min 45sec
- Richard Carapaz +5min 51sec
- Ben O’Connor +8min 18sec
- Wilco Kelderman +8min 50sec
- Enric Mas +10min 11sec
- Alexey Lutsenko +11min 22sec
- Guillaume Martin +12min 46sec
- Pello Bilbao +13min 48sec
- Rigoberto Uran +16min 25sec
The French president Emmanuel Macron is at the stage finish, trying to get a photo with the world champion Julian Alaphilippe.
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Wout van Aert speaks to Eurosport: “Until 5km to go we had 75% of the team [three riders, that is] in the first group ... we hoped to go again for the stage today ... in the end, Vingegaard got beaten by Pogacar who was probably stronger ...”
Halfway through the interview, Vingegaard comes and embraces Van Aert, and thanks him for his efforts in helping the Danish rider stay on course for the podium.
Van Aert goes on: “It’s special to see how Vingegaard is handling the pressure. It’s really deserved. The special thing about it is that he didn’t expect to be in the GC race.”
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Pogacar’s post-stage interview is here:
🎙 @TamauPogi
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
Hear from the Yellow Jersey himself after his stage win at Luz Ardiden 🏅#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/ITz117IV7q
The top 10 on Stage 18:
1 Pogacar 3hr 33min 45sec
2 Vingegaard +2”
3 Carapaz +2”
4 Mas +13”
5 Martin +24”
6 Kuss +30”
7 Higuita +33”
8 O’Connor +34”
9 Kelderman +34”
10 Valverde +40”
#TDF2021 - Stage 18 - Top 10 pic.twitter.com/dRqzgmUnXI
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) July 15, 2021
Vingegaard speaks to ITV: “I was not feeling super-great, but I was sure that it was just a mental fight ... I was sure if I could suffer a lot, I would still be with the best guys ... we are not in Paris yet, but it looks really good now [for him to finish on the podium].
There are still 25 minutes to go until the time cut.
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Pogacar speaks: “It’s unbelievable ... after yesterday, today, I don’t know - I felt good and I’m really happy with the win ... it’s crazy. It’s a game for me, of course, it’s been a game since I started [cycling] and I’m enjoying playing it, yeah, I’m super happy ... maybe 50 per cent chance [of winning the Tour] it’s still three days, but it looks good ... It was super hard ... I just tried to forget about everything and focus.”
Is he worried about Vingegaard before the TT on Saturday? “Why should I be worried? ... Sometimes you can have a really bad day on a TT ... let’s hope it’s not a repeat [of what he did to Roglic last year].”
Updated
Pogacar enjoys a can of drink and shakes hands with Kuss and Vingegaard. Quintana, who was hoping for more today, rolls in six minutes down on the winner.
It was double points at the top of Luz Ardiden in the KOM competition, so Pogacar assumes the lead in the polka-dot race. Poels, who is currently wearing the jersey, is just rolling in now.
Pogacar just needs to stay upright for stages 19, 20 and 21, and he will be crowned Tour de France champion for the second year in a row.
Updated
Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France Stage 18!
The defending champion claims a second stage win in as many days! That was total dominance. Enric Mas tried to burst away for Movistar Team with 700m to race, but Pogacar covered the move, and sprinted away up the final slope to take the glory. It never really looked in doubt.
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700m to go: Mas attacks for Movistar! He has a gap!
1km to go: The final kilometre of pure climbing on the Tour. Mas leads the way for Movistar at the moment. But Pogacar, looking supremely relaxed, moves ahead again.
1.5km to go: Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) has attacked from the group behind and is trying to catch the leaders!
2.2km to go: Apparently Pogacar’s parents are waiting at the top of Luz Ardiden, to cheer their son home. Extra motivation.
3km to go: Carapaz, Kuss, Vingegaard and Mas and the other riders in the group with Pogacar - we are down to five. Kuss is riding on the front. The fans shout manically and wave their flags as the riders rumble past.
