Tour de France, protesters block the stage. In Megeve the Danish Cort Nielsen wins

The arrival on the Megeve airport runway, with 350 meters at 7%, rewards the Danish Magnus Cort Nielsen (Ef Easypost), 29, the most famous mustache of the Tour, who beats the Australian Schultz and the Spaniard in the photo finish Sanchez. On a hot day (34 degrees) and critical right from the start for the yellow jersey Pogacar, who loses his mate George Bennett because he is positive at Covid and has a positive Majka in the team but with a low viral load: Tadej tries to better manage the stage, gives space to the German Kamna who for a long time is the virtual yellow jersey, a jersey that in the end, however, remains on Pogacar’s shoulders. A stage characterized by the long escape of 25 runners, with four Italians: Bettiol, Ganna, Sbaragli and Velasco. Bettiol who starts twice, the first time alone and then with the German Zimmermann 10 km from the finish. In the end he gets on the podium and is rewarded with the red number of the most combative of the day.

Neutralization A crazy day, even characterized by the neutralization of 10 ‘. At km 36, with Bettiol on the run with 24 ”out of 24 attackers and 8 ‘over the group, seven demonstrators protesting to protect the environment from pollution lie down in the middle of the road and light the smoke bombs. Bettiol passes in the middle, then the race is stopped. The Gendarmerie intervenes and the seven are displaced: they all restart with the gaps taken by the timekeepers at the time of the interruption, as an event not considered “racing”.

Key stage Tomorrow, Wednesday 13 July, eleventh stage, Albertville-Col du Granon (Serre Chevalier), 151 km. It is one of the key days of the Tour: also in this case, short stage with a view of the legendary Alpe d’Huez, scheduled for day after. Departure from Albertville to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Winter Olympic Games: an event that brought four golds to Italy, including two by Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni. The five stars of difficulty are given by the spectacular Lacets de Montvernier, which spiral up the mountain, and then from the summit of the Col du Galibier, the giant of this edition. It is tackled from the hard side of Valloire, the same as Marco Pantani’s feat in 1998, and climbs at an altitude of 2642 meters (Souvenir Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour: it is the highest peak) after 17.7 km at 6.9 % and peaks of 10% right at the top, in the clouds. Descent on Serre Chevalier and from here you face the Col du Granon, with the finish line at 2413 meters, the highest in the last 25 years. The final ascent measures 11.3 km at 9.2% and peaks of 10.8% almost 4 km from the finish. Only once did the Tour climb the Col du Granon: 1986, victory for the Spaniard Chozas and the yellow jersey that passes from Bernard Hinault to his teammate Greg LeMond, who would later become the first American to triumph in Paris. That July 20 was the last time Hinault rode with the yellow jersey on his shoulders.