Race thread: 🇫🇷 Tour de France 2026, second week, July 14-19

Stage 12, Thursday 16

This one is a bit more hilly than the previous one, but those hills look far from enough to prevent another sprinters stage.

There was quite some action compared to other sprinters stages. My memory and therefore my account will be pretty fuzzy because I slept through several parts and was away at a few others :-)

Breakaway took some time to form. Finally, only Veistroffer (🇫🇷 Lotto) successfully broke away alone. At the I.S. there were a few attacks, I though they had all failed (after reducing the gap by half, to 1 minute), but when I came back, 3 guys had joined Veistroffer🇫🇷.

(Pedersen (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek) won the peloton's I.S. but he could have been relegated for he went from the centre to the right of the fence, blocking Philipsen (🇧🇪 Alpecin) and another rider against the fences.)

With 60 km to go, Veistroffer🇫🇷 dropped Caruso (🇮🇹 Bahrain) and Vercher (🇫🇷 Total). 10 km farther, Costiou (🇫🇷 FDJ) gave up, and Veistroffer🇫🇷 was alone again.

When the peloton reached the hills 35-40 from the line, there were a lot of attacks (the fist one caught Veistroffer🇫🇷), mainly by Lidl-Trek who wanted to avoid a mass sprint. They put quite a mess during 25-30 km, but the last 10 km, really flat, allowed sprinters teams to regain control.

Therefore, it ended with a mass sprint. And a mass crash, due to a vicious little wave of the road brilliantly set 350-400 m from the line, which left only a few riders for the sprint (basically, everyone who survived the crash scored UCI points...). The first to hit the ground was Gaviria (🇨🇴 Caja Rural), whose front wheel was hit by a Bahrain rider who changed direction.

Fun fact: after 12 stages, Veistroffer🇫🇷 has grabbed 3 times as much prize money 💶 as the whole GFDJ team 🤣

Today's stage was pretty exciting to watch wondering if the peleton would catch the breakaway.

Stage 14, Saturday 18

155 km, D+ 3900 m

This Alsatian mountain stage is a loop in the Vosges.

The race started under an heavy shower. The first 12 km were controlled by sprinters teams as the I.S. was that early. The rain was over by then.

A couple of miles later, the climbs started and so did the attacks to form a breakaway.

Long story short: for a long time, there were 2 groups of breakaways, with Visma riders in the second. At the front, a group of 6 formed: the Uno-X twins (Johanessen(s)🇳🇴), the EF twins (Healy🇮🇪 and Carapaz🇪🇨), as well as V. Paret-Peintre (🇫🇷 Soudal-QS) and Rubio (🇨🇴 Movistar); Arensman (🇳🇱 Ineos) should have joined when Rubio🇨🇴 did but he got the 2368^th^ puncture of the Tour at Ineos. Carapaz🇪🇨 and V. Paret-Peintre were fighting for Mountain points, but the Frenchman won all GPM sprints.

While the second group oscillated between 30 seconds and 1 minute ahead of the peloton, the front group got up to 3 minutes.

Healy🇮🇪 and Anders Johanessen🇳🇴 sacrificed for their brothers. Then Tobias J.🇳🇴 attacked and was only followed by Carapaz🇪🇨 who counter-attacked a bit farther. The Ecuadorian rider started the last climb about 1 minute only ahead of the peloton (or what was left of it).

In the peloton, in the last climb, the two guys who had made a big jump into GC yesterday thanks to their breakaway, Jegat (🇫🇷 Total) and Pidcock (🇬🇧 Q36.5), cracked early. The Englishman, who had been in the breakaway today again, managed to limit the damage; the Frenchman not so much.

Yates (🇬🇧 UAE) couldn't work for his leaders, he was dropped before he could.

Voisard (🇫🇷 Tudor) stayed a long time with the top guys, but overheated and blew up rather severely.

The breakawaymen Carapaz🇪🇨 and Johanessen🇳🇴 managed to stick with leaders surprisingly long, considering the fact that they had given a lot more than the other guys and that it was going fast when they were caught up.

Back to the leaders: there was one attack by Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora), it didn't last long.

Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Bora) cracked first. Like the other day, Vingegaard (🇳🇴 Visma) pulled alone, without getting any help from Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) and others. As a result, Evenepoel🇧🇪 would have come back like the other day, if Pogatchar (🇸🇮 UAE) hadn't attacked, with only 1.5 km to the summit. Then every individual was chasing every other individual, full gas.

There was 6 km of plateau after the pass, before the line. Again, Seixas🇫🇷 didn't collaborate well with Vingegaard🇳🇴, especially after Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) caught them – the Mexican would of course not relay, as his leader was 20-30 seconds ahead. So, this trio got slower; slower than the lone Pogatchar🇸🇮 ahead, and also slower than Evenpoel🇧🇪 who had regrouped with his teammate Lipowitz🇩🇪 and with Ayuso (🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek), and they almost got caught again. Of course, in the end, for 2^nd^ place, Del Toro🇲🇽 beat Seixas🇫🇷 and the worn out Vingegaard🇳🇴 who didn't really take part in the sprint.

L. Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahrain) produced a good performance. I didn't speak of him because I can't remember when he was dropped.

Seixas🇫🇷 takes the White jersey off Ayuso🇪🇸's shoulders thanks to the time bonus for 3^rd^place.

V. Paret-Peintre🇫🇷 doesn't get the Polka Dots jersey, as Pogatchar🇸🇮 passed in first position on the last climb. And, weirdly, there was no point for the Hundruck pass.

Kanter (🇩🇪 Astana) still competes for the Green jersey, despite being a bit far behind and only ranking 5^th^. I imagine that he hopes 1 or 2 of the guys before him will withdraw at some point, to make it into the first 3 places.

Fun facts:

• the 1^st^ FDJ rider is 2 hours behind Pogatchar in GC; that's worse than Caja Rural;
• the 1^st^ Picnic rider is 1 hour behind the 1^st^ FDJ rider in GC!

Today (Wed) was mostly a snooze fest. But Philipson looked better in the sprint. But still not great, especially since you could see just how much faster Olav is than him. But it wasn't as bad as the other stages where his lead out team delivered him perfectly, only to have him shank it and come in 5th or 6th (or whatever it was). Still hoping my boy Bini can find a way to win a stage.

Stage 15, Sunday 19

184 km, D+ 4100 m

This weeks ends up as this year's Dauphiné did (when Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) beat badly the rest of the field). The final climb is the same but the whole course which starts in the Jura mounts, before bypassing Geneva by staying on the French side, is very different, much more varied.

What a dramatic finale!

It all started well. Like the day before, the peloton was controlled by sprinters teams (mainly Alpecin) until the I.S. which was only 17 km away from the start. As everyone was aware of it, nobody tried anything until the Sprint was passed.

Then there were several breakaways. EF chased, as they had no one in it, and they wanted Carapaz🇪🇨 in it. they succeeded in catching the breakaway after 15-20 km, but when another good one restarted (about 85-90 km from the line, I think), the Ecuadorian missed it again.

In the very steep Croisette pass, Q. Simmons (🇺🇸 Lidl-Trek) attacked. He gained about 20 seconds over a group which only contained any more Pidcock (🇬🇧 Q36.5, here again!), Voisard (🇨🇭 Tudor), Yates (🇬🇧 UAE), as well as Schmid (🇨🇭 Jayco) and Costiou (🇫🇷 FDJ) who were dropped when Pidcock🇬🇧 accelerated in the last mile to basically catch the American up at the summit. All 6 regrouped in the descent and Schmid🇨🇭 attacked in the descent (was it the descent of the little climb just after?) as he had noticed he was inferior to the other 5 in climbs. He got like 20-30 seconds max but could reach the start of the final climb like that.

In the peloton, Visma had sent one more time Campenaerts🇧🇪 and Armirail🇫🇷 ahead in the breakaway. Visma was pulling the peloton, got those two guys back to help, and they started pulling even faster, reducing from 3 to 2 minutes the advance of breakaway / Schmid🇨🇭. Then they arrived way too fast in a small roundabout, couldn't take the smoothest exit lane but had to take the harder corner next, and Vingegaard🇩🇰 crashed with a few others including Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) and stepped into the ambulance with likely a broken collarbone. 🏥 😭

There was a long period of wavering in the small peloton. But then it got even weirder.

At the front, Q. Simmons🇺🇸 attacked again soon after the final climb started. He was doing very well, and caught and dropped Schmid🇨🇭 after a while. He unfortunately had only like 1′30″ over the peloton where Pogatchar (🇸🇮 UAE) had started pulling, apparently thinking that it would be a good idea to make Del Toro🇲🇽 win; Del Toro🇲🇽 who had just crashed a few miles earlier...

Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahrain) and Skjelmose (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek) were dropped first.

Ayuso (🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek), Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora) and... Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) dropped next, while contrarily to the other days, Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Bora) and Del Toro🇲🇽 could hand to the Slovenian rider who wasn't attacking, just pulling.

The Pogatchar🇸🇮 trio got the help of Yates🇬🇧 (dropping from the breakaway). Behind, Seixas🇫🇷 wasn't getting any help, as Lipowitz🇩🇪 had his co-leader ahead, and Ayuso🇪🇸 was unable to help. The gap between the two trios was around 30 seconds.

Yates🇬🇧 dropped, Pogatchar🇸🇮 went a bit faster, but Evenepoel🇧🇪 looked better than Del Toro🇲🇽.