Updated
3.5km to go: “Re: yesterday & Carapaz. Personally, I don’t see the problem,” emails Jonathan Taylor “A.) Valid tactic. B.) Did Pog do any different last year. He just sat on the Jumbo-Visma wheels for the entire trip. As they say whats good for the goose ...”
Pogacar attacks at the front!
Updated
4km to go: It’s 18’30” for the Cavendish group now, but they should still be fine for the time cutoff, unless the Manxman completely blows up on this final climb.
4.5km to go: Majka powers on up the climb, dancing on the pedals, with his Slovenian teammate right on his wheel. Third wheel in the group is Castroviejo of Ineos Grenadiers, and he looks like he’s really suffering with this pace.
Updated
5.5km to go: Geoghegan Hart now drops off the front. The Polish rider, Rafal Majka of UAE Team Emirates, takes it up at the head of the race with Pogacar on his wheel.
Surely, if Pogacar wants another stage win, it’s in the bag for him now. He looks fresh as a daisy.
Updated
6km to go: After the tomfoolery of yesterday, when Carapaz did no work to help Vingegaard and Pogacar on the final climb, will Pogacar be all the more motivated to deny him a stage win if he can?
Updated
6.5km to go: Cavendish and his buddies are 16’13” behind the front of the race. So if 37mins is the approximate time cutoff, they should be fine.
Poels, apparently, was immediately dropped again having managed to make it back into the lead group.
We’re treated to some picturesque helicopter shots from a distance as the riders snake up the climb. Lutsenko, of Astana, is dropped.
Updated
7.5km to go: This is all going to kick off in a major way pretty soon. Near the front of the bunch, Pogacar stands up on his pedals, moving with that apparently effortless cadence up the mountain. Will he take a second stage win in two days?
Poels has managed to make some ground up - and has nearly found his way back to the lead group. Geoghegan Hart is visibly suffering.
Updated
9km to go: Tao Geoghegan Hart takes it up at the front for the Ineos Grenadiers. His jersey is wide open as he tries to keep cool on this sweaty climb. Jonathan Castroviejo, sitting on his wheel, looks comfortable and ready to put in a big dig of his own.
Poels is dropped by the front group - which only increases the chances of Pogacar claiming the KOM jersey in Paris.
Updated
9.5km to go: Kwiatkowski hunts down Gaudu, whose hopes of the stage win are over. Ineos Grenadiers pump past him.
9.5km to go: It looks unlikely ...
@LukeMcLaughlin this is it! Gaudu, the nouveau-Pinot, is going to Get A Stomp On and smash this!!!!!
— MaliciousA (@MaliciousA) July 15, 2021
10km to go: Gaudu fights on. Back down the road, Wout Poels looks to be in trouble and is starting to labour, having looked so sprightly on the Tourmalet.
The noise of the crowd is cranking up, with hundreds of fans lining the road on each side.
11km to go: GC hopefuls such as Mas, Kelderman, O’Connor and Lutsenko are all present and correct in the group of 41 riders which is closing in on Gaudu.
The Frenchman is fighting with everything he’s got, and trying to stay away. Van Baarle is spent - he gives way to Michal Kwiatkowski now at the front of the race.
11.5km to go: Van Baarle has produced a massively powerful ride today, and he is still working on the front for Ineos Grenadiers. The gap to Gaudu falls to 12”. He will be caught soon.
12.5km to go: Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) is going for broke, but his lead is only 20”, and Ineos Grenadiers are continuing to work, trying to set up Richard Carapaz for the stage win.
It’s been a valiant effort by the Frenchman, Gaudu, to get away but it looks like his hopes will be over soon enough.
Updated
15km to go: The final major climb of the 2021 Tour de France - Luz Ardiden - is 13.4km long with an average gradient of 7.4%.
There are 42 riders in the front group, many of whom will have designs on the stage win.
Updated
19km to go: Gaudu is on the valley floor. He’s more than 15 mins ahead of Cavendish, the green jersey, but 46” ahead of the chasing group.
