Vingegaard retains slight lead over Pogacar after Wout Poels wins stage 15
Stage 15 report: The game of poker that is the 2023 Tour de France continued in the shadow of Mont Blanc as the defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard and his closest rival, Tadej Pogacar, bluffed their way to the summit finish of stage 15 at Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. Jeremy Whittle reports…
Update on who's in what jersey after stage 15
After another exciting mountain stage, there’s been one change in the jersey competitions. While, Vingegaard, Philipsen and Pogacar hold on to their respective jerseys, Ciccone now takes the polka dot jersey from Powless.
Yellow: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 62hr 34min 17sec
Green: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 323 points
Polka-dot: Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers)
White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates)
Updated
Stage winner, Poels has been chatting about his victory in the obligatory post-race interview. The 35-year-old is celebrating his first ever Grand Tour stage win, during what is his tenth Tour. He says:
“I’ve always dreamed to win a stage in the Tour, and especially with what happened with the team in the last three weeks with Gino [Mader]. I mean, all the emotions come then. It’s just incredible to win a stage, which was always my dream to win a monument and a stage in the Tour. I’m super happy.”
He says he only started to believe he’d get the win in the last kilometre. “I had to keep fighting,” he says, referencing the battle with van Aert.
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If you missed Poels crossing the line with all the action going on behind, here’s a video from the official Tour de France account.
🏆 Impressive 🇳🇱 @WoutPoels wins in Saint-Gervais!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2023
🏆 Impressionnant, 🇳🇱 @WoutPoels s’impose à Saint-Gervais !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/4kbfzQeTXq
The top five on General Classification
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 62hr 34min 17sec
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) +10sec
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +5min 21sec
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) +5min 40sec
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +6min 38sec
Updated
The top five on stage 15
1. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious)
2. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
3. Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies)
4. Lawson Craddock (Jayco Alula)
5. Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious)
Updated
Phew. That was quite a spicy finish. Updates on standings and a race report from my colleague on the scene will be coming in shortly. I’m going to wrap this up, thank you all for your messages and get ready for my post live blog bike ride.
Vingegaard is coming round but Pogacar manages to roll over the line with him. There is nothing to separate these two, but Pogacar did well try. Rodriguez comes across not long after to cement his place as third on the GC.
Pogacar goes again with 500m to go. He can’t drop Vingegaard.
Pogacar attacks. Vingegaard is on him. There’s 700m to go.
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This is tense. It’s 1km to go. What is going to happen? I’m on the edge of my seat.
It’s 2km left for the yellow jersey group. The trio are still together, Yates is still away. Van Aert crosses the line second and is 2min 5sec down.
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Adam Yates has just ridden away from Pogacar and Vingegaard. Rodriguez is back. What’s happening??
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Wout Poels of Bahrain Victorious wins stage 15!!
Wout Poels has taken the stage win! It’s been a brutal day in the mountains, but the Bahrain Victorious rider has played a blinder.
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1km to go: Poels is now more than 1min 30sec clear but van Aert is trying to hang on for second. Pretty remarkable ride from the Belgian given the amount of climbing in this stage.
2km to go: In the yellow jersey group, Gaudu, Rodriguez and Kuss have all been dropped. It’s now just Adam Yates, Pogacar and Vingegaard.
3km to go: Poels’ lead keeps increasing. It’s more than 1min now. He looks unstoppable. Meanwhile, Hindley has dropped off the back of the yellow jersey group but Rodriguez and Gaudu are still in there. Could the final podium positions be decided today?
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4km to go: Pidcock has just flown back into the yellow jersey group with a trademark descent. He’d been dropped on Côte des Amerands.
5km to go: Back to the action. In the battle of the Wouts, Poels has extended his lead over van Aert to 40sec. It looks like the stage win could be his.
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6km to go: As the lead riders start the ascent up Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, it feels about time to share the words Tom from North Carolina sent me earlier. He emailed in to say: “So excited about today’s stage to the top of Mont Blanc! Who do you fancy: Pogi or Jonas?”
7km to go: UAE Emirates have now taken control of the yellow jersey group and are pushing hard up the Côte des Amerands. Poels has gone over the top of the climb with a 30sec advantage over Soler and van Aert. Now they head straight for the final climb…
9km to go: Warren Barguil of Arkéa–Samsic looks to have good legs, as he breaks off the front of the chase group. Van Baarle has finally finished his turn on the front of the yellow jersey group.
9km: June in Canada has emailed in to ask after Canadian cyclist Woods. He’s back in the peloton so won’t be troubling the leaders today. Elsewhere, the chase group has hit the climb and Ciccone is eyeing up some more mountain points.
