A day of ordinary madness at Tour de France and victory of that Ion Izagirre, who seven years ago almost made us cry by snatching an almost certain victory from Vincenzo Nibali. The Shark had won the Giro, but in France he struggled to connect the dots, on the road to the Rio OlympicsThose were heavy and hard days, with attacks in the newspapers and low blows.
On the day in Morzine, with the Col de Joux Plane and the subsequent descent, Nibali had managed to crest the summit in front and dive into the steep descent with his usual verve. Then the rain and the desire not to take any risks suggested him to apply the brakes. and at the Alpine finish line he was passed by Pantano and Izagirre, who won. Ironically, Nibali fell on the descent in Rio, perhaps regretting that missed stage.. At the end of the season, who knows if after seeing him in action at the Tour, Nibali took Ion and his brother Gorka with him in the newly formed Bahrain-Merida.
«The last few kilometers were exciting – says Izagirre – we wanted to continue the line after Lafay's stage victoryWe came to the Tour to win a stage, but having already won two is fantastic. I was happy to be in the right breakaway. The collaboration was good until the last climb, so I decided to attack. I had a lot of confidence in my legs. A lot of things went through my head in the last few kilometers.. It was an emotional day."
After the finish line Team manager Cedric Vasseur (opening photo) could do nothing to hold back the tears. For the team that last year he fought to avoid relegation, two stage victories are more than oxygen.
Jakobsen at home
Yes, the right escape. On the day when The invisible Jakobsen has left the Tour (the Dutchman is suffering from the after-effects of a fall)The race was nothing short of explosive. One might note the vein of irony that populates the most recent events of the home sprinters. Soudal-Quick StepHaving let Cavendish go to focus on Jakobsen, the Dutchman's performances at the Tour were limited to the Nyborg stage last year, a prelude to the European title in Monaco. To make room for him, the team also let Merlier go, only to discover that Jakobsen will leave in 2024, probably to Team DSM.
However this morning there was just enough time for Prudhomme to lower the starting flag and Mads pedersen He attacked.
He continued to push for the next hour, while Van Aert seemed hyperactive at the head of the group, but was unable to gain any metres. The right escape started after 70 headache-inducing kilometers and saw alternating attacks from Van der Poel and Amador, while the group behind exploded. Then Van der Poel decided to do it himself, but paid for the solo, breaking away after having started the last climb with a small advantage.
A virtuous circle
Izagirre started with a 25-second lead right at the top of the final ramp, while Behind him, Guillaume Martin stood guard with cunning and great timing.
«It was very tough from start to finish – says the Cofidis philosopher, who came to the Tour to do the rankings – and in front everyone finished the stage with the energy they had leftThe breakaway group eventually crumbled. We also pedaled with our ears – he laughed – as they say in these cases, but these are beautiful days and beautiful memories.
«I tried to control it, it wasn't easy because in the end they attacked in turns and I'm happy to have responsive legs againIon (Izagirre, ed.) first closed on Thibaut Pinot and then attacked and managed to win. It's a virtuous circle, victory breeds victory. and we of the Cofidis we might not stop here."
Van der Poel's surrender
According to Sonny Colbrelli, who today in Reggio Emilia presented the Merida produced under his name in a limited edition, Van der Poel did some more testing for his real goal: the world championship.
“I felt better today,” said Mathieu, still hoarse, “but my body is not ready for a winning performance yetI've been feeling sick for three days. Receiving the red number is a nice prize, but I would have preferred to win. Today might have been my last chance to do something, but I didn't have enough of a lead to get through the last climb. The route is not for me in the next three days. If anything, I'm glad I felt better than I have the last three days."
Make way for the giants
In fact, starting tomorrow the group will attack the Alps, with the uphill finish at Grand Colombier, in a short stage of 138 kilometers.
Saturday was the longest day, with 152 kilometers and the arrival in Morzine with the same ending as that time in 2016.
Finally on Sunday, another 179 kilometers up in Saint Gervais Mont BlancThe preliminary stages are over, starting tomorrow the giants' teams will resume operations. And Pogacar, just to warm up his legs, like implicit response to Vingegaard's morning shots, he did the group sprint.