Behind, Ayuso🇪🇸 cracked. As the Pogatchar🇸🇮 trio had caught Q. Simmons🇺🇸, the American had to drag the Spaniard all the way up. What a stage he did! He only finished 2 minutes behind the stage winner...

At the front, they were getting near the last mile, Del Toro🇲🇽 attacked but, as we could expect it, he couldn't drop the Belgian at all. He tried again in the final part, to no avail. It was obvious that he couldn't win and that Pogatchar🇸🇮 should have switched to playing his own card. He didn't and just escorted Evenepoel🇧🇪 to the line. Perhaps the Slovenian wanted to ridicule the race because he had been waken up in the middle of the night by the anti-doping control team? Was he pissed at team orders telling him to make the Mexican win? There is not a single logical sporting explanation for his behaviour.

I suppose that as usual, Evenepoel🇧🇪 will believe he has beaten a top guy and not understand the stage was gifted to him 🤣

From the breakaway, Voisard🇨🇭 tried with more success than Pidcock🇬🇧 to hang up with the leaders. Both did an honest work of limiting damage. The Englishman remains 9^th^, and the Swiss jumps to 11^th^ place.

Jegat (🇫🇷 Total) even more so Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahrain) did the same, from the peloton. They progress to 10^th^ and 8^th^ places, respectively.

Both Bernal (🇨🇴 Ineos) and T. Johanessen (🇳🇴 Uno-X) cracked early and lost a lot in GC.

The situation inversion between Evenepoel🇧🇪 and Seixas🇫🇷 is the possibility that was pissing me off in Seixas🇫🇷's repeated refusal to relay Vingegaard to bury the weaker (at those moments) Belgian on two earlier stages. Now the Frenchman is 1′20″ behind in GC, thanks to letting the Belgian come back twice (and grab time bonuses yesterday), whereas he could be much closer.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You should push your advantage when you have one, you won't always be in such a position.

I missed it, but Merlier (🇧🇪 Soudal-QS) withdrew. This means that Kanter (🇩🇪 Astana) will now be only 1 seat away from the Green jersey 'podium'.

Feels like a done deal already unless Pog blows up for some reason. I was cautiously optimistic that Jonas was looking good in the spring but it's clear after week one

Merlier going for stage wins rather than overall points maybe?

Interested to keep in touch with it but not expecting major excitement

Stage 11, Wednesday 15

161 km, D+ 1100 m

This is a sprinters stage.

Yes it was. However, the breakaway took longer to form than on other sprinters stages: 10-15 km. There were 4 guys (who didn't wait for the Lotto who tried to join them): Uno-X, Movistar, Total and... Alaphilippe🇫🇷 who blew up like a Conti amateur on the only 4% slope of the course, 40 km from the line and without any attack happening 🙄. Le Berre (🇫🇷 Total) got the I.S., Charmig (🇩🇰 Uno-X) got the little GPMs and the combativity, and N. Oliveira (🇵🇹 Movistar) got nothing.

The sprint was bizarre, in its preparation (the peloton was super slow between the point they caught the breakaway (5-6 km from the line) and 2 km from the line where they suddenly started all started pushing like crazy: the domestiques were basically sprinting) as well as in the sprint itself (Decathlon's sprinter left a split behind his launcher, but said launcher didn't understand and stopped when he saw the gap).

Observation after several similar stages:

In the last few years, the gap granted by pelotons to breakaways was reduced from 8–12 minutes to 2′30″–3′00.

This year, it went down again: only 1′30″ is now granted.

Stage 13, Friday 17

After 2 days of sprint, we are progressively getting back in business with this pilgrimage into the land of Pinot. Because the following two days will be finish-on-top stages, this one is likely to be granted to a breakaway. As always these days, it means that a ton of riders will try to join it.

There was indeed a fight for a the breakaway. Several fights actually.

First there was a small group of 5. Of course too many teams were unhappy with this, so they never got more than a 10 seconds gap in what, 10 km? 15 km?

Then a huge group of more than 30 riders broke away., including some big names (not GC guys except Pidcock (🇬🇧 Q36.5) but many good contenders for the stage as well as top sprinters like Philipsen (🇧🇪 Alpecin)). This was a complete failure for Uno-X and Lidl-Trek who had nobody at the front! So Lidl-Trek started a hard pursuit, it was going super fast at the front as well as in the peloton. Pedersen🇩🇰 himself was pulling. This chase lasted 20 km, and then Lidl-Trek gave up. Strangely, riders from teams who hadn't helped them or very little, like Uno-X, started attacking as the gap had grown to 45 seconds and the breakaway was still going fast.

