At around 11 PM Beijing time on July 12th, the curtain fell on Stage 13 of the 2024 Tour de France (Agen to Pau). Early in the race, four riders attempted a breakaway to vie for climbing and sprint points. As the main pack increased its efforts in the latter half to reel them back in, the sprint contenders started anew their contest. Philipsen was unstoppable in the final sprint, winning the stage. Below, we recap this thrilling race.
Pre-race Anecdotes
Roglic. Bora-Hansgrohe announced that their lead rider Roglic, after medical examination, would withdraw from the race, signifying the team’s abandonment of the overall classification battle to pursue other objectives.
Auctioning the Green Jersey. Qhubeka announced the auction of the signed green jersey by Girmay, with bidding closing on July 18th. Interested cycling enthusiasts should follow Qhubeka’s official social media for updates.
Happy Birthday. Le Ny (FDJ Team) celebrated his 21st birthday, with the team thoughtfully preparing a birthday cake for him.
Race Route. The stage covered 165.3 kilometers, starting in central France at Agen heading southwest. Two climbs and one intermediate sprint were set along the route. The first half was flat without any climbs or sprints, allowing the breakaway group to form significantly. The main pack, to maintain control, accelerated its pace but was limited by the moderate difficulty of the climbs in the second half, leading to a sprint showdown at the finish line.
With the cheers of the Agen crowd, the race began. Due to the first intermediate sprint being set at the 91-kilometer mark and the first climb at over 127 kilometers away, and with relatively flat roads throughout, a massive breakaway group of 22 riders formed after the ceremonial start.
The main pack kept a close watch, striving to keep the gap within one minute. This situation remained until about 80 kilometers from the finish, when Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) withdrew due to physical discomfort. First, the polka dot jersey contender Abrahamson and three others were dropped from the breakaway group due to exhaustion. Soon, the breakaway group split, with Kudus, Greipel, Bernard, and Kwiatkowski successfully breaking away to form a quartet.
At this point, the main pack, after the breakaways passed the intermediate sprint, quickened its pursuit. Around 40 kilometers from the finish, most of the escapees were caught. At this juncture, the original quartet fractured as Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) caught up with them. He and Kudus worked together to drop the others during the climb.
▲Quartet of Breakaways
However, the main pack would not allow any rider to escape their grasp. Under the relentless pursuit of the main pack, all breakaway riders were caught again about 11 kilometers from the finish, returning the race to a sprint showdown.
The main pack entered the Pau phase, where Wanty-Gobert Matériaux formed a solo sprint train firmly controlling the front of the pack. However, upon entering the city’s turns, they were sandwiched by riders from other teams, resulting in their “head and tail” being cut off. At this moment, an unexpected event occurred. Due to a mishap where a deputy of the Arkéa-Samsic team accidentally blocked their own leader, the main pack split into two after a crash.
Team DSM seized this golden opportunity, but apparently unprepared, deputy Laporte only led out for over 200 meters. Without effectively communicating with teammate Van Aert behind him before the last 300 meters, he gave up the line. This hesitation allowed Philipsen to seize the initiative and launch his decisive attack. Van Aert followed, but unfortunately, his timing was too late, watching helplessly as Philipsen claimed victory once again.
After the race, Van Aert stated through the team’s media, “Today, my teammates performed excellently. It’s slightly unfortunate that I started my sprint a bit too far out, allowing Philipsen to seize the opportunity and overturn the situation. I missed out on a possible victory.”
In his post-race interview, Philipsen said, “Luck is part of the game on the racetrack. After winning the previous race, I felt things were turning in my favor. Today, seeing Laporte retire early, I saw my chance. I decisively launched my final attack, but my effective range is only about 300 meters. So, at the last moment, I looked back to check Van Aert’s position, and fortunately, I won!”
After the race, Pogačar clinched the yellow jersey, Girmay the green jersey, Pogačar the polka dot jersey, and Evenepoel the white jersey. On July 13th, the Tour de France Stage 14 (Pau to Col du Soulor) will take place. Stay tuned.
Race Photo Album
(Image source: Tour de France Organizing Committee)