The peloton has split behind - Pogacar is safely in the front group - along with Vingegaard and Carapaz.
Updated
22km to go: It’s clear that Gaudu knows this descent off the Tourmalet incredibly well. There’s simply no way he could be riding at this pace if he didn’t.
David Gaudu knows these roads like the back of his hands, the Tourmalet was one of the first mountains he conquered as a youngster. This is his day, and he's going for it.
— Will Newton (@InsidePeloton96) July 15, 2021
Allez David! 🇫🇷 #TDF2021
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25km to go: The Cavendish group - which is the green jersey, and now four teammates - are still climbing the Tourmalet. They are nearly 14 minutes behind the front of the race.
The estimated time cutoff is around 37 minutes.
Updated
27km to go: Gaudu going for it.
🇫🇷 @DavidGaudu has built a lead in the descent!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
À l'aise dans la descente du Tourmalet, 🇫🇷 @DavidGaudu a distancé ses compagnons d'échappée. #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/mZPvtBMD7b
28km to go: Gaudu is absolutely flying down this mountain and is nearly 40 seconds ahead of Latour now. He looks incredibly fluent and confident as he tears around the corners and pedals as hard as possible on the flatter sections. He is going for this.
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30km to go: Media jokes about newspapers abound on Twitter:
Print is dead, they said. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/6REAeoRE0t
— daniel mcmahon (@cyclingreporter) July 15, 2021
32km to go: “Great to see Pierre Latour take the newspaper offered by the fan to keep the wind off on the descent,” writes in Paul Graham.
On the descent, Gaudu is smashing it down the mountain, and has dropped Latour. Could this be a stage-winning move? He has fashioned a decent advantage.
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35.5km to go: Latour is first over the summit of the Col du Tourmalet, and claims the ‘Souvenir Jacques Godet’, while Poels attacks Woods a little further down the mountain as he aims to extend his lead in the king of the mountains classification.
Updated
36km to go: Latour and Gaudu are together at the front. Latour, in old-school fashion, stuffs a newspaper down his jersey in preparation for the imminent descent. The road is lined with fans who are all baying with excitement.
36.5km to go: Wout Poels and Michael Woods attack off the front of the bunch! They are hunting KOM points. Woods is trying his best to drop Poels, but the Dutchman is stuck to his wheel like glue.
Updated
37km to go: The moment that Uran was dropped:
🇨🇴 @UranRigoberto, 4th in the GC is dropped!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
🇨🇴 Rigoberto Uran, 4ème au classement général est distancé !#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/5hwcJC4xJk
37km to go: David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Ruben Guerreiro (EF Pro Cycling) and and Pierre Latour (Total Energies) are now out front on their own. Gaudu has a drink and something to eat, without easing up on the fearsome pace that is being set towards the top. It’s under two kilometres to the summit now.
38km to go: Alaphilippe has dropped out of the front group. Geraint Thomas has been dropped from the bunch - and so has Rigoberto Uran, of EF Pro Cycling! He shakes his head as his GC ambitions appear to go up in smoke.
39km to go: UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers are massed at the front of the bunch. As the riders go up the mountain, there are hundreds of spectators, roaring the riders on to the top of the ascent.
“It does help to just dig that bit deeper, and try and stay in the group you are in,” says Sean Kelly on Eurosport, of the fans urging the riders on.
Updated
40km to go: Gaudu, who is clearly up for the stage win, clips off the front of the attackers. Alaphilippe and Guerreiro follow him. The gap moves out to 41” between the front of the race and the Ineos Grenadiers chasers.
Still more than four kilometres to the top of the Tourmalet.
Updated
41.5km to go: Mohoric and Alaphilippe are caught! So we have a group of nine at the front. Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) is putting in a massive dig for Ineos Grenadiers at the front of the peloton. Richie Porte has been dropped. The riders are heading into the clouds at the top of the mountain as the altitude continues to climb.
Ineos have brought the gap between peloton and break down to just 22”.
