At around 11 PM Beijing time on July 9th, the Tour de France 2024 S10 (Orleans – Saint-Amand-Montrond) concluded. For most of the race, the peloton maintained a cohesive group ride. As the sprint showdown approached, Van der Poel protected his teammate, enabling Philipsen to secure the victory smoothly. Let’s review this thrilling race.
Race Anecdotes
Cavendish. Before the race, Cavendish posted a short video urging spectators, “Please do not interfere with the riders during the race, such as crossing the road, waving flags in their way, or hitting the riders, which are all impolite behaviors.”
A Plea for Mercy. Bauhaus (Bahrain Team) said in an interview before the race, “Today’s course is very suitable for me, and it happens to be my birthday today. I ask all the big shots to give me some face.”
Race Route. This stage covered a distance of 187.3 kilometers, starting from Orleans in central France and heading south. There was only one intermediate sprint point along the route. The riders, except for competing for the sprint points, preferred to stay together in the main pack, anticipating a sprint showdown.
The race began amidst the cheers of the Orleans crowd. Since there were no undulating roads on this stage and only one intermediate sprint point at the 57-kilometer mark, the riders chose to stick together, providing some role players with opportunities to shine.
As the breakaway riders passed through the intermediate sprint point, the main peloton accelerated to reel them back in, once again entering a long phase of riding as a single group.
The pace within the main pack was relatively slow, giving some riders the chance to interact with roadside spectators. Mollema (Astana Team) handed a water bottle to a young spectator outside the course, surprising the child’s mother.
As the main pack entered the final five kilometers, teams attempted to form their sprint trains. The Israel Start-Up Nation team and EF Education First briefly controlled the front of the peloton, but the ambitious Alpecin-Fenix team, led by Van der Poel, took over in the last two kilometers.
After Philipsen pushed his rival Van Aert out of the front of the peloton, he unknowingly turned Laporte (Team DSM) into an auxiliary sprinter for Alpecin-Fenix. Once Van der Poel delivered Philipsen into striking range at 300 meters, Philipsen began his decisive move.
Girmay, Gaviria, Van Aert, and other riders tried to follow, but they were slightly behind in terms of timing and position compared to Philipsen, witnessing him cross the finish line first to win the stage.
In the post-race interview, Philipsen said, “In the previous stage, we fell short in luck, failing to achieve our goal of winning the stage and leading the sprint classification. However, we adjusted our mindset. Instead of being fixated on that goal, we let go of the mental burden and focused on the present, as winning the race is crucial.”
After the race, Pogacar won the yellow jersey, Girmay won the green jersey, Abrahamson won the polka dot jersey, and Evenepoel won the white jersey. The Tour de France S11 (Aurillac – Villeneuve-sur-Lot) will take place on July 10th, stay tuned.
Race Photo Album
(Image Source: Tour de France Organizing Committee)
