After superstar Tadej Pogacar’s sensational slump, Dane Jonas Vingegaard in the yellow jersey drives up to the cycling Mecca Alpe d’Huez. Can the Slovenian counterattack again at the next Alpine showdown?
Spectacle on the French national day
It’s the 21 most famous hairpin bends in the world that lead to the cycling Mecca Alpe d’Huez. When the twelfth stage of the 109th Tour de France over 165.1 kilometers from Briançon to Alpe d’Huez is due on Thursday, the French national holiday it to the big showdown in the Alps. Hundreds of thousands of fans will line up again on the 13.8-kilometre-long final climb with an average incline of 8.1 percent and ensure a madhouse. But even before that, the stage has it all. After the start in Briançon, it goes over the 2642 meter high mountain giant Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer, all mountains of the highest category.
fight for yellow
Jonas Vingegaard doesn’t trust his lead yet and expects an attack from Tadej Pogacar in Alpe d’Huez. “He’s still my main challenger. He will now attack me at every opportunity. It’s going to be really tough,” said the 25-year-old. Pogacar announced immediately after the biggest defeat of his career that he wanted to bring back the yellow jersey. “I want revenge. The tour isn’t over yet,” emphasized the Slovenian.
Another day in mountain jersey
Simon Geschke fights tirelessly for every point in the mountain classification. As a reward, he can wear the white jersey with the red dots to Alpe d’Huez. Can he do the feat again? “The way I feel now, for me it’s more about the time limit. If there is any chance I will try. But it takes an awful lot of strength,” said the 36-year-old from Berlin. Geschke is now eight points ahead of Frenchman Pierre Latour in the mountain classification with 43 points.