Then, I don't know how because I missed it, but Pedersen🇩🇰 whom I believed cooked by the chase, was in a counter-attack group! And that was the start of a new crazy pursuit which lasted close to 50 km! Pedersen🇩🇰 joined the first breakaway, which thus grew to more than 50 riders, perhaps 20 km from the Intermediate Sprint. He managed to pass the I.S. in 2^nd^ position between Philipsen🇧🇪 and Girmay (🇪🇷 NSN)! He had managed to overturn a situation wrecked by his team.

In the first climb, there was only a tiny attack by Healy (🇮🇪 EF) followed by Vauquelin (🇫🇷 Ineos).

In the main climb (Ballon d'Alsace), Grégoire (🇫🇷 FDJ) blew up in less than 2 km... (he had also been taken in a split on the flat during the crazy chase, with other riders who didn't participate much in the breakaway).

The group splits in many sub-groups. Matthews (🇦🇺 Jayco) managed to stay in the front group with 3 other teammates until relatively close to the summit, and passed with a bit more than 30 seconds only behind a group of 10. I thought the 2 Jayco at the front would wait for him, as he would be the fastest on a sprint among the 20 first riders and they had personnel to bring him back and control the resulting group.

But instead Jayco played with Plapp🇦🇺 and Schmid🇨🇭. And the later won, after breaking away a few miles from the line with Tejada (🇨🇴 Astana). There were 3 Frenchmen in the group of 10 that played the victory before those 2 left; not one in the top-5 in the end...

After dropping from the breakaway as the Ballon d'Alsace started, Pedersen🇩🇰 took a quick nap and then pulled the peloton... Jesus... 🤣

Pidcock🇬🇧 didn't win the stage, but he is back in GC, just missing the GC podium for a handful of seconds. Of course, he may pay today's efforts as soon as tomorrow, when there probably will be some sort of battle for GC.

Jegat (🇫🇷 Total) also repositioned in GC (11^th^), and may now envision the same performance as last year (10^th^), with a bit of luck and a lot of efforts.

It is not often that we have so many (let's say 4 at the moment) riders truly fighting for the Green jersey: that's nice. I would have been great if Merlier and Kooij didn't scorn it; why do they refuse to take part in all Intermediate Sprints?

Stage 10, Tuesday 14

167 km, D+ 3800 m

The stage in the Massif Central looks a bit like the previous (Ussel) stage, but the climbs are significantly more substantial and there is even less flat for recovery, so a breakaway of climbers more than punchers can be expected (if UAE doesn't decide to win it from the peloton).

A stage in 4 acts.

1^st^ act was (successfully) handled by Lidl-Trek for Pedersen🇩🇰's Green jersey. It could have been better because at some point, they had broken the peloton in 2 or 3 pieces, and gotten rid of all or almost all sprinters, but still, the Dane passed the I.S. line in 1^st^ position.

2^nd^ act: the fight for breaking away. It started right on the Intermediate Sprint line, with Van der Poel (🇳🇱 Alpecin). There was many failed attempts until a group of about 30 riders left.

3^rd^ act: the breakaway and the chase. A breakaway that large couldn't stay together for long, and with all the hills it broke several times in many pieces. Behind, UAE never let the gap grow a bit. Last survivor at the front was Romo (🇪🇸 Movistar), who had broken away as a duo, and then solo, for many miles.

4^th^ act: the fight for stage victory and between GC leaders. After UAE caught Romo🇪🇸, the 'peloton' was already quite small. The only attack was (as usual?) led by Carapaz (🇪🇨 EF) in the Puy Mary, about 35 km from the line; he would never be reeled back by domestiques. There was a strange move by Decathlon in the final part of that climb, taking the peloton's lead from UAE. In the next climb, the shortest but steepest Pertus, the head of the peloton was a bit of a mess, Yates🇬🇧 couldn't do much, there were Decathlon riders again, then Visma: a mix that wasn't coming any closer to Carapaz🇪🇨 who was up to 1 minute ahead. I suspect that UAE had planned that the stage would be for Del Toro🇲🇽 but the Mexican wasn't in shape today; anyway, Pogatchar🇸🇮 got pissed, attacked, nobody followed him for a yard, and he caught and dropped the Ecuadorian rider just before the pass. Behind, the usual riders formed 2 groups. In the first one, Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Bora) worked in the transition but cracked when the road went up again. However no one in that group relayed Vingegaard (🇩🇰 Visma) who was pulling everyone: Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon), Ayuso🇪🇸 & Skjelmose🇩🇰 (Lidl-Trek) and Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora). It was the perfect occasion to get rid of Evenepoel🇧🇪, but nobody but Vingegaard🇩🇰 worked for it. Worse, as the Dane weakened progressively, they allowed the Belgian to come back in the very end and even beat them all at the sprint for time bonuses!

I forgot to mention that Del Toro🇲🇽 had been dropped much earlier and that it was yet another reason to relay, in order to enlarge more significantly the gap with him as well.