10km: Poels hasn’t waited long. He’s launched an attack and van Aert hasn’t reacted.
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11km to go: Here it comes…the leading riders, Poels and van Aert, have started the climb. Soler is just behind, having been distanced on the descent.
18km to go: The lead group are approaching the Côte des Amerands. It’s a second category climb as it’s only 2.7km long but it has an average gradient of 10.9% and a max of 17%. It’ll be a real stinger at this stage in the day. After this, they’ll have a brief respite before going straight into the final climb to the finish.
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24km to go: For those following the fortunes of Petit, he’s still hanging on in the gruppetto (20min behind).
29km to go: Now that van Aert is in the lead group, the gap to the peloton has gone out to nearly 7min. Meanwhile, the remainder of the breakaway is 50secs behind and has 15 riders in it, including Ciccone, Guillaume Martin, Thibaut Pinot and Mikel Landa. The green jersey group is 19min behind.
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Crash for Neilands in the front group
36km to go: Neilands has been shown leaning up against a concrete wall but seems to be getting up gingerly. From the coverage, it looks like he was trying to grab a bidon from a motorbike and went over the handlebars.
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42km to go: The lead group now contains Soler, van Aert, Krists Neilands and Wout Poels.
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46km to go: Both van Aert and Woods have broken off the group to join Soler. Has van Aert been given the go-ahead to go for the stage win? Meanwhile, van Baarle continues to lead the main group up the Col de Aravis. The gap stays at around 6min. No major talking points in the GC battle yet.
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47km to go: Marc Soler of UAE Emirates has attacked. Ciccone, van Aert and Woods are trying to limit the damage.
49km to go: We’re back on the next climb – the Col de Aravis. Really didn’t get much of a break, did they?
Back in the peloton, Jumbo-Visma are setting a high pace with Dylan van Baarle on the front. The gap has been reduced to just over 6min from around 9min earlier.
54km to go: Ciccone goes level with Powless on the King of the Mountains classification. He’ll want to secure a lead on the next climb, which is coming up shortly after a brief descent.
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55km to go: Rui Costa is not going to repeat history as he has been caught with 1.5km to the summit. The chase group – now the lead group - has been reduced to 24 riders, including Ciccone and van Aert.
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56km to go: Could Rui Costa be looking to repeat history? The Portuguese rider went solo up the same ascent 10 years ago to take the stage 19 win in the 2013 Tour de France.
57km to go: It has now been confirmed that Powless is off the back and about 1min 10sec behind the Ciccone group. He could be struggling to stay in the polka dot jersey today.
59km to go: False alarm. Powless is back in. Sorry for any distress caused. Rui Costa is now on his own and has a gap of about 45sec.
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61km to go: Bad news for those fans from the USA, as Powless is dropping off the breakaway group. Rui Costa, however, has made it across to Haller and they’re working together.
62km to go: Riders are trying to stay cool any way they can.
64km to go: Rui Costa of Intermarché–Circus–Wanty has attacked to try and bridge to Haller. It looks tough and hot out there. In fact, this stage has the second highest amount of elevation of all the stages in this year’s Tour. The highest amount of elevation comes on Wednesday’s stage next week, a day after the individual time trial.
74km to go: Marco Haller of Bora-Hansgrohe has attacked on the latest descent. According to the commentary, he is a big Arsenal fan.
The next climb, Col de la Croix Fry, is coming up in around 7km. It has been used in the Tour six times previously and was last ridden during the 2018 edition.
After his crash yesterday, @romainbardet is deprived of an explosive stage 15 on roads where he has left his mark
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 16, 2023
The French climber from @TDSM_Firmenich has held the @Strava KOM up Col de la Croix Fry since @dauphine 2018 #TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/IfkvfZ5JEZ
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79km to go: Bryan Coquard of Cofidis has just had a bike change. His handlebars had snapped in half. Didn’t look great and can only imagine how tense it must make him feel having an issue like that.
81km to go: Time for some more data from the Tour.
The battle is relentless, on downhills as well 👊
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 16, 2023
Both @alafpolak1 at the front and @NPowless in the chase have upped the ante after they passed Col de la Forclaz de Montmin ⛰️
The 🇺🇸 rider was even faster than the 🇫🇷 expert 💨#TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/GN98ZWkgWg
85km to go: Alaphilippe and Lutsenko have been caught. With 85km to go and four more categorised climbs to come, there are 39 riders now in the leading group. Ciccone and Powless will be keen to hoover up as many mountain points as they can.
