As it happened: Tour de France stage 13 – Sprinters dominate in Pau after echelons, GC
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The race communique is now available, and Arnaud De Lie’s lead-out rider, Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), was handed a 1500CHF fine and lost 60 UCI points for improper conduct: “hit with the shoulder that endangered other riders,” in the final sprint in Pau.
At the Tour de France start in Agen on Friday morning, most talk was of Primož Roglič’s crash the previous day and the Tour de France’s imminent entry into the Pyrenees the next.
Outside the UAE Team Emirates bus, however, manager Mauro Gianetti warned against underestimating the task that lay immediately before Tadej Pogačar et al, namely stage 13 to Pau. “In the Tour, every day is a key day,” he smiled.
Jonas Vingegaard is not the only rider on a successful comeback trail at Visma-Lease A Bike in this year’s Tour de France and Belgian star Wout van Aert provided the cycling world with another reminder of that at Pau, where he claimed second on a frantic reduced bunch sprint behind fellow-Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Join us for full live coverage of stage 14 on Saturday and stage 15 on Sunday.
Alasdair Fotheringham is at the Tour de France with Barry Ryan and spoke to Egan Bernal about his gradual but constant return to form after his life-threatening crash.
These are the stage 13 results via our friends at FirstCycling.
The Tour de France climbs into the Pyrenees at the weekend with stage 14 from Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan/Pla d’Adet. It is short at 151.9km but includes 4000 metres of climbing in the final 80km.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) was one of the riders blocked behind a crash in the final kilometre of stage 13 of the Tour de France, and so he was unable to race for the stage win.
Despite testing positive for COVID-19 Ayuso spoke to the media after the stage. He die not cofirm he was suffering with low-viral load COVID-19 but UAE Team Emirates confirmed that to Cyclingnews.
Ayuso said: “When health issues come like this, I cannot really do much.
“I’m worried that I cannot put my heart into helping but on the other side I think the team is very capable. They’re still very and have a very good chance of winning this race. I’ll be cheering for them.”
This is our full story on the Spaniard’s withdrawal from the Tour.
Pogačar also spoke about losing Juan Ayuso, who tested positive for COVID-19 but then abandoned the Tour after the fast start to the stage.
“It’s a bit of a blow – for sure he was one of the guys coming into the Tour de France that I was thinking will be one of the keys in the mountains.
“But it’s not such a big blow, Joao and Adam are flying in the mountains and Pavel and Mark are doing everywhere on all terrains a good job, and Nils and Tim are improving – we are growing as a group and even with one less we can be strong.”
Tadej Pogačar spoke post-stage about the aggressive racing on stage 13, the mountain stages in the Pyrenees.
“We expected for it to be chaotic but we didn’t expect that much of a big group in the front. That we had Adam in the front and it turned out to be really great for us, we didn’t need to spend a lot today,” he said.
“I like the climbs in the Pyrenees. Before the Tour I wasn’t sure what climbs we were doing but after that I checked them out, they’re climbs that I know and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tadej Pogačar again pulled on the yellow jersey as race leader after finishing ninth on the stage. He also keeps the polka-dot jersey, which will again be worn by Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), who remains in second place in the KOM competition.
(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
This was the moment of the crash in the final kilometre.
Ok Capiot relaxed after doing his leadout and dropped back, messing the sprint of the others but still that shoulder check by Van Gils was too violent, he will get relegated and fined, imo. #TDF2024pic.twitter.com/XaHj9FBmN8📹 @UribecyclingJuly 12, 2024
This is how Jasper Philipsen won the stage.
It’s interesting to hear that Visma rode for Wout Van Aert on the even of a big weekend in the Pyrenees.
The stage ended with a sprint but was a day attack, echelons and even GC-rider attacks.
UAE put Adam Yates in the first major attack. Then Visma went on the attack but Pogacar responded.
Matteo Jorgenson played a key role protecting Jonas Vingegaard.
“We knew it was going to be a really nervous and hard day with the wind, no matter what we did,” the American said.
