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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Brewin

Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar wins stage seven to La Super Planche des Belles Filles – as it happened

Tour (Event) Tadej Pogacar
Tadej Pogacar on his way to the stage win.
Tadej Pogacar on his way to the stage win. Photograph: Papon Bernard/Reuters

Jeremy Whittle was there to see the latest show of Pogacar strength.

Tadej Pogacar speaks on the podium.

It was really difficult, especially the last part when Jonas [Vingegaard] attacked he was so strong. My boys were working all day, I had to push. It was a really special day. We opened a foundation for cancer research and I wore special shoes today. It was in my mind a long time. [On Vingegaard] Right now he is probably the best climber in the world and a really strong team around him. We know in cycling no gap is enough.

General classification after stage seven

  • 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 24:43:14
  • 2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Jumbo - Visma +35
  • 3. Geraint Thomas (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1:10
  • 4. Adam Yates (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1:18
  • 5. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama - FDJ +1:31
  • 6. Romain Bardet (FRA) Team DSM +1:32
  • 7. Tom Pidcock (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1:35
  • 8. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education - EasyPost +1:37
  • 9. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +1:43
  • 10. Daniel Martínez (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +1:55

Stage seven result

  • 1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 3hrs 58mins 40secs
  • 2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
  • 3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +12 secs
  • 4. Lennard Kamna (Ger/Bora-Hansgrohe) +14secs
  • 5. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) Same time
  • 6. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama/FDJ) +19secs
  • 7. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +21secs
  • 8. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM) Same time
  • 9. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +29secs
  • 10. Sepp Kuss (US/Jumbo-Visma) +41secsArticle

Updated

Roglic, by the way, was third amid that carnage in those final centimetres.

Cold gravel for Kamna and Vingegaard, maybe, as Freddie Wilson says: “There is a lot of comment about the difficulty of the finishing kicker due to the 24% gradient. But don’t forget it’s a gravel surface too. This makes it exceptionally difficult to maintain traction between the wheels and the road surface where the gravel can act like ball bearings - especially when riding out of the saddle. Riding it - let alone racing and winning - is a real feat and requires great skill as well as strength.”

Updated

An incredible show of strength, and a devastating, demoralising win. Jonas Vingegaard must have thought it was his, and then it came to that sprint. Poor old Kamna was away all day, and ended up with nothing. And that’s how it must feel for the rest of the field. We await the count-back, and the damage Pogacar has wreaked on them.

Tadej Pogacar wins the seventh stage!

Pogacar goes, off Majka, trying his best to crack Thomas and Roglic, too. The field is sat on his wheel as they go along through a dusty flat spot. Kamna stays away, his lead at 25 seconds. He looks to have the win but Pogacar tries to crack the rest and chase him home. Then Jonas Vingegaard suddenly comes beyond Kamna, and just as it looks like Pogacar has gone, he comes back, it goes to a sprint and the champion has done it again! Just when you think he has gone, he proves again just how dominant he is. Simply untouchable. The rest are broken.

Pogacar celebrates as he cycles past the finish line.
Pogacar celebrates as he cycles past the finish line. Photograph: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

1km to go: Kamna takes on the flat section, and he looks likely to stay away. He’s in good nick, with two steep gradients to come as he sets off on the 20 percent climb, then comes the 24 percent to the finish. Back in the pack, Pogacar sits off Majka, waiting to get himself launched up the hill. Thomas looks strong amid the rest.

2km to go: This is a brave ride from Kamna, now carrying the hopes of Bora, and cheered up the hill as he goes. Back behind him, Pogacar is sat still, determined, and the aim must be to crack other GC opponents than take the overall stage. Bennett goes off the front, and it’s Majka’s turn to take up the pace. Kamna comes to a flattened bit, and then comes the ascent.

3km to go: Kamna’s lead starts to drop away as the UAE team gets motoring. Plenty of Jumbo-Visma and Ineos riders are up there, while Vlasov, the Bora leader, goes off the back of the pack, as does Pidcock, Thomas and Yates holding firm for now. Nelson Poweless, who was second as the day began, has gone. Rafał Majka is ready to take over for UAE once Bennett’s turn is complete.

