tour reporter
The Tour de France is almost over, on Sunday we go to Paris. But after the 20th stage on Le Markstein, the first balances are drawn. The Frenchman Thibaut Pinot in particular experiences great emotions
On the ridge around Le Markstein felt a sense of lightness. Yes the Tour de France 2023 is not the goal yet. The sprinters in particular have to collect themselves again for the last stage in Paris on Sunday. But for most of the 150 riders who had made it to the Vosges by the end of stage 20, the point had come to free themselves from the burden of three intense weeks and to draw a first conclusion.
who broke whom
This was of course primarily true for Jonas Vingegaardwho will carry the yellow jersey to the French capital for the second year in a row. “I’m super happy”said the Dane, who will win this Tour in Paris by almost seven and a half minutes over Tadej Pogacar.
One has to go back to 2014 to find a similar gap between first and second overall. At that time, the Italian won Vincenzo Nibali 7’37 ahead of the Frenchman Jean Christophe Peraud.
“We had a plan to break Tadej”, said Vingegaard’s Sport Director at Team Jumbo-Visma, Grischa Niermann. And this plan worked. Of course, Pogacar saw it differently. He only broke himself because he was unwell in the third week, the Slovenian explained in Le Markstein. A heavy defeat in the time trial of the 16th stage was followed by a capital slump a day later.
Pogacar feels like Pogacar again
After that, Pogacar issued the slogan: A stage win for the team and securing the two podium places for him and his teammate Adam Yates as third overall. The UAE team achieved all three goals on this last mountain stage in the Vosges. Pogacar himself won the stage in the sprint against Austrian Felix Gall, the discovery of this Tour, and Vingegaard.
“I felt like myself for the first time today”, said Pogacar later. The color was back in his last ashen face, as was the mischievous smile that is his signature. It quickly became clear that Pogacar and Vingegaard would not give up the last day of the tour on their terrain. Their teams didn’t really let the escapees of the day off the leash.
Pinot is overwhelmed
Much to the chagrin of especially von Thibaut Pinot. The Frenchman tried to get away as a soloist with 30 kilometers to go. The hearts of the fans, who stood there en masse to also, and above all, celebrate him, flew to him from the side of the road. Pinot comes from the Vosges and these roads have been his training grounds for many years.
And all the people along the route knew that this was their compatriot’s last major appearance at the Tour de France. Pinot will end his career at the end of the season. “It was beautiful, unbelievable, crazy. It may remain the most beautiful stage of my life”said Pinot. “It was a tingling, an incredible adrenaline, indescribable. It was maybe the last time I felt something like that.” Then his team boss came Marc Madiot and hugged his driver for a very long time, until finally Pinot could only stammer: “It’s difficult, very difficult. I also saw my father finish…” The rest shed tears.
Team leader Denk has mixed feelings
While Pinot offered the great emotional cinema, things were much more sober elsewhere. For example in German World Tour Team Bora-hansgrohe. A stage win through Jai Hindley, after which the Australian even spent a day in the yellow jersey. After that, team manager Ralph Denk declared that the tour couldn’t get any worse. But on Le Markstein Denk had rather mixed feelings.
For many years, the Upper Bavarian has wanted to see one of his drivers stand on the podium in Paris, in the evening sun with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. Hindley should have been that driver, but he ended up seventh, almost four minutes behind Adam Yates, third overall. “It hurts me”said Denk, “Because we were fourth in 2019 and then fifth twice after that and that’s not an improvement. But we’re striving for improvement.”
Hindley had been on course for a podium for a long time, however, until the aftermath of a major fall in the Alps drained his energy. But bad luck didn’t want to count Denk as a factor: “I hate the word bad luck, I hate the word good luck. At the end of the day, if you open the history books, we’re not in it.” There are others now, Vingegaard, Pogacar and Adam Yates as the top three. And all the stage winners who have made their mark on the history of the Tour de France with their successes.
Just like all those who have taken care of the small and large dramas in the past three weeks. Some will now be able to enjoy all this in Paris, others will not. Approximately victor lafay, who had landed the day’s victory with a coup on the 2nd stage. On the 20th stage he had to give up the race after a fall – just before Paris. One last drama before great relief.