Updated
42km to go: The riders at the front of the race (Alaphilippe and Mohoric) are 6.5km from the top of the Tourmalet. A chase group of seven riders has now formed behind: Elissonde, Madouas, Latour, Fraile, Gaudu, Guerreiro, Izaguirre Insausti.
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44km to go: Ineos Grenadiers have now taken it up at the front of the bunch. The attackers Lopez and Quintana are working together up ahead, while Ellisonde has attacked from the elite group of French climbers. Up at the front, Alaphilippe and Mohoric continue to power up the climb. The situation is fluid to say the least. It definitely looks like it’s going to be another GC day, though, and the gaps are not big enough for the break to stay away right now.
Updated
44.5km to go:
Front of the race: Alaphilippe and Mohoric (1’16 ahead of peloton)
Chase group: Ellisonde, Madouas, Rolland, Latour
Second chase group: Lopez, Gaudu, and others ...
Updated
45km to go: “Superman” Miguel Ángel López has launched himself off the front of the bunch. So counting the Cavendish group at the back, there are five ‘groups’ on the road.
Updated
47km to go: We now have a four-man group of attackers off the front of the peloton. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Ellisonde, Rolland and Latour.
UAE Team Emirates are suddenly massed at the front of the bunch, working to control the gap to the break for their team and race leader, Tadej Pogacar.
Updated
48km to go: Pierre Rolland has won two stages and a Giro stage in his career. His Tour stage wins came in 2011 and 2012, so he’s been around the block a few times. Having met Rolland in person in my days working in pro cycling, I can reveal that he isn’t nearly as tall as he looks. He’s probably slightly above average height for a climber, but still well below 6ft.
51km to go: The Tourmalet is 17km in length, with an average gradient of 7.4%.
Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Kenny Ellisonde (Trek-Segafredo) have struck out from the peloton and are trying to make it up front. Rolland is alone, second on the road, behind our leaders Alaphilippe and Mohoric.
Further down the road, Cavendish and three of his teammates have dropped off the back of the main bunch. Devenyns, Morkov and Declercq are the men with him.
Macron is now pictured in one of the race vehicles, waving to the TV cameras.
Updated
53km to go: The break has split up. Mohoric and Alaphilippe are alone together at the front and the have a gap of 1’20” on the peloton. Rolland and Juul-Jensen are behind. The earlier breakaway riders, Perichon and Bennett are back in the main bunch.
And here we go! The front of the race has hit the lower slopes of the Col du Tourmalet.
Updated
54km to go: President Macron is at the Tour de France today.
“He loves the Tourmalet where he spent his childhood holidays,” observes the official race website.
The locals have presented him with a beret, which he will no doubt treasure:
Updated
56km to go: Jasper Stuyven, Edward Theuns and Kenny Elissonde were the Trek-Segafredo riders hammering away at the front of the bunch, but they now appear to have eased off. Pierre Rolland and Juul-Jensen are now together and trying to bridge to the four-man breakaway. Juul-Jensen is certainly in the thick of things today, anyway.
Updated
59km to go: “A tactical disasterclass,” says Alexandre Mignot, of the efforts of Team BikeExchange and Bahrain Victorious so far today:
Nice novelty on the #TDF2021 in stage 18:
— Alexandre Mignot (@AlexandreMignot) July 15, 2021
The tactical disasterclass challenge.
Hard to say who did best though.
Updated
60km to go: Intermediate sprint result at Pouzac (km 62.7) - BikeExchange tried to set that up for Matthews, but in the end, their man Matthews lost a point to Cavendish:
1. Julian Alaphilippe, 20 pts
2. Mohoric, 17 pts
3. Périchon, 15 pts
4. Bennett, 13 pts
At 1’15’’:
5. Cavendish, 11 pts
6. Morkov, 10 pts
7. Matthews, 9 pts
8. Mezgec, 8 pts
9. Colbrelli, 7 pts
10. Philipsen, 6 pts
11. De Gendt, 5 pts
12. Asgreen, 4 pts
13. Rolland, 3 pts
14. Fraile, 2 pts
15. Skujins, 1 pt
62km to go: Now, Trek-Segafredo have taken it up at the front and the gap to the break has come in quickly, to 33”.
