Zimmermann's Etappen-Dream bursts in Escapade Group
Another Day for Breakaways in the Tour de France. Georg Zimmermann is up there, but the deciding attack runs without him. The victory is secured by the Belgian Victor Campenaerts with a sprint finish.
Georg Zimmermann fought fiercely with a wobbling upper body, but once again his dream of an Etappsieg at the Tour de France was not realized. The Augsburg native was among the leading pros on the 18th stage, but had to settle for 23rd place at the end of the day. The victory in Barcelonnette was taken by the Belgian Victor Campenaerts.
"Today's race was a bit of a struggle for me. I was really good. I invested a little too much about one or two kilometers before the last mountain peak," Zimmermann told ARD.
A group of nearly 40 riders had formed about an hour after the start in Gap. With five smaller mountain passes, the stage was ideal for a large breakaway. Zimmermann was always in the mix and one of the most active riders. Around 60 kilometers from the finish, the Bavarian himself launched an attack when the group was torn apart due to strong crosswinds. At that moment, he was perfectly positioned.
The previous year, Zimmermann had come close to his major career goal of a Tour Etappensieg. He was beaten only by the Spaniard Pello Bilbao on the tenth stage. The following year, he was not in the right position for the decisive attack about 40 kilometers from the finish.
Good Memories of Geschke
It was clear before the start that there would be a day for breakaways before the two grueling Alpine tests. However, it took almost the entire first hour of racing to find a group. There were constant attacks and counterattacks.
In one of the groups that formed was Simon Geschke. The Berliner has good memories of the area around the finish line in Barcelonnette. Practically in sight - up in the Pra-Loup ski resort - the veteran won a mountain finish of the Tour as a solo rider in 2015. To this day, it is the highlight of the climber specialist, who retired at the end of the year.
However, the Geschke group was unable to pull away decisively. When the day's breakaways formed during the next attack, Geschke was no longer there. Instead, it was the Augsburg native Georg Zimmermann, who, among the seven German riders, had the best chances according to the predictions.
The Roof of the Tour awaits
Friday was a challenge for the sprinters above all, staying within the time limit. The course leads over the 2802 meter high Cime de la Bonnette and thus over the highest point ever reached in the Tour. It is the second highest asphalted road in the Alps after the Ötztaler Gletscherstraße in Austria. The nearly 23 kilometer long ascent is the second of three major climbs, all of which are over 2000 meters high.
If Jonas Vingegaard has any real hopes of winning the General Classification, he must attack Tadej Pogačar at the Cime de la Bonnette. Alone on the final climb to Isola 2000, the Dane will not be able to make up the more than three-minute deficit.
Despite Georg Zimmermann's efforts and being among the leading pros, he missed out on an Etappend Sieg at the Tour de France again, finishing in 23rd place. Meanwhile, the victory went to Victor Campenaerts after a hard-fought sprint finish.
Taking us back to the previous year, Zimmermann came close to his career goal of a Tour Etappensieg, but was beaten by Pello Bilbao in the tenth stage. Similarly, in the following year, he was not in the right position for the decisive attack, missing out on another potential win.
