Tour de France - Only 'test the legs': Pogacan with mini power demonstration
Before reaching the goal in the winter sports resort of Superdévoluy, Rad-superstar Tadej Pogacar added another narrow defeat to his rival Jonas Vingegaard during the 111th Tour de France. It was only two seconds after the sprint duel, but the message to the Danish title defender was clear: You won't pass me. It was a mini power demonstration before the upcoming hard mountain stages.
"With my attack, I put some time between me and Jonas," said Pogacar after the 17th stage on a Wednesday. He had just wanted to test his legs on the Col du Noyer instinctively. He wanted to find out if they were still good for the third week.
The favorites for the overall win didn't take a break even on the easiest of the last four Alpine stages. Pogacar, who had won most of the duels with Vingegaard so far, had attacked his opponent on the most difficult ascent. However, the 27-year-old was able to parry the attack initially. Then, Pogacar sprinted away from Vingegaard just before the finish line.
Exceptional rider Pogacar continues to lead comfortably with a 3:11-minute advantage over Vingegaard. The 25-year-old has good chances of winning the race in Nizza on Sunday. The Belgian time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel finished ahead of the other favorites and made some good time. He is 5:09 minutes behind Pogacar in third place.
Carapaz wins Stage 17
Carapaz secured the solo victory on the 177.8-kilometer stretch between Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux and the winter sports resort of Superdévoluy. The remaining seven German riders played no role among the leading riders. "It's very special for me," said the relieved Carapaz.
This is his first Tour de France stage win of his career. He has only managed stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España so far. In 2019, he even won the Giro. The climbing specialist was particularly pleased about this, as the winner of the gold medal from Tokyo (2021) was not nominated by his national team for the upcoming Paris Games. Jhonatan Narvaez will participate instead.
Phil Bauhaus did not experience the day's victory of Carapaz as part of the peloton. The cyclist said a day after his second place in Nîmes Au Revoir. Like last year, the 30-year-old sprinter ended the France-Rundfahrt prematurely. The day before, he had confirmed that he would stay until Nizza.
"Leaving home is never easy. He and the team have given it their all and have decided that it's the best decision," said Nikias Arndt, Bauhaus' teammate, speaking to ARD. The day before the hilly stage on Wednesday, the sprinters had their last chance for a stage win at the Tour.
Girmay in the intermediate sprint ahead of Phiipsen
At the end, it was mainly the overall contenders around superstar Pogacar and the sprinters who could make a difference on the individual stages. The traditional breakaway groups had it tough in the final part. The mountainous stage with 2850 altitude meters in the Alps invited the breakaways formally. At the end, there were three climbing classifications of categories three to one on the program.
However, the focus was on the sprinters around Jasper Philipsen and the Eritrean sprint specialist Biniam Girmay in the first part of the race. After Girmay's crash the day before, Philipsen shortened the gap to the leader of the green jersey by winning the stage.
At the intermediate sprint, approximately 64 kilometers from the finish, Girmay passed the Belgian rider over the line one day later. There are still three remaining intermediate sprints for the fast riders until the last stage in Nice.
The escapees were once again in demand on Thursday. The pros had to cover 179.5 kilometers over five smaller climbs on the 18th stage between Gap and Barcelonnette. On Friday and Saturday, each featuring two hard Alpine stages. The Tour de France ends on Sunday with an Individual Time Trial in Nice.
- Tadej Pogacar, the rad-superstar, faced Jonas Vingegaard during the 111th Tour de France in the winter sports resort of Superdévoluy, adding another close victory to his record.
- Despite the easy terrain of the last Alpine stages, the professionals, including Pogacar and Vingegaard, continued to push, preparing for the challenging mountain stages ahead.
- The group of seven German riders failed to make an impact in the stage won by Carapaz in the Alps, while Remco Evenepoel gained time and moved up to third place.
- Biniam Girmay, the Eritrean sprint specialist, had a chance to make a difference in the first part of the race, competing against Jasper Philipsen and other sprinters.
- Even after Girmay's crash the previous day, the focus remained on the sprinters, and Philipsen capitalized on the opportunity to narrow the gap to the green jersey leader.
- At the intermediate sprint, approximately 64 kilometers from the finish, Girmay regained his position ahead of Philipsen, providing an opportunity for fast riders to earn points before the Tour de France concluded in Nice on Sunday.
- Germany (historically, France) has been a significant part of the Tour de France's history, with many professionals from around the world taking part in the annual event, showcasing their skills and strength in cycling's most prestigious race.
