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Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) left it late however attacked Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) within the ultimate kilometre of the Grand Colombier to distance him by 4 seconds and transfer eight seconds nearer to the yellow jersey with the time bonus for third on stage 13 on the Tour de France.
Michal Kwiatkowski gained the day on the summit of the Grand Colombier with a courageous and decided experience from the breakaway to provide Ineos Grenadiers a prestigious stage victory.
Pogačar had his UAE Workforce Emirates teammates work all stage to chase the break however Kwiatkowski held them off. Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) additionally did a fantastic experience to complete second at 47 seconds, with Pogačar leaping away for third at 50 seconds.
He completed 4 seconds forward of Vingegaard and in addition collected a four-second time bonus to maneuver to inside 9 seconds behind the Dane, with a giant weekend within the Alps to come back.
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) was simply behind the Briton and so stays third within the present Tour de France GC standings at 2:51. Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) is fifth at 4:48, with Pidcock rounding out a detailed fifth to eighth group at 5:35.
Kwiatkowski, 33, was hugged by Rodríguez and Pidcock past the end line, his prestigious stage win taking the stress off the younger duo as they aim the highest 5 and maybe a podium place in Paris.
“I did not imagine that was doable, however right here I’m,” Kwiatkowski mentioned.
“That was full fuel racing from the begin to the end and in the long run. The final effort was in all probability one of many hardest in my life however I managed myself nicely, paced myself nicely and knew that was going to be a really lengthy effort.”
“Once I entered the breakaway I assumed that is only a free ticket to perhaps the underside of the climb, I by no means thought this group would form of combat for the stage win as a result of UAE have been pulling fairly arduous within the again. I feel they simply let too many guys within the entrance and I simply discovered in all probability the most effective legs I ever had in my life.”
Vingegaard nonetheless smiled as he stepped onto the day’s podium within the yellow jersey. He misplaced Pogačar’s wheel and 4 extra seconds however nonetheless leads the Tour de France.
“I’m not pissed off or disillusioned in any respect,” he mentioned of the stage consequence.
“We might have appreciated the breakaway to go to the end and that’s what occurred, so I feel for us, it was an excellent day. This stage doesn’t swimsuit me in any respect, so to be sincere, I’m fairly pleased that I saved (the time loss) inside that.
“I’m pleased with in the present day and I’m pleased with how the staff rode. I’m trying ahead to the approaching days, I feel they swimsuit me nicely.”
The way it unfolded
The solar and crowds have been out in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne as everybody loved Bastille Day in France and ready for a fantastic day of racing.
The French riders got additional cheers within the hope of a French win however the 137.8km stage to the highest of the hors catégorie Grand Colombier climb was going to be a giant day for everybody. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) swapped a fist-pump on the beginning line, a day by day gesture for the jersey wearers however maybe an indication of what’s to come back within the Jura and Alps.
When race director Christian Prudhomme waved his flag after the neutralised sector, the assaults got here immediately, with Lotto-Dstny due Victor Campenaerts and Pascal Eenkhoorn even accelerating as Prudhomme raised his arm. It was going to be one other day of aggression.
Campenaerts and Eenkhoorn obtained a spot however have been quickly closed down by a trio of Uno-X riders, because the stage began quick. The TGV de Clermont-Ferrand Rémi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep) tried a transfer and others did the identical however the peloton chased each transfer to create a really quick first half hour of racing.
The elastic lastly snapped after 27km and a high quality group of 19 riders obtained away.
Within the transfer have been Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Alberto Bettiol and James Shaw (EF Schooling-EasyPost), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep), Matej Mohoric and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), Adrien Petit, Mike Teunissen and Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Hugo Houle (Israel-PremierTech), Luca Mozzato (Arkea-Samsic), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny), Cees Bol and Harold Tejada (Astana), Anthon Charmig (Uno-X) and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies).
They opened a spot and got their freedom however not an excessive amount of. UAE Workforce Emirates quickly lived as much as their pre-race discuss of an aggressive experience and put Mikkel Bjerg and Vegard Stake Laengen on the entrance to maintain the break in test. Pogačar needed a shot on the time bonuses on the end and so his riders pursued the break all the best way to the Grand Colombier.