4km to go: Can Kamna stay away? He’s all alone now, and there’s real strength closing in, eating up the stragglers of the previous breakaway. McNulty leads the UAE riders, doing his turn for Pogacar. Pinot looks to be coming off the back as Bennett takes the strain at the front of the chasers. The speed is increasing, and there’s a still a minute gap.

5km to go: UAE push on, Pogacar being led up by Brandon McNulty and George Bennett. Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates in the vanguard of the pack while teammate Danny Martinez has dropped back as Tom Pidcock stays in touch. Nairo Quintana, who has looked in good form all week, is up there too. Up the front, Kamna has dropped Teuns and chases down Geschke, and makes it, too. Two Germans lead the field but Kamna has gone clear, and has a minute on the field to take the stage.

6km to go: Yes, it’s steep alright, and the leading group soon drops to four men, Geschke, Lennard Kämna, Teuns and Durbridge still involved and it’s Geschke goes away from the front. He clearly fancies the stage win, and some mountain points, and perhaps the polka-dot jersey. Durbridge goes off the back in the end.

8km to go: Geraint Thomas is well placed as Ineos lead the descent down to the finish. Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock are staying close to each other as they go under the 10km barrier. Ahead of them, the breakaway are soon to begin the ascent, and that’s the steepest bit until the very last kilometre.

10km to go: Pippo Ganna, who dropped back earlier today, is leading Ineos along, with Jumbo-Visma at close quarters, UAE also well up there as the field winds its way down the descent.

12km to go: The teams spread out in formation across the road, the peloton is very much together as they get to the moment of truth. There will be some heavy traffic, hence all the chicanery taking place in these metres before La Planche arrives. Luke Rowe, as ever, is leading Team Ineos through their paces. The seven-man escapee contingent continue to ride gamely enough, though there does seem to be some dispute over who takes turns. They make their final descent before the concluding ascent.

Lukasz Owsian of Team Arkéa - Samsic (centre) amongst the peloton.
Lukasz Owsian of Team Arkéa - Samsic (centre) amongst the peloton. Photograph: Alex Broadway/Getty Images

Updated

15km to go: They are moving on to the Col de la Chevestraye, an uncategorised climb before the big one comes. Within the peloton, the major teams are getting in position and whittling down the breakaway. Pogacar sits in a handy position, though the road has narrowed, and space is at a premium. There’s a slight descent before we get to La Planche. Ineos get involved at the front, trying not to get caught out at the dip that precedes the final climb. For Jumbo-Visma, Wout van Aert, in green, is to the fore.

20km to go: Phoney war time, as that seven-man group stays out in front: Lennard Kämna and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Victorious), Imanol Erviti (Movistar) and Cyril Barthe (B&B Hotels)

UAE are working the hardest, by far, on the front and the lead is around 2’ 20”, which may not be enough to resist the speed of the peloton on the final climb. From an official sponsor, this is how the final climb looks. Marc Hirschi, the UAE rider, a late call to the race, has gone out the back of the peloton. As 20km out arrives, Jumbo-Visma start to join the effort. The gap drops to around two minutes, and will get lower, and eventually to zero.

25km to go: Like yesterday, a dip into the description on the Cycling News forum of this summit finish.

The area around Planche des Belles Filles has been used for mining since prehistoric times; the industry reached its peak here around 1700. The mines have been permanently closed since the late 19th century. The small ski station that has become so familiar to us cycling fans originates from the 1970s.

From the official site. Jules Rimet, still gleaming, stands out from the notaries.

Population: 1,010 for the commune of Plancher-les-Mines (Mainous)

Personalities of Haute-Saône: Jean-Noël Jeanneney (politician and historian), Laurence Parisot (former trade union president), Edouard Belin (inventor of the fax machine), Jules Rimet (founder of FIFA and the World Cup), Edwige Feuillère (actress), Patrick Bouchitey (actor), Christian Descamps (musician from rock band Ange), François Devosges, Jean-Léon Gérome (painters), Guillaume Meurice (columnist on France Inter), Thibault Pinot (cycling), Ghislain Lemaire (judoka), Stéphane Peterhansel (motorbike and car, record holder of victories in the Dakar rally), Nicolas Vuilloz (world champion mountain biker), Jérémy Mathieu (footballer), Julien Casoli (Paralympic athlete).