63km to go: A video clip of that intermediate sprint, from Le Tour Twitter:
Cavendish and Mørkøv win the sprint from the peloton, Matthews also picks up points 🟢#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/c4zWZSfQTN
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 15, 2021
Updated
66km to go: The break, now reduced to four men, goes through the sprint point at Pouzac. It is uncontested. When the peloton comes through, Cavendish gets a lead-out from Michael Morkov, sprints for the line and beats Matthews to it. The work that Team BikeExchange previously put in was for nothing.
Updated
Peter Kennaugh, on commentary for ITV, gives his thoughts on the police raid: “They’re paying the price for the sport that we once knew ... it’s going to take years before it doesn’t happen anymore ... I don’t like to be cynical and expect the worst from riders and teams. Where’s the evidence for the warrant to search the hotel? If it’s just on a whim, or a tip-off, I really don’t think it’s fair.”
69km to go: Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) speaks to ITV about last night’s police raid in Pau: “It’s something sad, to live a situation like this ... cycling is still in this strange situation ... it’s for sure changed, but we still need to show [we are clean] ... we don’t have anything to hide. I hope for young guys who come into cycling, they find a more nice cycling. They don’t need to live situations like we lived yesterday. We are in peace.”
74km to go: Chris Juul-Jensen (Team BikeExchange) has dropped out of the break so we now have four men up front. Alaphilippe takes the single KOM point at the top of the climb.
Juul-Jensen has obviously been told to wait for his teammates, and he literally stops at the side of the road at the top of the climb, rather than just sitting up and soft pedalling.
Updated
75km to go: The race is on the second climb, the Côte de Loucrup. Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange) has split the bunch with a huge attack, trying to set Michael Matthews up for the intermediate sprint, which is 10km after the climb.
77km to go: People are wondering why, with a rider in the break, Bahrain Victorious are riding so hard on the front. It must be to set Poels up for KOM points. If anyone has other ideas, do let me know.
I am no expert but why is Bahrain leading the peloton with one of their own in the breakaway?
— José Been (@TourDeJose) July 15, 2021
Polka dot fever? #TDF2021
81km to go: The second climb of the day, the Côte de Loucrup, is fast approaching. Soon after that is the intermediate sprint, at Pouzac. The gap to the break is 1’35” - and Alaphilippe and Perichon have now successfully made it to the front, to form a five-man break.
Breakaway:
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)
Chris Juul-Jensen (Team BikeExchange)
Sean Bennett (Team Qhubeka NextHash)
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck–Quick-Step)
Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis)
Updated
85km to go: A few minutes ago, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) was off the back of the bunch with a mechanical, but he is back in touch now. Teammates Marco Haller and Fred Wright are working on the front to control the gap to the break.
Updated
87km to go: A Bahrain Victorious staff member, whose name I didn’t catch, speaks to Eurosport about the raid last night: “We were greeted by the police in the hotel ... they wanted to do an inspection ... they provided a warrant, which we didn’t actually get to see ... we’re waiting for more information. The team was fully co-operative ... it’s not ideal timing ... but it is what it is. The team are always happy to comply with the rules and regulations that come our way ... it’s always a little bit upsetting, but our riders are super-positive, and they’ve done a great job so far.”
Updated
90km to go: The three riders at the front: Mohoric, Juul-Jensen and Bennett - power on up front, now with a gap of 1’42” to the bunch.
Breakaway riders:
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)
Chris Juul-Jensen (Team BikeExchange)
Sean Bennett (Team Qhubeka NextHash)
Updated
94km to go: “The classic explanation of the categories is that it relates to which gear the 2CV should be in to climb it, and hors cat means ‘not getting up there mate’,” writes Robin Hazelhurst. “I think though it is something more mundane like they never used to go up the big monsters, and when they did the 1-4 categories were already in use so they just created an extra category that is beyond 1.”
