At around 11 PM Beijing time on July 10th, the Tour de France 2024 S11 (Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot) concluded. In the early stages of the race, several riders attempted breakaways to compete for climbing and sprint points. After the main pack regained control by reeling in the escapees in the latter part of the race, the general classification contenders began their individual battles. Vingegaard emerged victorious in the final uphill sprint, edging out his rivals. Let’s recap this thrilling competition.
Prelude to the Race
The Green Lion. The Wanty-Gobert team bus showcased the green lion mascot that Gilmei won for the team, demonstrating their strength.
Bardet’s Son. Bardet’s son came to visit before the race, a reminder that while champions may not always win, family is always the most loyal fan.
Race Route. This stage covered 211 kilometers, starting from Aurillac in central France heading south. It featured five climbs and one intermediate sprint. Although none of the climbs were particularly long (approximately 4-6 kilometers), the concentration of climbs in the last 45 kilometers meant that the general classification riders would inevitably engage in a battle, culminating in a sprint finish among themselves at the end.
The race began amidst the cheers of the crowd in Aurillac. After the ceremonial start, the first 130 kilometers were relatively flat. Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Abrahamson (Uno-X), and Vakilin (Lotto) sought to break away, but the peloton considered these three riders to be targeting the climbing points and sent reinforcements to join them, including Van Aert and Hirschi, keeping the gap within a minute to maintain control over the situation.
After 100 kilometers of racing, some of the breakaway riders began to tire and fall behind, leaving fewer than ten riders in the lead group, with the peloton still maintaining a gap of less than a minute. However, as the peloton entered the mountainous section, sprinters and weaker climbers, including Cavendish, Gilmei, and Gaviria, were dropped.
The breakaway group reached the 43-kilometer mark to the finish line, where Van Aert, who had somewhat recovered, suffered a mechanical failure and was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the race.
▲45 kilometers to go
As the main pack entered the final 45-kilometer mountain stage, they gradually caught up to the breakaway riders. Unable to contain themselves any longer, the general classification contenders began to attack, attempting to disrupt their opponents’ rhythm. Roglic launched the first attack, but was closely marked by his main competitors. Soon after, Evenepoel retaliated, but his move was neutralized by the other three major contenders, resulting in a stalemate.
However, it was Pogacar who broke the deadlock. As he attacked again on the penultimate climb, the other three contenders were momentarily unable to follow, allowing him to open a gap of up to 30 seconds. After cresting the summit, Pogacar’s descent control faltered, causing him to skid nearly crashing, which gave his old rival Vingegaard the opportunity to catch up, shedding Roglic and Evenepoel to join Pogacar ahead, replaying the plot of the yellow-white battle from the 2023 season.
The race then turned into two pairs of old rivals battling each other: Pogacar versus Vingegaard, and Roglic versus Evenepoel. These old adversaries alternated between cooperating to widen or close the gaps and fighting for every second on crucial climbs. Just under one kilometer from the finish, Roglic, suffering from fatigue, crashed, falling behind Evenepoel by about 25 seconds. However, Evenepoel lacked the strength to chase down the yellow-white duo.
As the yellow-white duo entered the final gentle uphill stretch, they began their sprint showdown. This time, Vingegaard was better prepared, defeating Pogacar by half a wheel to win the stage.
In a post-race interview, Vingegaard said, “This victory is significant for me. Three months ago, I was seriously injured and never thought I could win today. When I fell behind on the penultimate climb, I was worried that Pogacar would extend his lead, but I gave it my all to close the gap. In the final sprint, I believed I could win!”
Post-race, Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, Gilmei claimed the green jersey, Pogacar secured the polka dot jersey, and Evenepoel donned the white jersey. Stage 12 of the Tour de France (Agen to Pau) will take place on July 11th, stay tuned.
Race Image Gallery
(Image source: Tour de France Organizing Committee)