Specialities: cancoillotte, wine and cheese from Charcenne, kirsch AOC from Fougerolles, water from Villeminfroy, Grillotines from Fougerolles, blueberries from Belfahy (wild blueberry festival in July), biscuit factory from Montbozon, lace from Luxeuil, crystal glass factory from Passavant-la-Tarbes Rochère

35km to go: UAE take up the pace as the pack descends that climb, and takes more seconds off the breakaway septet. Then comes an uncategorised climb through the town of Belonchamp, in the the Haute-Saône department. La Planche is filling up with spectators up ahead.

40km to go: The Col des Croix is that penultimate, third-category, climb, and the seven men on the front try and work together to try and stay away until the foot of the final climb. The gap they had opened up begins to drop, and Pogacar’s team is working for him off the front of the peloton, amid which Thibaut Pinot has passed his uncle’s bakery. Simon Geschke makes it over the top first, and takes the points. He’s now second behind Magnus Cort in the mountains classification, though plenty more points on offer on the final climb for that competition.

45km to go: Simon Thomas gets back in touch: “According to Pro-Cycling Stats (which is an amazing resource), Geraint Thomas has just passed the 50000 kilometre mark in 304 stages of 17 grand tours, which is equal to 1.25 times around the world. He did well to cross the Pacific though.”

Well done, ‘G’, whose Ineos team look like they have a tough task ahead to keep up with the UAE team. With the gap now over three minutes, Bora’s Schachmann is in virtual yellow, though it would take a brave man to suggest he ends the day in maillot réel.

50km to go: Imanol Erviti and Cyril Barthe are chasing that leading pack of five, and that could mean a useful breakaway group of seven if they make it back on, though they may be a little tired after doing so. Back in the peloton, UAE are taking up the pace. Ciccone, who was up in the breakaway, has been spat out the back as soon as he was pulled back in. The relentless continues as it has done since Monday’s rest day.

55km to go: Gary Naylor isn’t giving this one up.

Meanwhile, is the green jersey over with, too?

60km to go: The field speeds up as they descend from the Col de Grosse Pierre, the firsy climb of the day, and that will be followed by a gradual drop, and then comes a false flat at the Col du Ménil, then the Col des Croix, the penultimate climb of the day, which is about 40 clicks from the finish, and the final push coming 8km before the finish.

The gap from the five escapees to the field is around 2’ 40”.

65km to go: On the question of yellow jerseys being made to measure, Bradley Wiggins has been suggesting on the Eurosport broadcast that, unlike Jumbo-Visma who have sent their own bespoke designs, Pogacar’s UAR team have not been quite so prepared. Pogacar is wearing a generic chamois, though a design may soon be winging its way to the organisers; the expectation is that he is going to be in yellow for some time yet, if not for the rest of Le Tour.

Yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates makes the victory sign.
Despite not sporting a bespoke design, yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar seems quite happy. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

Updated

68km to go: Dylan Teuns joins the leading trio, as does Geschke, who goes over the summit in the polka-dot competition, with the others not challenging him. Erviti, Pedersen, Barthe and Asgreen are off the back, and Ciccone lost the wheels some time ago.

70km to go: The third-category climb arrives and serves to split the breakaway pack. Kämna, Schachman and Luke Durbridge, the latter of Bike-Exchange, the first two from Bora go up ahead.

News of the intermediate sprint below, where Van Aert sped to the front of the peloton to claim the points left on offer in the green jersey standings.

75km to go: Primoz Roglic, who looked in decent nick considering his dislocated shoulder yesterday, drops to the back of the field. He’s chatting to his team car, and the hope is he can put in some kind of challenge to Pogacar. Someone has to, and with Egan Bernal still making his way back, there is a distinct lack of serious challengers to his fellow Slovenian.

Matt Cast gets in touch: “French TV commentators agree with you, they seem convinced that Pogacar is going for the stage win today, making the most of his excellent form to build his lead.”

