14
13:25
Everyone happy?
Obviously everyone got used to the situation very early on. The five fugitives are allowed to drive first. Now the question arises, how far are they let off the leash. Are the sprint teams keeping the option open of being able to catch the quintet again?
11.
13:22
stable situation
For now, the lead of the outliers is increasing. That’s 40 seconds now. Other riders don’t follow suit at first, the peloton builds on a constant pace.
9.
13:19
Maillot Jaune
Jonas Vingegaard increased his cushion at the top of the overall standings yesterday to a comfortable three and a half minutes after the Dane had parried numerous attacks by his opponent Tadej Pogačar. As far as we can judge, nothing burns in the time trial on Saturday. Vingegaard just has to get back to Paris safe and sound. Incidentally, for all other decisions, the podium is already a foregone conclusion. Third in the group is Geraint Thomas, who has a good three-minute lead over fourth-placed David Gaudu and thus also seems to be on the safe side.
6.
13:17
group of five
Meanwhile, five men are cycling in front. Nils Politt is one of them. At his side are Matej Mohorič, Quinn Simmons, Mikkel Honoré and Taco van der Hoorn.
4.
13:15
First attack
After four kilometers of relaxed rolling, movement comes in for the first time. Three professionals try to gain land. Other drivers will certainly try to catch up.
3.
13:12
Geschke still in mountain jersey
Simon Geschke had the mountain jersey very close in mind, would have been the first German winner. But yesterday’s terrific fight for the points failed at the Col d’Aubisque. The 36-year-old left the stage empty-handed, but initially remained virtually at the top of the mountain classification. Only on the very last climb did Jonas Vingegaard catch him by eight points. However, since the Dane drives in yellow, Geschke has the dubious honor of being able to wear the dotted jewel as a representative to Paris. In his disappointment, the Cofidis professional was not very enthusiastic yesterday and said he was “not in the mood for it at all”. It was “the worst” to have to continue wearing the jersey.
1.
13:10
Sharp start
Tour director Christian Prudhomme now gives the go-ahead for the race, waving the yellow flag. At first there are no attacks.
13:06
failure
We have to do without another driver today. Enric Mas from Movistar is no longer at the start. The Mallorcan was eleventh overall. A positive corona test was his undoing.
13:05
The field rolls
The peloton of the 139 remaining riders has just started moving. You roll leisurely through the streets of Castelnau-Magnoac. The small community in southern France is the first stop on the Grande Boucle.
13:00
Three more days
Most of the professional cyclists will certainly welcome the fact that after the hardships of the past 3,000 kilometers, there is not so much at stake. Nevertheless, enough work awaits the pedallers over the next three days. And of course everyone now wants to reach Paris and be celebrated by hundreds of thousands on the Champs-Élysées.
12:51
Everything decided
On the last days of the tour, we only get excitement from the fight for the day’s victories, everything else is practically decided. Jonas Vingegaard defended the yellow jersey yesterday with the stage success thanks to the excellent tactics and performance of his team Jumbo – Visma and will not let that go. In addition, no one can mathematically dispute the Dane’s mountain jersey. Wout Van Aert has already secured the green jersey since the day before yesterday. In the junior classification for the white jersey, Tadej Pogačar leads by almost 50 minutes (!). And in the team classification, Ineos Grenadiers is building on a cushion of well over half an hour. In addition to the stage victories, the only incentive left is the red start numbers, which are given out every day for the most aggressive driver.
12:41
profile
Of course that would be something for the sprinters today, who could strike again like they did on Sunday. But how much energy do the remaining drivers from their teams still have after the exhausting days? There will definitely be another group that might even make it through. The intermediate classifications – the sprint after a good 38 kilometers in Auch and the two small mountain classifications in the last third of today’s route – are only interesting in terms of the cash prizes. The points don’t matter anymore.
12:31
bon jour!
Welcome to the 19th stage of the Tour de France! After almost three weeks of the Tour of France, the topographical difficulties are behind the drivers. From then on, the route to Paris is largely flat – this is also the case today on the 188.3 kilometers between Castelnau-Magnoac and Cahors. The sharp start should take place at around 1:10 p.m.