Now, on the road, Bahrain Victorious are riding on the front of the peloton. It looks like they are riding for Poels, to set him up to take the points (or at least some points) on the Col du Tourmalet. The gap to the break is growing, it’s 1’42” now.
Updated
Prosecutors open investigation into doping allegations against Bahrain Victorious
Jeremy Whittle reports from France on the developing situation with Bahrain Victorious and last night’s police raid in Pau:
Updated
99km to go: Mohoric, in the break, has already won a stage at this Tour - stage seven - and he’s also won stages at the Giro and Vuelta.
The fast and furious start continues: the break is 1’27” ahead, with Mohoric powering away at the front and trying to maintain their advantage over the pack.
Updated
104km to go: Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) spoke to ITV before today’s stage: “It still makes Paris seem a long way off ... it’s only a short stage today ... but it’s definitely one of the hardest to make the time cut, today. We’ll have to go full gas.”
Asked about tackling the Tourmalet again: “It is what it is ... What I know is ... the group of lads make a bubble around me, and it gets me through. It that doesn’t help me through nothing else can.”
The gap has grown to 1’05” now. Alaphilippe and Perichon are struggling to make inroads as they try to bridge across.
Updated
109km to go: The gap to the three-man break is 52” so it’s gone out again. Alaphilippe and Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis) are between the break and peloton, trying to get across together, 29” behind.
109km to go: “Looking forward to today’s stage – should be fun,” writes Mark Seddon. “I’m quite amused at the pearl-clutching reaction to Carapaz’s bluffing/theatrics/wheel-sucking (delete as appropriate), as if it never happened in the good old days. If Pogacar and Vingegaard didn’t like it they could have soft pedalled for a bit to see if he would have taken it up to keep the gap to Uran. People also seem to have forgotten that it was Carapaz who was trying to animate the race in the Alps.”
110km to go: “Always puzzled me this hors catégorie malarky,” emails James Davison. “Reminds me of the Spinal Tap scene with the amp going up to 11. Why not make the hors catégorie climbs cat ones? All a bit daft, but I guess one of cycling’s charms is its quirks.”
*pauses*
These go up to 11.
Updated
115km to go: Juul-Jensen was first over the climb, and takes one KOM point.
🇩🇰 @JensenJuul is the first at the Côte de Notre-Dame Summit and takes 1 point.#TDF2021 https://t.co/6ZthMr3Pjf
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
118km to go: A crash in the bunch. Several riders go down, including Henao (Qhubeka NextHash) and Pacher (B&B Hotels). Thankfully, it doesn’t look too serious.
The gap is 32” between the three-man break and peloton. And it’s falling. This looks likely to come back together, and the scrap for the break will start all over again.
Updated
120km to go: The race has hit the Côte de Notre-Dame de Piétat, the first climb of the day, a category-four. Alaphilippe, in the world champion’s jersey, is about 15 seconds ahead of the bunch as he tries to bridge to the group of three up front.
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121km to go: The gap to the break is back down to around 40secs. Julian Alaphilippe is now trying to bridge across!
Meanwhile, here’s a shot of Mark Cavendish waving for the cameras at the start:
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125km to go: The three man break, who have about 50 seconds on the peloton, is:
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)
Chris Juul-Jensen (Team BikeExchange)
Sean Bennett (Team Qhubeka NextHash)
The rider from B&B Hotels p/b KTM, Franck Bonnamour, has been swept up by the peloton - but he is determined to get in today’s break, and he attacks off the front of the bunch again. He is joined in a little chase group by a Movistar rider and a Cofidis rider.
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126km to go: It was quite surprising how easily that break got away. It looked like Cavendish and Deceuninck-Quick-Step indulged in a bit of blocking the road to try and prevent a big break getting away. At the front of the bunch, Wout Poels is pictured, and now there are three Astana-Premier Tech riders trying to close the gap down. There will be a few sporting directors in the cars who are unhappy that they’ve missed this break.