85km to go: Simon Thomas gets in touch: “Contrary to Gary Naylor’s view, this isn’t the stage for Ineos or Jumbo Visma to be burning their matches, particularly since UAE Team Emirates also have someone up the road in the breakaway to help slow it down; the stage is relatively flat, so UAE are unlikely going to have too much trouble keeping the break within reach until the final climb. Sunday and the start of the mountain stages will be a different matter though – here’s hoping for attack after attack, it’s the only way that Pogacar can possibly be beaten.”

A question from Paolo Biriani: “Apologies if you’ve had this before but how do the yellow jerseys get the sponsors logos and name and correct size so quickly for each rider? Is there a yellow Jersey trailer whose sole job is to do this?”

Answer, from this article on Road CC from 2021:

The organisers have adapted with the times and now offer well-fitting clothing for all of the classification leaders. The designs for each team are decided before the race and are printed up as and when they’re needed.

That said, Adam Yates recently said that it was a shame that the organisers couldn’t provide a yellow skinsuit when he took the race lead in the first week. With aerodynamics being such an important consideration in modern racing, it might not be too long before you see yellow skinsuits in road stages of the Tour de France.

The gap is 1’40” or thereabouts.

90km to go: The whittling continues, it’s down to 1’ 40” or so, with UAE taking on fluids as they continue to lead the peloton’s chase of the breakaway. There’s an intermediate sprint and then a third-category climb to follow within the next 15-20km.

100km to go: Signs that Pogacar’s UAE team don’t want the breakaway to get too far ahead, and they are working together on the front, him to the fore, and whittling down the advantage. Pog may well fancy another win at La Planche, the scene of his major breakthrough. He’s prominent at the front of the peloton, and the gap is two minutes or so.

105km to go: Tadej Pogacar takes a comfort break, and so does much of the rest of the field, thus offering up to the breakaway the chance to further extend their lead to around 2’ 30”.

A Malicious A (Intergalactic Explorer, Renowned Space Pirate (retired), Style Icon and Master Brewer.) tweets in: “Mads & Tuens up the road together augers well for a good class in managing a break. Massively looking forward to today, as when the climbers are fully able to get a stomp up the mountains & the race opens there’s some heroics to be had. Thrilling stuff.”

Yellow Jersey Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar takes a breather alongside Belgium rider Frederik Frison of Lotto Soudal.
Yellow Jersey Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar takes a breather alongside Belgium rider Frederik Frison of Lotto Soudal. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

Updated

115km to go: Yes, the breakaway is in full session, and there’s a few disappointed parties for missing the break, and that includes Magnus Cort and Michael Woods who set off to give chase but eventually gave up the ghost. There’s 11 of them off up the front and they have opened up a lead of 1’25” or so. Dylan Teuns, the 2019 winner at La Planche Des Belles Filles, is safely in the pack.

  • Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates)
  • Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe)
  • Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe)
  • Kasper Asgreen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl)
  • Imanol Erviti (Movistar)
  • Simon Geschke (Cofidis)
  • Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Victorious)
  • Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)
  • Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo)
  • Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange-Jayco)
  • Cyril Barthe (B&B Hotels)

125km to go: Ganna, who will be required to pull some of his Ineos teammates up the hill at the finish, is called back by his team and sits up. Geschke forges on but for long. He’s caught by five other riders, and this is a breakaway that has a chance. The rest of the field sit back and look to be feeding themselves.

130km to go: Simon Geschke, the veteran Cofidis rider, goes off on a solo run, and he has a gap of eight seconds. Three riders go after him, and he is joined by Filippo Ganna of Ineos, the pair instantly hooking up and working as one. Geschke’s Twitter suggests he looks like a cross between Mo Salah and Brendan O’Neill, and is a previous stage winner, from 2015, the 17th stage from Digne-les-Bains to Pra-Loup, a hilly old day.

140km to go: Still no break, despite Peter Sagan being one of those attempting to get in one of them. Instead, they continue to rattle along at that ludicrous pace.

145km to go: It might be argued that England’s revolution came during the English Civil War, and it’s too long ago for buildings to have properly survived. It didn’t have such far-reaching effects, either.