87km to go: Powless, who along with Vingegaard held 54 points on the mountain classification, has now gone back into the lead and has 58 points. Ciccone though is hot on his heels and has pulled back a further two points with his sprint. I know there’s quite a few of you tuning in from the USA and keeping an eye on Powless.
96km to go: Lutsenko reaches the summit of Col de la Forclaz de Montmin with Alaphilippe behind. They have a gap of 40 seconds on the chasers. Ciccone outsprints Powless for third place.
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98km to go: With 2km to go on the climb, it’s as you were with Alaphilippe and Lutsenko still holding a 35sec advantage. Ciccone is speeding up in the chasing group.
100km to go: With a subject header that has delighted me (“Annecy/Pastries/Weeping”), Duncan has emailed in to share a story about Annecy, pastries…and weeping. Here it is:
“On the subject of pastries and Annecy, a few years back my wife and I each consumed a staggering mille-feuile (sic)…we then set off immediately and rode the 17km climb from the lake up to the ski station at Semnoz. I could taste the custard all the way to the top and was weeping a little by the end.”
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103km to go: Alaphilippe and Lutsenko take a 30sec lead into the base of the first climb, Col de la Forclaz de Montmin. This climb might whittle that 35-man breakaway down a bit.
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Alaphilippe wins the intermediate sprint
107km to go: Alaphilippe takes the win in the intermediate sprint and bags 20 points. Lutsenko follows and gets 17 points, while Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Pro) grabs 15 points. My soigneur (aka boyfriend) is very happy as he has Abrahamsen in his fantasy Tour team.
There are five categorised climbs on the menu today…Thankfully no hors catégorie climb for the riders today though. The first of the five is cropping up in around 7km.
Let’s take a look at the numbers:
Col de la Forclaz de Montmin – A 7.2km first category climb with an average gradient of 7.3% and a summit at 1,157m.
Col de la Croix Fry – An 11.3km first category climb with an average gradient of 7% and a summit at 1,477m.
Col des Aravis – A 4.4km third category climb with an average gradient of 5.8% and a summit at 1,487m.
Côte des Amerands – A 2.7km second category climb with an average gradient of 10.9% and a summit at 888m.
Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc – A 7km first category climb with an average gradient of 7.7% and a summit of 1,372m.
113km to go: The peloton has really slowed the pace now and let the large breakaway group of 35 riders go. They are now about five minutes ahead, with Alaphilippe and Lutsenko a further 35sec up the road.
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115km to go: The peloton just passed the second largest lake in France, Lake Annecy, and it is looking resplendent in the sunshine. I’ve had a reader get in touch about local delicacies (especially pastries) of the area. I have been to the beautiful Lake Annecy a few times but it’s been a while and I can’t recall. Anyone else have any ideas?
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117km to go: Jens Voigt on Eurosport has been speaking from the back of the motorbike and urges fans on the side of the road “not to step into the office” of the riders. He says they should remember that the pros are the real spectacle, not them. Wise words.
124km to go: The peloton has slowed to allow the riders caught up in the crash to get back on. As a result the breakaway has gone out to 1min 30sec.
Big crash in the peloton with multiple riders down
127 km to go: It looks like Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma) came off worst in that crash. The TV coverage is telling us it was due to one of his team-mates being clipped by a fan taking a selfie on the side of the road.
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133km to go: Alaphilippe and Lutsenko are off the front. Alaphilippe is doing one of his trademark descents and Lutsenko is trying to stay in touch.
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140km to go: Petit is off the back of the peloton and looks to be in pain following yesterday’s crash. It’ll be a monumental effort if he finishes the stage today.
142km to go: Bill will be happy to see that van Aert has made it across to the front group. If anyone can make it stick, you’d think it would be the Belgian rider.
145km to go: Politt is joined by Julian Alaphilippe, Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Alexey Lutsenko. Can they make this four man breakaway stick? Various others are trying to get across, so maybe not.
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149km to go: Nils Politt of Bora–Hansgrohe has attacked solo and has around 22sec on the main group. He probably wishes somebody had come with him. There’s still quite some way to go…
151km to go: There were nine riders in the front group, including van der Poel and Powless. Lidl-Trek have been pushing the pace because they didn’t want Ciccone to miss out and now it is all back together.
Bill has been in touch via email and is hoping for more of yesterday’s racing excitement in today’s stage. He writes: “Wow! That was some too [sic] drawer thrilling heroics from Wout van Aert yesterday! Imagine doing all that work, seeing the end of your day, then having to unexpectedly go again! Marvellous stuff!
“It really was a stage that got its stomp on from the beginning, then refining itself to one of the best days of racing I think I have ever seen…more of yesterday’s excitement, please!”
