Pogacar set for Tour de France glory as Carapaz wins stage 20
Shortened Final Stage for Tour de France
The final stage of the Tour de France on Sunday will be shortened to 89km and will commence on the Champs-Élysées, featuring two laps of the avenue followed by circuits of the Butte de Montmartre. This adjustment was made due to wildfires in other parts of France, which necessitated the redeployment of internal security forces. The Tour organizer, ASO, in a joint statement with the police prefecture, indicated that resources were reinforced in areas affected by these wildfires. This marks the third stage in this year’s race to be impacted by prefecture intervention due to wildfires or a heatwave.
Wildfires around the Arcachon lagoon near Bordeaux and around Biscarrosse in the Landes have destroyed more than 36,000 hectares of forest. The decision to shorten the final stage means that Tadej Pogacar’s likely victory parade in Paris will occur sooner than initially planned.
Carapaz Secures Stage Victory Amidst Drama
Richard Carapaz secured his second stage win in three days on Saturday, taking victory in the 20th stage. This stage, considered one of the hardest in the Tour’s history, involved climbing 5,450 meters across three hors category climbs over 170.9km, finishing in Alpe d’Huez for a second consecutive day. Carapaz, of EF Education-Easypost, also secured the King of the Mountains classification, known as the polka dot jersey.
The stage was marked by significant drama, particularly involving Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike. Kuss, who was leading solo in the final 7km, crashed twice. The first crash occurred coming out of a tunnel approaching Alpe d’Huez town, and the second happened on a right-hand corner where his rear wheel slid on dust, leading him to lean into safety netting that prevented a fall down a sheer drop. Carapaz capitalized on Kuss’s misfortune, sweeping past him to claim the stage win.
Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe finished second in the stage, 26 seconds behind Carapaz, after a late charge. Evenepoel also denied Kuss a second-place finish by catching and passing him inside the final 50 meters. Pogacar, riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, finished fourth in the stage, 1 minute and 5 seconds behind Carapaz, while his teammate Isaac del Toro finished fifth with the same time.
Pogacar’s Dominance and Team Support
Pogacar is poised to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, which would place him alongside riders such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. He will start Sunday’s shortened stage into Paris with a lead of six minutes and 26 seconds over Evenepoel in the general classification. Pogacar’s overall time after stage 20 is 72 hours, 53 minutes, and 44 seconds.
During Saturday’s stage, Pogacar focused on supporting his 22-year-old Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, to provisionally secure third place on the overall podium and the young rider classification’s white jersey. Pogacar paced a struggling Del Toro up the final climb, and the pair crossed the line together with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Del Toro is currently third in the general classification, nine minutes and 42 seconds behind Pogacar.
Pogacar commented on his role, stating, “I did my best to help Isaac.” He also expressed his appreciation for his teammates’ work throughout the three weeks of the Tour. Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA-CGM, a rival for the white jersey, cracked on the final mountain of the race and is set to finish fourth in the general classification, 11 minutes and 56 seconds down on Pogacar’s overall time. Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek is expected to win the green points jersey in Paris by finishing the final stage, holding an uncatchable lead of 82 points over Jasper Philipsen.
Safety Concerns and Rider Reactions
The chaotic climb on Friday’s stage to Alpe d’Huez led to significant concerns regarding rider and fan safety. Several incidents occurred, including in-race motorbikes being blocked by crowds, which stalled an attack from Evenepoel. Additionally, a lack of crowd control resulted in Movistar climber Einer Rubio abandoning the race after riding into the rear windscreen of a UAE team car. Rubio was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble and received 20 stitches for facial injuries, an incident caused by an unruly spectator falling in front of the car, forcing it to brake suddenly.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou commented on the incident, suggesting that older car models might have prevented the accident, seemingly attributing it to the braking sensors in modern vehicles. Footage of fans wrestling over gifts and climbing over moving race vehicles further fueled discussions about the race’s control. French national champion Romain Grégoire described spectators as “so drunk that it was more like being slapped on the arse, than getting pushes.” Evenepoel’s sports director, Klaaas Lodewyck, noted that while cheering is acceptable, punching side mirrors and banging on windows crosses a line. The spat between Carapaz and French climber Lenny Martinez also continued into Saturday morning, following an incident on Friday’s stage where Carapaz accused Martinez of cutting in front of him on a final corner.
Source: theguardian.com