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130km to go: The flag drops and three riders have attacked ... and they’ve got a big gap already! Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Chris Juul-Jensen (Team BikeExchange) and Sean Bennett (Team Qhubeka NextHash) are out front and they have a minute advantage. A rider from B&B Hotels is trying to bridge across.
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The riders are 1km from the official start now ... there are lots of riders very closely bunched behind the team car and it looks like it’s going to be a very lively start.
Anthony Perez’s pain face:
Merci à tous! La magie du @LeTour 💛 un 14 juillet 🤩 📸@PaulineBallet pic.twitter.com/ZHEDZJUrS1
— Perez Anthony (@PerezAnthony1) July 14, 2021
Mark Cavendish, resplendent in green. We can be sure he won’t be breaking Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France stage wins today. Tomorrow (and indeed Sunday) will be another story.
🚩 We're off from @Ville_Pau!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
🚩 Le départ fictif est donné depuis @Ville_Pau ! #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/q6DOcC5vxK
The riders are on the road for the neutralised roll-out. Those tired, aching limbs in the peloton are gently warming up for another intensely demanding day in the mountains.
Quoted yesterday, the French climber David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) said he wants to ‘pour kerosene on the road’ in the final week. Not literally.
David Gaudu : "Après avoir bien récupéré à la journée de repos, je me suis réveillé mardi en me disant : "Allez gamin, y a trois jours là, tu mets du kérosène sur la route et à la fin on verra, tu vas rien lâcher pendant trois jours."" pic.twitter.com/zwm2e6IFtt
— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) July 14, 2021
Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) speaks to Eurosport on his hopes for the KOM battle today: “Forty [points] at the end would be amazing, but for me it’s important to get the points at the Tourmalet, and then see what I can do in the final ... hopefully Pogacar doesn’t want to win ... I think for sure, for him, GC is the most important one, but I don’t know what they want. So I don’t know ... it’s a super-nice jersey, so if I was him, I’d go for it.”
Asked about the possibility that the KOM battle could come down to Sunday’s final stage, and the solitary category-four climb on that day’s route, he jokes: “For the race it would be amazing, but for my health, it would be better if I know today.”
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On Eurosport, Bradley Wiggins reckons the final climb will see another battle between the GC men, rather than a group of breakaway riders.
The Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) was the only rider to abandon yesterday. He climbed off his bike after 30km, leaving the team with just four riders remaining in the race: Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss, Mike Teunissen and second-placed Jonas Vingegaard.
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Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) is up for it.
🎙🇫🇷 @QuentinPacher
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 15, 2021
"Today, everything concerning climbing is at the final. We are going to put everything we have left into the final."#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/IWRWfFEQWZ
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I get the feeling that the start today is going to be full-on. There will be plenty of riders hoping to get in a breakaway - added to which the sprint point at 62km brings a bit of added spice. Certain riders will have taken it relatively easy yesterday with a view to going full-gas today. We will find out who soon enough ... the official roll-out is 12.35pm UK time.
Gladiators ... ready!
Riders ready ✅
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) July 15, 2021
Bikes ready ✅
Carers ready ✅
Looks like it's time for stage 18 #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/YZJpvmtjmT
Julien Prétot, of Reuters, reports that a preliminary investigation has been launched following the raid on Bahrain Victorious’s team hotel:
French prosecutor opens preliminary investigation into doping allegations at Bahrain Victorious #TDF2021
— Julien Prétot (@julienpretotRTR) July 15, 2021
Pogacar mopped up 40 points in the KOM classification yesterday by winning the stage, and now looks well placed to win the jersey - but as Edward Pickering pointed out on Twitter, one of the other contenders needs to get in the break today - and help it to stay away until the finish. If not, Pogacar is likely to win the jersey by being at the front of the race at the finish later today:
Poels, Quintana and Woods have spent well over a week squeezing out KoM points and it's been a great and close battle. So having 40 points on one finish (and the same tomorrow) has totally unbalanced the whole thing.