The 15km lengthy however solely 3% gradient Col de la Lèbe climb began after 80km and Teunissen gained the intermediate dash which was unusually positioned close to the highest. The break had prolonged their result in 3:00 however UAE Workforce Emirates by no means actually ease up and started to eat into the lead.
The break dived down the descent, making an attempt to carry onto each doable second, with solely Latour struggling to carry the wheels. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) was dropped from the peloton on the climb and shortly after he was confirmed as deserted. The Australian sprinter suffered on stage 12 and earlier than that and opted to finish his Tour on the foot of the Jura and Alps.
The Grand Colombier showdown
The Grand Colombier quickly got here into sight and Pogačar opted to slide again and sit behind Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma teammates. The showdown was about to start out.
Nonetheless, Neilson Powless (EF Schooling-EasyPost) wouldn’t be a risk. He misplaced contact early, with Ben O’Connor (AG2R -Citroën) additionally distanced or maybe additionally saving himself for a breakaway try within the Alps. Powless saved the polka-dot jersey for one more day however Pogačar is now solely 15 factors behind him with a haul of factors accessible between now and Paris.
Pacher attacked first from the breakaway, splitting it into teams of survivors and different hopefuls. However their lead was simply 3:30 on the peloton. There was an opportunity to win the stage. Behind UAE Workforce Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers led the peloton onto the Grand Colombier and began to search out the attackers with much more dedication.
The French followers cheered on Pacher however he was joined by Shaw, Van Gils and Tejada, with 12.5km to climb. Kwiatkowski has proven good type on this yr’s Tour and he additionally joined the assault from the break and pushed on alone on the beautiful hairpin part with 11km to go.
Behind UAE Workforce Emirates continued to guide the peloton, even after Bjerg had completed his time on the entrance. Pogačar had Marc Soler, Rafal Majka, Felix Großschartner and Adam Yates with him, whereas Vingegaard solely had Sepp Kuss.
The peloton all of a sudden solely included 20 or so riders, with extra dropped because the highway climbed upwards, together with Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Romain Bardet (Workforce dsm-firmenich), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious).
On the flatter mid-climb sector, with eight kilometres to climb, Kwiatkowski led his chasers by 45 seconds, with the GC group at 3:00. He opened his jersey to search out each doable breath of cooling air. Behind him Großschartner took up the tempo within the GC group and shortly pulled again 20 seconds, the Austrian rider trying up the highway as he suffered for Pogačar.
Kwiatkowski nonetheless had 2:00 because the highway eased once more with 5 kilometres to go and so knew he had an opportunity to win. He was combating himself, the gradient and UAE Workforce Emirates chasing him behind. He was deservingly awarded the day’s Prix de la Combativité.
Majka swapped turns with Großschartner on the entrance for the ultimate a part of the Grand Colombier however Kwiatkowski began the ultimate two kilometres with a 2:00 hole.
The Polish veteran needed to minimize his approach by means of the loopy, uncontrolled Bastille Day crowds however savoured each second, a smile on his face cancelling his ache as he rode alone to the end line. He gave Ineos Grenadiers a second consecutive stage win on Bastille Day after Pidcock gained on L’alpe d’Huez in 2022.
The GC battle lastly began with 1.5km to go when Adam Yates surged away to arrange Pogačar. Kuss went after him for Vingegaard and all of a sudden there have been eight riders within the group, with Jai Hindley, Simon Yates, Carlos Rodriguez and Tom Pidcock hanging on.
Pogačar had been itching to assault for some time and surged away inside the ultimate kilometre. Vingegaard initially obtained on his wheel however then a spot opened inch by inch, their physiological variations nonetheless miniscule.
Pogačar powered previous the stays of the break and kicked once more on the ten% ultimate part because the end line neared. He handed Shaw and Tejada and so completed third. He took the four-second time bonus however was maybe hoping for extra. Vingegaard was solely 4 seconds behind and so saved the yellow jersey.
Their combat for total success continues to be vast open and unattainable to foretell. Who is aware of if it’s going to nonetheless be the case after the weekend’s Alpine phases to Morzine after which Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.
Outcomes
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