13 km to go – The last whopper of a mountain this Tour has started. There are still 23 mountain points to earn this entire edition, 20 of which are at the top of this Hautacam. There is a real apotheosis for the mountains classification. Who will be wearing the polka dot jersey tomorrow?
15 km to go – Vingegaard and Pogacar have again dropped to the first pursuers after them, and so the yellow jersey wearer has two teammates again: Sepp Kuss and Tiesj Benoot. UAE Team Emirates has no one left for Pogacar.
17 km to go – In 2 kilometers the leading group will start on the Hautacam, the last climb of the eighteenth stage. This climb of the outdoor category is 13.5 kilometers at 7.9 percent.
24 km to go – Pogacar did not escape unscathed. The Slovenian’s suit has been torn open at the thigh, and he has suffered a fairly large scrape.
26 km to go – Pogacar rejoins Vingegaard and gives the Dane a hand. When Vingegaard almost crashed, the leader of UAE Team Emirates drove on as usual. To the Dane’s credit he waited. This is the Tour at its best.
27 km to go – Wow! You won’t get it any better than this. Jonas Vingegaard is waiting for Tadej Pogacar. He doesn’t want to win this way.
28 km to go – Pogacar falls! Exactly what Pogacar just tried to enforce against Vingegaard, is now happening to the Slovenian himself… Will Vingegaard drive away?
29 km to go – This is exactly why Pogacar opts for the attack on the descent. To force mistakes from the competition. The heartbeat of the whole of Jumbo-Visma will have skipped once.
30 km to go – No is the answer. The Dane is still in the wheel of the Slovenian, but it is a serious warning. This could have gone very wrong for Vingegaard.
Another 30 km – Vingegaard almost falls in the descent! Pogacar immediately accelerates, can the Slovenian now punch a hole?
32 km to go – Just before the top, Pogacar turns on again, and Vingegaard again does not give away a millimeter.
33 km to go – Wout van Aert is the first to arrive on top of the Col de Spandelles! While the battle for the general classification is in full swing, the battle for the mountains classification continues. Van Aert takes the 10 points, Martínez 8 points and Pinot 6 points.
34 km to go – Pogacar’s last attempt came closest. The Dane is still riding in the wheel of the Slovenian, but was almost seen for a moment.
35 km to go – Pogacar and Vingegaard seem magnetic! For a moment it looked as if Vingegaard had been spotted, but the Dane was only surprised. They jump over Thomas again, who was counterattacking.
36 km to go – Geraint Thomas is going to rattle the tree! The Welshman ducks around Vingegaard and Pogacar, and Vingegaard wants to check. He puts Kuss in the lead, and the threesome pick up the pace.
36 km to go – Pogacar slows down again and so Kuss joins again.
36 km to go – It rains attacks from Pogacar, and Kuss gives up. It will be a real hand-to-hand fight.
36 km to go – It’s starting to look a lot like yesterday’s battle, only this time the average pace of Pogacar is a lot higher. Is he trying to break Vingegaard like this?
36 km to go – Yes! There he goes again. Pogacar comes around Vingegaard from behind, but the Dane doesn’t give him a millimeter. Sepp Kuss is also quickly in the wheel of the Slovenian.
37 km to go – Vingegaard has again skillfully repulsed the attack, but it is unlikely that it will stop there. When will a new attack follow?
38 km to go – This is a special image: a rider from Astana throws some water on the neck of Pogacar, who no longer has a servant with him. He lost McNulty in his attack just now.
39 km to go – Attack Pogacar! Vingegaard follows. A parody of Pogacar’s first attack in yesterday’s mountain stage.
42 km to go – The leading group starts the second climb of the day. This time not one of the outdoor category, but of the first category: the Spandelles, a col of 10.3 kilometers with an average gradient of 8.3 percent.
43 km to go – Nice to see: almost the entire team of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl is still riding with Fabio Jakobsen, who was released early in the stage by the peloton. As a team they want to make sure that their sprinter arrives within the time limit. After all, there are still two flat Tour stages on the program.
58 km to go – Bauke Mollema is working hard at the front to keep the leading group away from Louis Meintjes as long as possible. The South African is currently one of the biggest competitors in the mountains classification of Giulio Ciccone, Mollema’s teammate.
Another 66 km – Giulio Ciccone takes the 20 points! This moves him to second place in the standings.
Another 66 km – Van Aert takes the lead! The Belgian is eleventh in the mountains classification.
Another 66 km – We’re almost at the top! Who will take the 20 points on the first climb of the outdoor category?