“Once we got through the start, there was a bit of a situation. Yates got in the move and it was pretty big group, so we had to start pretty early controlling. Then once we got to the main crosswind section and it didn’t really explode too much, we wanted to control it for Wout.
“We believed that he would win after some so many close calls. But it didn’t work out unfortunately.”
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Thanks to his stage win, Philipsen has reduced his gap to Girmay in the points competition from 107 to 75 points.
Philipsen added:
“Wout was piloted perfectly by Christophe Laporte. I was in the wheel but I had to launch early and so I could pass him. So I’m really happy with my sprint and with the feeling.
“This was my best feeling so far in the Tour de France, we didn’t have the best start, also feeling wise, some bad luck, but I’m happy we could turn it around.
“We are already with two stage wins, so it’s not a bad Tour. We always want more, but yeah, we just have to go day by day and enjoy the victory today.”
Philipsen managed to get the jump on Wout Van Aert at the right time and only looked back after crossing the line.
(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Jasper Philipsen said:
“It was full gas from the start and the bunch never slowed down. It was crosswinds, with a big group ahead.
“We had two guys in with Mathieu and Axel Laurance, so I thought they would continue until the line but the peloton keep on going, and so I also kept on believing, because the feeling was good, much better than I had the previous week.
“I could start my sprint with confidence, and I’m happy nobody could pass.”
(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Here comes the Mathieu van der Poel, Cavendish group. They finish 13 minutes down on Philipsen but they are still faster than the expected fastest speed for the stage.
It was that kind of day.
Amaury Capiot seemed to move across the road in the final kilometre and the Lotto rider bumped his shoulder as he passed. That sparked the crash, with Capiot going down hard.
The Arkea rider involved the late crash was Amaury Capiot. He is battered and bruised but rolls to the finish line, pushed by his DS.
“Already with two stages wins, it’s not a bad Tour. But we want more,” Philipsen said.
Here is the first shot of Philipsen’s second win.
(Image credit: Marco BERTORELLO / AFP / Getty Images)
Philipsen won four stages last year but struggled in the first week. Now he seems back to his best.
That is Jasper Philipsen’s second stage win of the 2024 Tour.
Cees Bol was involved in the crash.
The crash in the final kilometre was sparked after Arkea and lotto riders clashed. That sparked other riders to go down into the barriers and De Lie was forced to slam on the brakes and lean onto the barriers, his sprint hopes over.
Pascal Ackermann was third and Girmay fourth.
He beat his big rival Wout Van Aert.
Jasper Philipsen wins it!
Crash! De Lie involved.
Last kilometre!
Intermarche take control of the lead out.
Lotto close him down, De Lie is there. Is it his day?
Boom Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) makes yet another attack.
Watch out for EF’s Marijn van den Berg in the sprint.
3km to go
Pogacar is up front to stay safe.
Lots of riders will try to take on the big-name sprinters.
4km to go
Some riders are sitting up. This will be a very reduced-rider sprint.
The run-in to the finish is on wide roads on the outskirts of Pau.
Position is vital.
8km to go
They’re back together. but more attacks fly.
Stuyven goes again! Most teams want a sprint but others do not.
Brent Van Moer (Lotto) and Fabien Grellier (TotalEnergies) were with Stuyven but a surge blew Grellier off the wheel and hurt Van Moer.
They lead by 15 seconds as other teams begin to position their sprinters and do vital chase work.
Jasper Stuyven sparks another attack.
20km to go
Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay are in the group. So are Michael Matthews, Luca Mozzato and Wout Van Aert.
Peloton groupe’ – All back together. Apart from a number of sprinters, who are out the back.
Victor Campenaerts is doing the work for De Lie and brings the gap down to 10 seconds.
De Lie has asked his Lotto teammates to lead the chase and close the gap.
De Lie was in the early break but clearly feels good today.
25km to go
Carapaz and Halland Johannesse fight on together but they suffering, even with a slight tail wind.
Th gap is 30 seconds, with Van Aert and De Lie there.
