Happenings of The Tour de France
by Sean Mackinnon
The Individual Time Trial at stage 16 of the Tour de France finished with iconic back-to-back stage wins by Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian superstar’s impressive feat takes him one step closer to finishing on the podium in Paris. Tadej Pogacar came across the finish line second, repeating the same result as Sunday.
It was clear that riders were pushing the limits on Tuesday’s stage, Pogacar had a close call, and Florian Lipowitz, Evenepoel’s teammate, crashed out at the same corner Pogacar had trouble on.
Other excitement during the stage came when Netcompany INEOS rider Thymen Arensman missed his start time, something that is a bit shocking at the world’s largest race.
The Departure of Jonas
The big news before Tuesday’s stage was the exit of Jonas Vingegaard on stage 15. Vingegaard’s crash happened when his team was pushing the pace in the valley roads before the final climb. The two-time Tour de France winner was looking forward to the closing mountain stages in the race. The incident on stage 15 happened after both Vingegaard and Pogacar were tested outside of normal doping control times before Sunday’s big stage that included a mountain-top finish.This was something that both Pogacar and Evenepoel highlighted after the Dane’s departure. Former pro cyclist Robbie McEwen had some stark comments that followed Vingegaards departure.
Doubling Down on the Doping Control
It is no surprise why cyclists are held to a higher standard of doping control tests, but the cycling world was outspoken about the after hour tests both Vingegarrd and Pogacar faced before stage 15.
Brandan McNulty hit by car before race start
One thing that happened at today’s race was quite a surprise: UAE Team Emirates – XRG rider Brandon McNulty was reportedly a “victim of road rage.”
This was a total shock, and yet another thing that anyone who has spent any time riding a bike on the road can relate to in some capacity.
The race for the podium
Paul Seixas, the French hope for a top finish or a stage win in the coming days came out strong in the TT on Tuesday, finishing fourth and ahead of Young Rider leader Isaac Del Toro. Seixas was the youngest rider to ever put on a leader’s jersey (the White Young Rider’s Jersey) after an impressive stage 14, but would lose it on Sunday. The French hope is holding his own and sits only 20 seconds off the podium.
An impressive Tour from Captain America
Quinn Simmons has had an impressive Tour so far, earning the Combatitivity Award on Stage 15, which finished in Plateau De Solaison. It was the fourth time Simmons was in the breakaway this year, and probably won’t be the last.
There will be an exciting finish to the race, with the new Paris finishing circuit involving the Cote de la Butte de Montmatre, a climb revived at the Olympics in 2024. It would be no surprise to see Simmons up the road almost every day until the end of the race. Simmons has made it clear what he feels his role is on the team, and demonstrated that in style during stage 16 when he helped teammate Juan Ayuso on the final climb, and still finished 10th on the stage.
Merlier Abandons, Too
Tim Merlier, like Pogacar, has three stage wins in this Tour, but was another rider to abandon the race last week. He dominated the flat stages, but looked to be struggling when the roads got lumpy. The Tour has also set a number of records this year, the fastest ever stage was recorded this year, averaging over 50 km/h.
Tech Day
The Individual Time Trial was an exciting day, with a stark difference between riders just aiming to finish the stage and those looking for a top result. It was also interesting to look at some of the tech that is shared between both triathlon and cycling. Despite the fact that triathletes aren’t restricted by the UCI rules cyclists must adhere to, positions in the pro peloton and those used by triathletes are becoming more and more similar.
Cooling tech on deck for top competitors
One thing that stuck out during the coverage of the day’s race was watching the GC leaders warm up – the majority of riders were encased in cooling vests and other technology. Tom Pidcock was spotted in a haze of mist and even had some cooling mitts on.
Pinarello
While he isn’t still racing in the pro peloton, Cameron Wurf maintains his Tour connection thanks to his ride. Wurf finished IRONMAN Lake Placid in seventh on board a Pinarello.
Lake Placid winner, Marten Van Riel, stormed to the fastest bike split of the day on a Trek Speed Concept SLR, the same bike that Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek rode to third place on at the Tour today.
Full-distance rookie Paula Findlay won IRONMAN Lake Placid on board a Specialized, the same brand Evenepoel used to win the ITT stage today. Findlay was spotted posing in front of her Shiv machine before her win. She’s a two-time winner of the Canadian National TT Championships, and took silver this year.
Pogacar’s Colnago bikes have garnered lots of attention. He has been spotted riding the road stages on the Y1Rs. In the time trial he rode to second place on the Colnago TT2, a time trial bike that allows his mechanics to build it out close to the UCI weight limit, which is a staggering 6.8km minimum weight. The time trial machine gets close to this weight with a 1x drivetrain and carbon everything.
The final stages of the race will be very exciting. With two of the podium steps up for grabs, the final stages will be incredibly competitive. The racing outcome will have a lot to do with how Pogacar’s team decides to command the race. Stage 17, which is defined as a hilly stage, will offer one of the last chances for a bunch sprint before the finale in Paris, and back to back finishes on Alpe d’Huez for stages 18 and 19 will surely bring the cream of the crop to the top.
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