Assist trulyindependent journalism
Discover out extraShut
Our mission is to ship unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds energy to account and exposes the reality.
Whether or not $5 or $50, each contribution counts.
Assist us to ship journalism with out an agenda.
There have been some arduous and horrible days on this yr’s Tour de France, like stage 9’s chaos on gravel and the gruelling Col du Tourmalet on stage 14, however this race has saved the toughest and highest roads till the top.
After yesterday’s emotional win for Victor Campenaerts, stage 19 is a brute: three monstrous Alpine climbs, again to again, with a summit end on the mountain resort of Isola. The center climb of the trio is the enormous Cime de la Bonette (22.9km at 6.9%), the best paved highway in France at 2,802m.
It’s fairly a spot to make an announcement, and Tadej Pogacar might select to do exactly that. Pogacar doesn’t have to assault, in fact. He leads Jonas Vingegaard by three minutes and any wise particular person would sit on Vingegaard’s wheel all the best way to Good and lock up victory by not shedding contact.
However that isn’t Pogacar, and neither is it Vingegaard’s nature to easily hand over, so anticipate some fireworks regardless that this race is all however achieved. Vingegaard might bravely attempt one thing if he’s feeling OK, and Pogacar will nearly definitely reply with gusto.
He’ll see this as a possibility so as to add to his tally of 14 stage wins, and the breakaway which is able to probably assemble early within the day will want a sizeable benefit on the foot of the Cime de la Bonette so as to stave off the advancing yellow jersey.
If it isn’t to be Pogacar’s day then it’ll require some robust climbing legs within the breakaway – riders like Richard Carapaz and Romain Bardet have already got stage wins this yr and can eye any such route, whereas Britain’s Simon Yates has seemed good too. Spain’s Enric Mas and Australia’s Jai Hindley are two extra to look at in the event that they make the break.
And spare a thought for the sprinters left within the peloton. There isn’t a battle on the Champs-Elysees this yr, nothing left to achieve however the delight of ending a Tour de France. Will probably be an extended day on the again. Davide Ballerini presently carries the lanterne rouge, although Mark Cavendish is just one place and one minute forward of him.
Stage 19 map and profile
Prediction
Tadej Pogacar might effectively blow away the sphere to win carrying yellow, however we’re going to plump for a breakaway winner escaping up the highway early and staying away. SimonYates has come shut, and maybe this will likely be his day.