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162km to go: Felix Gall and Pello Bilbao, along with Sepp Kuss, are in the second group. It looks like the gap is coming down and they are all coming back together.
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166km to go: The peloton has split into two and there is around a 30sec gap between them. It doesn’t look like any of the favourites have been caught out, but I’ll keep an eye on it.
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168km to go: The peloton is very strung out at the moment, so anyone wanting to get in the breakaway will have to ensure they are not too far back. The pace looks rapid and is causing splits.
172km to go: Wout van Aert is on the front and is leading the peloton down a long descent, while Lidl-Trek look interested in getting Giulio Ciccone in the break today so he can chase that polka dot jersey. Interestingly, Bahrain Victorious have been told on the team radio to move up if they want a chance of getting in the breakaway.
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176km to go: While we wait for the race to develop, here are a couple of interesting facts to chew on:
Jonas Vingegaard is leading the mountains classification for the fifth time in his career but has never worn the polka dot jersey as he’s been in yellow each time. He has 54 points – the same as Powless.
At the start of stage 15, the gap between first and second GC ranking is the fifth smallest gap in the history of Le Tour after 2008. Pogacar is 10sec behind Vingegaard.
They're racing on stage 15 ...
178km to go: The race proper has begun. Mathieu van der Poel has attacked. What are his plans for today?
Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) has not started due to concussion
Rodriguez has lost one of his key domestiques in Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers), who has not started today due to concussion following yesterday’s crash.
Even pro riders can’t resist a selfie…
Start line Selfie 😁#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/XqjYz3cRiM
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2023
Today’s roll-out has begun
Stage 15: The riders are off and it’s a much nicer looking day weather wise for them. A bit hot but hopefully the roads won’t be so slippery.
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Yesterday’s stage saw seven riders abandon the Tour and a number of riders come down in a mass crash. There was also an epic GC battle. Plus, a first stage win for Rodriguez as he caught Vingegaard and Pogacar by surprise as he attacked on the descent of the final climb, the Col de Joux Plane. What have we got in store today?
A bit of honest reflection ahead of today’s stage courtesy of French rider Adrien Petit. He had a rather painful looking gash below his glutes after yesterday’s mass crash. Hope he’s not feeling too sore. Luckily, the second rest day is nearly upon the peloton.
🗣️ "Yesterday, it was all about courage. Today, I would have preferred a flat stage" - 🇫🇷 @PetitAdrien62 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/NeFXUUMxSb
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2023
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Welcome to stage 15 of the Tour de France…Prior to today’s live blog, I indulged in a spot of gardening as the sun is shining so brightly here in London. Unfortunately, I did get a splinter…in a key typing finger. But, in the spirit of the Tour, we pick ourselves up and carry on. Let me know what you’ve been doing to prepare (or not) for today’s stage.
There’s a lot of climbs to come and it looks like it’s going to be another testing day for the peloton.
A little bit on Les Gets les portes du soleil, where stage 15 will begin: “The Haute-Savoie ski resort of Les Portes du Soleil has been on the Tour route many times, for final stages that have finished in Morzine and Avoriaz. For example, the latter last visited in 2010 when Andy Schleck was the victor. Three stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné have also been held in Les Gets, including a prologue won by Alberto Contador at the start of the 2016 edition.
“In winter, skiing is the main attraction and in summer the resort becomes a focal point for mountain bikers. The World MTB Championships were held here in 2004 and again in 2022. French colours featured prominently last summer, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot taking two rainbow jerseys.”
Photograph: Getty Images
Who's in what jersey?
Yellow: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 57hr 47min 28sec
Green: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 323 points
Polka-dot: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)
White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates)
Updated
Vingegaard gains a second on Pogacar after Rodríguez claims epic stage 14
Stage 14 report: Every second counts in the 2023 Tour de France, as the defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard, and his closest rival, Tadej Pogacar, again demonstrated as they fought their way through the Alps, scrapping over bonus seconds on stage 14, from Annemasse to Morzine. Jeremy Whittle reports from Morzine…
The top five on General Classification
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 57hr 47min 28sec
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) +10sec
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +4min 43sec
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +4min 44sec
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) +5min 20sec
Stage 15, Sunday 16 July: Les Gets-Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, 179km
William Fotheringham on stage 15: Again there is climbing all day; four classified climbs and several unclassified ones, before an uphill finish where France’s Romain Bardet won in 2016, and where most of the damage will be done on the initial kilometres to Les Amerands, where the gradient reaches 18%. David Gaudu is the rider French fans will expect to emulate Bardet, but if the overall contenders get involved that will be a big ask.
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