At around 11 PM Beijing time on July 14th, the Tour de France 2024 S15 (Loudenvielle – Col du Bayard) concluded. In the early stages of the race, several riders took turns attacking to contest the first half’s climb and sprint points. After the peloton regained control by reeling in the breakaway riders, the general classification contenders clashed again on the Col du Bayard. The Team DSM took the initiative, with their domestique Jorgensen wearing down the UAE Team Emirates domestiques. Van der Poel launched an attack mid-way but was overtaken and dropped by the unstoppable Pogacar within 5 kilometers from the finish line. Pogacar eventually secured his lead over Van der Poel by one minute, further solidifying his position in the overall standings, and set a new record for the climb up the Col du Bayard, three minutes faster than before. Let’s recap this thrilling race.
Pre-race Anecdotes
A Family Affair. As Girmay dominated the Tour de France, his wife and daughter came into the public eye.
“Little Chairman Lan”. Landa (Quick-Step Floors) was visited by his family, a reunion more precious than any medal.
Race Route. This stage covered 197.9 kilometers, starting from Loudenvielle in southwestern France and heading towards the eastern side of the Pyrenees. It featured five categorized climbs and one intermediate sprint point. For the GC contenders, this was the second consecutive mountain stage of the second phase of the race. Following the considerable energy expenditure from Stage 14, this stage presented a total elevation gain of 4,800 meters, with the Col du Bayard (15.8 km at an average gradient of 7.9%) becoming the battleground for the GC riders. The first rider to summit would take a significant step closer to the top of the overall standings.
Amid the cheers of the crowd in Loudenvielle, the race began. With the start situated near a gas station in a village halfway up a hill, the first 20 kilometers included a Category 1 climb and an intermediate sprint point. Godet (Groupama-FDJ), who was slightly disappointed the day before, took the initiative to attack and successfully claimed the first place in the climb. Godet attempted to maintain his lead, but the sprinters were not willing to miss out on their opportunity. They caught up to Godet with the support of their teams and engaged in a mini skirmish near the sprint point, with Girmay, the green jersey holder, taking the first place. This signaled that today’s race would be a series of attacks and counterattacks.
Due to the numerous climbs today, the sprinters tactically retreated to the peloton. Various team role players then broke away, including Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Sobrero (Bora-Hansgrohe), De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers), and 17 other riders forming a formidable breakaway group, which pulled ahead of the yellow jersey group by over one and a half minutes. Led by UAE Team Emirates, the main group, with Pogacar holding a two-minute lead, maintained a relatively slow pace until the decisive moments, allowing the gap to widen to over three minutes. This behavior irritated the Jumbo-Visma team, who sought to turn the tables. After crossing the second and third mountains, they took over the pace-setting duties of the main group, initiating a relentless 130-kilometer full-speed chase.
This counterintuitive strategy by Jumbo-Visma carried a certain level of risk, but it proved effective in disrupting the rhythm of the UAE Team Emirates domestiques. Politt, Wellens, Almeida, Adam Yates, and other key support riders for Pogacar buckled under the extreme pressure exerted by Jumbo-Visma. However, the Jumbo-Visma domestiques also became exhausted. When Jorgensen fell back 3 kilometers before entering the Col du Bayard (15.9 km at an average gradient of 7.9%), the once bustling main group was reduced to a small group of less than ten GC leaders. Meanwhile, the original 17-rider breakaway group was whittled down to Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Mas (Movistar Team), and Leucnennec (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team). However, as Van der Poel launched a fierce attack, only Pogacar could keep up, leaving the rest of the riders trailing behind in frustration.
Van der Poel attempted to wear down Pogacar by accelerating up the steep sections, but Pogacar, in superior form, not only stayed with Van der Poel but also counterattacked with 5 kilometers to go, easily overtaking him. As the gap between them grew larger, Van der Poel had no choice but to accept the reality of losing to Pogacar by 1 minute and 9 seconds once again.
After the race, Van der Poel explained through his team’s media, “The entire team, including myself, did everything we could to execute our pre-race tactics. But we didn’t expect Pogacar to be so powerful. I couldn’t change the outcome, and I congratulate him on his victory. If Pogacar’s condition fluctuates during the third week of the Tour de France, we will seize the opportunity to win. But if he continues to perform at such a high level, the situation will only get worse. Nevertheless, we will continue to fight proactively.”
Pogacar not only crossed the finish line 1 minute and 9 seconds ahead of his old rival Van der Poel but also broke the best stage time from 1998 by almost three minutes. In a post-race interview, Pogacar said, “When my team followed Jumbo-Visma to the foot of the Col du Bayard, I knew Van der Poel was about to launch his decisive attack. I stayed close behind and noticed that he was suffering during his attack. I patiently waited for the right moment to counterattack. When the opportunity came, I tried it out, and the whole process went smoother than I expected.”
After the race, Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, Girmay kept the green jersey, Pogacar held onto the polka dot jersey, and Evenepoel maintained the white jersey. On July 16th, the Tour de France S16 (Gruissan – Nîmes) will take place, stay tuned.
Race Photo Gallery
(Image Source: Tour de France Organizing Committee)