Carapaz is going all in to try to escape. He and Tobias Halland Johannessen are on the Côte de Simacourbe with 28km to race.
The peloton and the fast finishers, are letting them hang off the front.
We can see Biniam Girmay in the yellow jersey group but Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff have been distanced.
Carapaz is away with Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility). they lead by 20 seconds but the group behind includes lot of strong riders and even some sprinters.
The gap to the four attackers is rising after the peloton came back together It is now 1:20. However the wind is still blowing and so attacks later in the stage near Pau are still possible.
The peloton catches the attackers, leaving just Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X) up the road at 1:00.
Will the peloton let them go and just control them, or will more attacks come whenever the road are exposed to crosswinds?
Stay with us to find out.
70km to go
The peloton continues to ride at speed as it chases the attackers.
The four are at 55 seconds, with the remains of the attack, including Mathieu van der Poel and Adam Yates now within sight.
After a rocket-speed 90km of racing, there could soon be some control and calm in the race.
Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) won the intermediate sprint near the Nogaro motor racing circuit where a Tour stage finished last year and Jasper Philipsen won a crash-hit sprint.
The attacks swept up the points and so that allowed Biniam Girmay to avoid any stress.
75km to go
Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X) are 50 seconds ahead of the chasers from the original attack.
The peloton is about to catch Adam Yates (UAE Emirates), Bernard, Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious), Geniets, Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Van der Poel, Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Costa, Van den Berg (EF Education Easypost), De Lie, Van Moer (Lotto-Dstny), Lazkano (Movistar), Van den Broek (dsm-Firmenich), Ballerini (Astana), Cort and Abrahamsen (Uno-X).
The stage is close to the halfway point but there has not been a let-up in the raving after a leg-burning 90 minutes of racing.
The average speed remains at 49.5km/h.
85km to go
Laurens De Plus stops for a bike change. He will have to chas hard to get back to the peloton, such is the speed.
The four riders are Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Bernard (Lidl-Trek) and Cort (Uno-X).
The rest of the attack is at 30 seconds and the peloton is at 1:25.
This was the moment that Cort caused the split. That raised the pace and hurt some of the riders in the attack. However it increased their lead on the peloton.
💪The pace is hellish at the front of the race! @MagnusCort, @JulienBernard17, @kwiato and @GrgoireRomain2 set off again.💪 Le rythme est infernal en tête de course ! @MagnusCort, @JulienBernard17, @kwiato et @GrgoireRomain2 repartent.#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/0czpTPqFZmJuly 12, 2024
95km to go
The gap remains at 50 seconds but an attack from Magnus Cort has split the 21-rider attack.
If they attack each other, that only helps the chasers.
The riders raced at 48.7 km/h for the first 50 kilometers of the stage. That must have hurt.
The 21 riders in the attack are not all working equally and that is perhaps creating problems and slowing the pace.
There appears to be some kind of pact in the peloton, with two riders from Ineos, Soudal, Jayco and other riders woking on the front and rotating at speed.
The gap is down to 45 seconds.
This is the view from the roadside.
When the Tour comes to town 💨 📍 Mézin #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/2d3z9O4YvBJuly 12, 2024
On a sheltered point on the stage, the peloton has started to pull back the attackers.
The gap is down to 50 seconds.
Tadej Pogačar stayed vigilant, going with the Visma attack. He knew that teammate Adam Yates was up the road.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar were aso in the Visma attack.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Visma drove the Tour de France leader’s echelon attack but then eased up and dropped back to the peloton.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
This is the attack, with Adam Yates in there for UAE.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The gap to the attack is up to 1:00, even with Geraint Thomas and Jonathan Castroviejo leading the chase.
Up front the attackers are working hard to stay away. Check out the names in the attack. It is a quality and very serious attack.
This is our report on Juan Ayuso’s abandon at the Tour de France and the reports he is suffering with COVID-19.
The loss of the Spaniard is a blow to the team and Pogacar’s hopes of overall victory. Of course, Pogacar revealed he had COVID-19 ten days before the Tour and so is unlikely to catch it again.
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