Tour de France - Escape artist upstairs: Bauhaus cheers for second place
Drawn by the Heat Battle, Phil Bauhaus rolled to the team bus, but he quickly lost his smile after his best performance at the Tour de France in Nimes. "I am happy," said the Bocholt native after his second place finish. At temperatures of 35 degrees, the 30-year-old could only be outdone by the Belgian Jasper Philipsen, who celebrated his third stage win. "Against Philipsen, there was nothing to do. He was much, much faster," Bauhaus said.
Pascal Ackermann, who had been third three times before, finished sixth in the hectic finale after a crash involving three-time stage winner Biniam Girmay. The German sprinters can be satisfied with their performance despite the lack of a win, as they will not get another chance before the end of the Tour in Nice. "Pascal did great, overall he was a bit better," Bauhaus said. "For me, it was solid. It was good that I now had a breakaway rider up there with me."
Disappointed Ackermann
Ackermann had planned to take the lead in the race. Accordingly, the disappointment of the chilled Pfalzer was great. "I was actually in a good position. I missed my chance to go to the front at some point," said the 30-year-old with a hoarse voice. "I didn't think I would start today. I had a cough. It's not Corona." In the coming days, he will fight for survival.
Among the top riders, there were no unexpected changes in the general classification. The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar successfully defended his Yellow Jersey, leading by 3:09 minutes over title defender Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark. Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel from Belgium is 5:19 minutes behind in third place.
Politt won in Nimes before
The Germans had the best memories of Nimes at the start. Three years ago, Nils Politt triumphed in the southern French city. However, the course layout was completely different then. In this year's race, there were no topographical challenges from the start, and the race was expected to end in a mass sprint.
The immense heat and the expected result kept the breakaway riders from trying their luck. The peloton remained calm and stayed below the slowest predicted pace for a long time. It wasn't until the Frenchman Thomas Gachignard attacked around 92 kilometers before the finish that the race picked up speed. However, Gachignard's attempt was doomed to fail, and the sprinter teams took control 25 kilometers before Nimes.
Fifth Corona Case
Mark Cavendish had to compete in the final without his lead-out man Michael Mørkøv. The Dane was the fifth professional to leave the Tour last week due to a positive Corona test. On Tuesday, the Belgian Maxim Van Gils gave up. Before him, the Tour had already ended for the Spaniard Juan Ayuso and the British Thomas Pidcock. Pidcock's teammate and former winner Geraint Thomas also tested positive but decided to stay due to barely noticeable symptoms. Corona tests are no longer required by the Tour organization. Cavendish claimed in an interview that he knew of several riders who were still in the race with a Corona infection.
Phil Bauhaus found solace in the Team Bus after his second place finish in Nimes, but the heat of the 'Battle of Heat' was still fresh in his mind. Despite being outshone by the swift Belgian Jasper Philipsen, Bauhaus expressed satisfaction with his performance. Pascal Ackermann, who had previously finished third on three occasions, ended up sixth in the hectic finale, slightly disappointed due to a missed opportunity and a chilled condition caused by a cough, not Coronavirus. Nils Politt, who had won in Nimes three years ago, was part of the calm peloton that kept pace with the predicted slowest speed until the Frenchman Thomas Gachignard's attempt to shake things up. The breakaway riders' attempts were in vain, and the sprint teams eventually took control, setting the stage for a mass sprint. Despite the calmness in the peloton, the Coronavirus continued to pose a threat, with Mark Cavendish's lead-out man Michael Mørkøv being the fifth professional to leave the Tour due to a positive test, joining the long list of absences that included Juan Ayuso, Thomas Pidcock, and Geraint Thomas, who chose to stay despite testing positive with barely noticeable symptoms.