— Edward Pickering (@EdwardPickering) July 14, 2021
It's 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-2 over the Tourmalet and 40-30-24-20-16-12-8-4 at Luz Ardiden. One of the above *have* to be in the break and then it has to stay away to the finish, otherwise Pogacar probably wins it.
— Edward Pickering (@EdwardPickering) July 14, 2021
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The top five in the king of the mountains race:
1. Wout Poels 78pts
2. Tadej Pogacar 67pts
3. Nairo Quintana 66pts
4. Michael Woods 66pts
5. Wout van Aert 64pts
As of this morning, the top 10 in general classification looks like this:
- Tadej Pogacar 71hr 26min 27sec
- Jonas Vingegaard +5min 39sec
- Richard Carapaz +5min 43sec
- Rigoberto Uran +7min 17sec
- Ben O’Connor +7min 34sec
- Wilco Kelderman +8min 6sec
- Enric Mas +9min 48sec
- Alexey Lutsenko +10min 04sec
- Guillaume Martin +11min 51sec
- Pello Bilbao +12min 53sec
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Police search Bahrain Victorious hotel and team bus
Full statement here, from Bahrain Victorious, following the police raid on their team hotel:
“On the eve of Stage 18 of Tour de France, Team Bahrain Victorious were subject to an investigation by French Police. The team were monitored by a number of officers following their arrival after stage 17 to the team hotel in Pau.
“The investigation involved a search of riders’ rooms as part of the process. Despite being unaware of the investigation reasons, the team was also requested to provide all training files which were compiled and presented to the officers as requested.
“Vladimir Miholjević commented: “Following stage 17, we were greeted by several French police officers. We were not given a warrant to read through, but the team complied with all the officers’ requests.
“We are committed to highest level of professionalism and adherence to all regulatory requirements and will always be cooperating in a professional manner. The process had impacted our riders recovery and meal planning and as a professional team, the well being of our team is a key priority.”
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Here’s an assessment of today’s Stage 18, route from William Fotheringham:
“Shorter and more straightforward than the previous day; the Col du Tourmalet is arguably the most iconic climb in the Pyrenees and Luz Ardiden one of the classic finishes. There is always room for a surprise attack but on paper, this stage should replicate the verdict of the previous day as it will favour exactly the same kind of rider. Again there should be a massive early escape involving climbers who are out of contention overall, but the brevity of the stage means they are liable to be scooped up late on leaving the stage win for whoever is in the yellow jersey.”
Preamble
Today’s 130km route from Pau to Luz Ardiden is relatively short and razor-sharp, with two ‘hors catégorie’ ascents on the way. Simply put, this means they are climbs of such punishing difficulty, they defy categorisation via the normal system. First is the famous Col du Tourmalet, peaking at an eye-watering 2,115m after 94.1km of racing, before the final strength-sapping climb to the summit finish at Luz Ardiden (1,715m).
Yesterday’s gruelling mountain stage represented one of the final chances for Tadej Pogacar’s rivals to exert pressure on the young defending champion. Not only did the UAE-Team Emirates leader Pogacar stay with Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on possibly the toughest route of the whole Tour - he attacked them on the final steep ramp to the finish atop the Col de Portet, won the stage, hoovered up a ton of king of the mountains points, and all but ended any doubt over who will wear yellow in Paris.
This being the Tour de France, however, there are always plenty of gripping stories to focus on. Teams such as Ineos Grenadiers will be desperate for a first stage victory as the days until Paris steadily disappear. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic) and Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) will be gunning for polka-dot jersey points. Green jersey rivals Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck–Quick-Step), Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) will all have designs on the intermediate sprint at Pouzac, which comes after 62.7km, so that may see a flat-out start to the stage.
Pau is a long-standing Tour de France staging post and this morning brought news of another traditional staple: a police raid on a team hotel. The team in question was Bahrain Victorious, who said the raid was ‘nothing special’, and that the team will be on the start line today as usual. There is always a story somewhere at the Tour de France, and it promises to be another fascinating day. Allez!
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