In the rear of the race, a painful sight. Yellow jersey wearer Ben Healy needs to be cooled down by his teammate Harry Sweeny. After today, he will have to relinquish the lead in the general classification. The question is to whom.
33 km to go – Simon Yates leaves the front of the group with favorites and immediately has to drop. He is now in the group with Remco Evenepoel. Leader Jonas Vingegaard only has Sepp Kuss left. Is everything going according to plan at Visma-Lease a Bike?
34 km to go – Bruno Armirail is the first to reach the top of the Col des Bordères and is now heading solo towards the Hautacam. Mattias Skjelmose has ridden away from the rest and is following 55 seconds behind the Frenchman.
35 km to go – Bruno Armirail, who according to the latest rumors will move to Visma-Lease a Bike next year, is quickly riding away from his pursuers. Mattias Skjelmose, Michael Storer, Einer Rubio, and Michael Woods are already a minute behind.
36 km to go – Once again, Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike is dropped by none other than his teammate Simon Yates. On the previous climb, Visma eased off the gas for that reason, but that doesn’t seem to be happening now. Jonas Vingegaard still has two helpers left.
It’s early fireworks in this tough mountain stage of the Tour de France, as these spectators also see. For the enthusiasts, it’s a feast. The real fireworks are only expected on the final climb, the dreaded Hautacam.
37 km to go – The riders in the group with favorites have also started on the Col des Bordères. Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel has the favorites in sight. According to the race radio, he is only 20 seconds behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. Can he join during the climb? Or will he have to give up more ground?
38 km to go – Frenchman Bruno Armirail has started solo on the Col des Bordères, the third categorized climb of the day. It is a short climb of 3.3 kilometers, but it is relatively steep. On average, the road rises by 8.1 percent.
38 km to go – Frenchman Bruno Armirail wants to start the Col des Bordères with a margin and jumps away from Mattias Skjelmose and Michael Woods. So we have one rider driving at the front again.
39 km to go – Michael Woods has been joined by Frenchman Bruno Armirail and Dane Mattias Skjelmose at the end of the descent from the Col du Soulor. The three of them seem to be starting the third climb of the day, the Col des Bordères.
42 km to go – Ben Healy is struggling and is constantly being doused with water by his teammate Harry Sweeny. The yellow jersey wearer must be very hot. That’s not surprising: it’s over 30 degrees Celsius in the Pyrenees.
44 km to go – The group with favorites is also at the top. Jonas Vingegaard still has three Visma-Lease a Bike domestiques left: Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss, and the returned Matteo Jorgenson. Tadej Pogacar also has three domestiques left: Jhonatan Narváez, Adam Yates, and Marc Soler.
46.5 km to go – Michael Woods is the first to reach the top of the Col du Soulor and faces a long and lonely descent to the third climb of the day, to the Col des Bordères. Mattias Skjelmose follows about 10 seconds behind the Canadian.
47 km to go – For the people who are just tuning in and have lost track, this is the current situation in the race:
Woods+0.05 Skjelmose+0.10 Storer
+0.30 Chasing group with Arensman
+1.50 Group with favorites (Pogacar and Vingegaard)
+2.55 Group with Evenepoel
+3.30 Group with yellow jersey wearer Ben Healy
48 km to go – Michael Woods goes solo! More than a kilometer before the top of the Col du Soulor, the Canadian tries his luck on his own. None of the other four leaders can respond to his attack.
Tadej Pogacar is still doing well in the group with favorites. Yesterday’s crash doesn’t seem to be affecting the world champion for the time being. He is virtually in the yellow jersey.
50 km to go – Visma-Lease a Bike and especially luxury domestique Simon Yates are also shocked by the high pace and especially the dropping of Matteo Jorgenson. The Dutch team seems to be taking its foot off the gas a bit. Yellow jersey wearer Ben Healy can therefore make up some ground, but is still about 25 seconds behind the favorites group.
50 km to go – Meanwhile, the fuse has also been lit in the leading group. Mattias Skjelmose has gone on the attack and is joined by Canadian Michael Woods and Frenchmen Bruno Armirail and Aurélien Paret-Peintre. The chasing group has no intention of giving them much space.
51 km to go – Visma-Lease a Bike is riding incredibly hard in the group with favorites and is therefore also smoking its own riders, such as Matteo Jorgenson. The number five in the general classification must also capitulate.
51.5 km to go – The yellow jersey is in big trouble! Ben Healy also can’t keep up with the pace of Visma-Lease a Bike and he immediately has to leave a big gap. Will Tadej Pogacar be the new leader in the general classification after today?
52 km to go – The high pace of Visma-Lease a Bike is already claiming the necessary victims in the peloton, which we will now call the group with favorites. Not only Remco Evenepoel, but also Enric Mas and Sergio Higuita have been dropped.
53 km to go – Thymen Arensman takes over from his French teammate Axel Laurance in the leading group. He must maintain the high pace for his leader Carlos Rodríguez. There are only fifteen riders left at the front. They have a lead of 1 minute and 40 seconds on the group with favorites.
54 km to go – Big news: Remco Evenepoel, the number three of the Tour de France of last year, already has to drop out of the peloton! Visma-Lease a Bike gives it a jerk in the group and the Belgian immediately has to hoist the white flag. This first tough mountain stage is already full of surprises.
55 km to go – INEOS Grenadiers has cunning plans with leader Carlos Rodríguez today, because his domestiques have been riding at the front of the leading group for a while. When will the number twelve of the general classification launch himself? Thymen Arensman still has to lend a hand.
56 km to go – The peloton has also started on the Col du Soulor and Visma-Lease a Bike immediately takes over. In battle order we see Victor Campenaerts, Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson riding at the front, the luxury domestiques of leader Jonas Vingegaard. Tadej Pogacar is riding in his neighborhood.
57 km to go – The back door is wide open in the large leading group, because the riders are dropping in droves. Following Mathieu van der Poel, among others Edward Theuns, Ian Stannard, Fred Wright, Tobias Foss and Matteo Trentin can’t keep up with the pace. There are about 25 riders left at the front, including Thymen Arensman.
58.3 km to go – The escapees have started on the Col du Soulor, the first tough climb of the day. It is a fairly irregular climb, typical of the Pyrenees. The Col du Soulor is 11.8 kilometers long and rises on average by 7.3 percent. There are stretches of more than 10 percent.
59 km to go – Mathieu van der Poel gives up. He lets himself drop out of the leading group, even before the escapees have started on the Col du Soulor. It was clear in advance that he would not compete for the stage win. He was only at the front for the points in the intermediate sprint.