150km to go: The peloton whips past a field of horse being ridden by some clearly very experienced riders, they were being ridden very hard. The average speed is over 50kph, which is rapid. Good luck breaking away when they are going at such a lick. Thibaut Pinot, the local lad, who is yet to win on his home soil. Some quotes from him, per Cycling News.

It’s different and special, partly because of its location and partly because it is so often the first big climb of the race. Though for me, in any case, it’s also a massive bonus to be at home, in the mountains where I live.

So each time it’s a very key part of the route, all the leaders have to be up there, they have to be well-positioned from when they get on the climb. It’s the first major climbing rendezvous of the race.

Though for me, in any case, it’s also a massive bonus to be at home, in the mountains where I live.

160km to go: Honoré’s dig for victory doesn’t last too long, and so the pack pulls back together before something of a split develops, only to be closed back down again. There’s about 30 trying to get away up the front, including Magnus Cort, in the polka dot jersey. Marc Soler meanwhile is still trying to get back on the tail of the peloton.

170km to go: Not much success in the breakaway attempts so far, though George Bennett, a key Pogacar ally, has dropped off the back. So has Marc Solar. The UAE team seem to have some issues with their bikes. Mikkel Honoré, another of the many Danes in this race, has an early dig and picks up a lead of around five seconds but doesn’t seem to be too hopeful. He’s cycling into a headwind, which will at least cool the heat.

And away we go!

Pogacar had a pre-race mechanical and had to give it some to get on the back of the peloton. His rivals must hope that’s taken something out of him, but that may be a vain hope. Some last-minute running repairs are completed and he’s soon riding through the pack. Once Christian Prudhomme lets them go, off go the attempts at a breakaway. It’s pretty flat for much of the stage until we get to the end, and that’s when the climbing begins. The estimate is the last 25 minutes will be spent riding uphill.

The départ réel is just 3km away for the riders, making their way through the town of Tomblaine.

And ten years ago, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome went over the top together, and the yellow jersey was all but decided, with Froome winning the stage.

The last time Le Tour visited this summit finish, Pogacar broke the heart of Primoz Roglic with an extraterrestrial performance in 2020 in a time trial.

All eyes on the yellow jersey. Can Pogacar defend it all the way to Paris? Very probably.

Jeremy Whittle witnessed Tadej Pogacar’s power play yesterday.

Pogacar may be smiling but his rivals aren’t. With another 15 days of racing to come, this could be a very long Tour for some of them. So far, they have not even landed a punch. The leader’s yellow jersey is now back on the Slovenian’s shoulders without a major climb being tackled and there’s every sign that the double Tour winner is just getting started.

Friday’s summit finish at Super Planche des Belles Filles, where he executed a remarkable coup to win his first Tour in 2020, is, the 23-year-old said, “special” to him. Back-to-back stage wins are now a distinct possibility. “Super Planche des Belles Filles is special for me,” he said of the Vosges climb on which he shattered the hapless Primoz Roglic’s grip on the race lead in September 2020.

Preamble

It’s Tadej Pogacar’s Tour and the rest are just living in it. So dominant was he in winning yesterday at Longwy that we are already at the stage of working out how long he might take to win the five Tours that the likes of Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain took, perhaps even the seven that Lance Armstrong didn’t win. Four-time winner Chris Froome, still riding in this race, never looked quite so dominant. So, after he cracked the field and seized yellow on Thursday, with Wout van Aert’s failed escape making him a notable casualty, here comes the mountains to put the hammer down. It looks a day when the four Ineos riders in the top ten of GC may have to band together to either try and crack Pogacar, or hang on for dear life. Even though his Team Emirates support may not be the strongest, the latter looks the more likely on a summit finish.

Here’s William Fotheringham’s pre-Tour guide to today’s stage. It promises to be a big day.

Stage 7, Friday 8 July: Tomblaine-La Planche des Belles Filles, 176.5km

The first mountain-top finish; the super-steep “Plank” is relatively short at 8km, and with no major climbs beforehand, time gaps at the top should be relatively tight. The early break should contest the stage win – if Thibaut Pinot has lost time early on this is an obvious target – but for the big names the equation is pretty simple: if Tadej Pogacar gains time, he’s set fair for a third win. If not, all bets are off.

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