1.
13:37
Sharp start
The lead vehicle has long stretched out in front of the peloton. Now tour director Christian Prudhomme emerges from the roof hatch and waves his yellow flag. The race is released.
1:35 p.m
Three failures
At the start of today’s stage we have to do without three other riders. Four-time tour winner Chris Froome is no longer there, as are Imanol Erviti and Damiano Caruso. That leaves us with 140 professional cyclists.
13:32
The field rolls
The peloton has just set off and, feeling neutral and relaxed, cycle through the streets of Lourdes.
13:24
Geschke fights for the mountain jersey
Since this is the last mountain stage and from tomorrow until Sunday there are only three ratings in the 4th category with a total of three points on the program, the dotted jersey will most likely be handed out today. Simon Geschke is still holding on bravely in this textile, with the trophy so close to his eyes. But today there are a whopping 50 points. And the lead of the German is far from that big. The Cofidis professional will again be in the group of the day and will have to score as many points as possible, at least on the first climb. Whether the 36-year-old will still play a role in the further course of the stage seems questionable. But perhaps a constellation will emerge that plays into his hands. We will monitor that.
13:14
The Green Wout
A jersey has already been taken, which is why today’s intermediate sprint in terms of green is no longer important. A maximum of 200 points can still be earned until Sunday. But Wout Van Aert is already leading the standings with a lead of 214 points. So the Belgian only has to get to Paris, mathematically the sprinter’s jersey can no longer be taken away from him.
13:04
18th stage
The last time the peloton is on the road in the high mountains. Despite the manageable distance, the mountain stage is tough with more than 4,000 meters in altitude. Looking at the profile, only the part of the day to Alpe d’Huez was harder. There are three grueling climbs to tackle – the Col d’Aubisque (honorary category), the Col des Spandelles (1st category) and the scramble up to the finish at Hautacam (honorary category). Only the first 60 kilometers or so up to the sprint classification in Laruns do not pose a topographical problem. On the following 80 kilometers or so, things look very different.
12:54
bon jour!
Welcome to the 18th stage of the Tour de France! There are 143.2 kilometers between Lourdes and Hautacam today. The remaining pros have one last really hard day ahead of them, which is scheduled to start around 1:40 p.m. with a sharp start.