That’s all for today…Thanks for joining me and for all the messages. I’m signing off for the evening, but don’t worry, the post race report link will be posted here later by one of my colleagues.
Also, I think it’s the perfect time to share this sweet message from Sarah in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who said the picture of baby Jerome earlier is a lovely “reminder, thanks to Wout VA, that life goes on outside the Tour , as well as within.”
KOM classification: top five after stage 19
Ciccone 88
Gall 82
Vingegaard 81
Powless 58
Pogacar 49
General classification: top five after stage 19
Vingegaard 75hr 49min 24sec
Pogacar +7min 35sec
A Yates +10min 45sec
Rodríguez +12min 01sec
S Yates + 12min 19sec
Points classification: top five after stage 19
Philipsen 377
Pedersen 238
Coquard 188
Pogacar 146
Asgreen 125
It’s been a day of rapid racing, countless attacks and a very emotional win for Mohorič. Alex, who emailed in has summed up the Bahrain Victorious’ riders post win interview in a lovely way: “Matej Mohoric just gave possibly the best, most incisive, and brutally honest interview in a sporting event setting that i’ve ever heard.”
I’ve outlined some of it below, so do take a look at his words as it’s a very honest interview that is well worth a read.
Updated
The stage winner Mohorič speaks, on what is a very emotional win for the Slovenian rider. “It means a lot because it’s just hard and cruel to be a professional cyclist. You suffer a lot in preparation. You sacrifice your life, your family and you do everything you can to get here ready and then after a couple of days you realise everyone is just so incredibly strong, that it’s just hard to follow the wheels sometimes,” he says.
“The other day on the Col de la Loze, I was completely tired and empty and done with it. You know you have to go all the way to the top and across to the finish line and do it again the next day. You see the staff that wake up at 6am and go for one hour to run and then they finish their work at eleven in the evening or midnight.” He pays tribute to the team mechanics, physiotherapists and soigneurs.
“Sometimes you feel like you don’t belong here because everyone is so incredibly strong that you struggle to hold wheels. Even today, I was thinking the whole day…and you know that the guy who is pulling you is suffering just as much as you do, but it’s just cruel to then be able to follow the decisive attack.”
“When Kasper [Asgreen] went…I don’t know, he was so incredibly strong. He went on the attack yesterday and won the stage and today, to have the will and the determination to do it all over again, you just feel like you don’t belong here. I followed him, I knew I had to make everything perfect and I tried my best – not just for myself but also for Gino [Mader] and the team – and then you almost feel like you betray them because you beat them, not to the line, but just because that’s the way professional sport is. Everyone wants to win.”
Where did you find the determination? “I don’t know. I just said ‘I don’t want to have any regrets when I come back to the team bus’. I know I don’t often win because I’m not as strong as the others but I can keep the cool and the focus in the crucial moments.”
Updated
Bahrain Victorious celebrate:
It’s a third stage win for Bahrain Victorious. Mohorič’s teammate, Fred Wright has just spoke to Eurosport. There was a bit of good-natured swearing in his description of the fast paced day, so here’s the parts I can repeat:
“I just can’t believe it…that was one of the hardest days on the bike in my life. That was horrendous. I basically exploded and was like my day’s done.” He looks overjoyed at Mohorič’s win.
🇫🇷 #TDF2023
— Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) July 21, 2023
🍀 Lucky number 19 as @matmohoric wins the sprint of the breakaway on stage 19 @LeTour!#RideAsOne #rideforGino pic.twitter.com/RjBoZg4iEl
Take a look at that photo-finish…The yellow jersey group have just crossed the line in Poligny. I’ve found the photo-finish image to show just how close today’s stage win was.
MATEJ MOHORIC WINS STAGE 19 OF TOUR DE FRANCE IN POLIGNY after a photo finish sprint against Kasper Asgreen! 👏 That bike throw made the difference and brought Bahrain-Victorious the 3rd stage victory in this Tour. #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/ipSb8wxHyo
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 21, 2023
Updated
It came down to the bike throw…with Mohorič taking the win and denying Asgreen a second stage win in a row.
Updated
Top five on stage 19
1. Matej Mohorič
2. Kasper Asgreen
3. Ben O’Connor
4. Jasper Philipsen
5. Mads Pedersen
Matej Mohorič wins stage 19!
The win has been given to Mohorič over Asgreen. It was very tight. I’ll try and add a picture of that photo-finish as soon as I can.
Updated
500m to go: It’s pretty cagey and O’Connor goes for it first. Mohorič comes out from behind Asgreen and it’s a photo-finish!
Updated
1km to go: There’s a 30sec gap for Asgreen, Mohorič and O’Connor. They’ve worked beautifully together but now they’re under the 1km to go banner, it’s time to think about the podium places.
4km to go: Asgreen, Mohorič and O’Connor are working seamlessly together and heading down what is a straight line to the finish. Have they got it in the bag? You never want to take anything for certain but it’s looking pretty good for the trio.
Key event
8km to go: Campenaerts has once again been awarded the combativity prize – the second day in a row for the Lotto–Dstny rider.
Updated
10km to go: Trentin, van der Poel and Bettiol are now with Pedersen, Laporte, Pidcock, Philipsen, Mezgec and Zimmermann, as the group desperately try to chase down the leading trio of Asgreen, Mohorič and O’Connor.
Updated
15km to go: It’s almost poetic: there’s a 15sec gap with 15km to go for Trentin, van der Poel and Bettiol, who are trying to bridge the gap to Asgreen, Mohorič and O’Connor.
Updated
17km to go: Laporte is trying to distance van der Poel and a larger group of riders that look to be gaining on him rapidly. The yellow jersey group is rolling on about 8min behind.
20km to go: Laporte is leading the chase to the trio out front, with van der Poel sitting tight on his wheel.
21km to go: There is some fracturing in the front group but the three are staying together. Corbin Strong has crashed on the descent but seems to be up and standing by the side of the road.
30km to go: Asgreen, Matej Mohorič and Ben O’Connor have caught and passed Campenaerts, who looks pretty knackered now.
31km to go: Oh, it’s already done for Clarke. He’s dropped off with cramp, leaving Campenaerts to go forth solo. Poor Clarke has to watch the chasing group pass him. Yesterday’s stage winner Asgreen has now launched a counter-attack to chase down Campenaerts.
32km to go: That relentless drive by the Uno-X riders driving the chasing group seems to be working. Clarke and Campenaerts have seen their lead drop to around 24sec and it looks like they’ll get caught on the ascent.
38km to go: Will the 30-odd riders in the chasing group work together to reel in Clarke and Campenaerts or are they leaving it too late? The leading duo have almost 1min on the group now.
43km to go: After this long descent, the riders will face the third category Côte d’Ivoiry. It’s a 2.4km climb with an average gradient of 5.9% and the final of the two categorised climbs on today’s stage.
Will côte d'Ivory be the decider for stage 19?
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 21, 2023
It was the penultimate ascent on stage 5 of the @dauphine 2023, and Jonas Vingegaard took the stage and the @MaillotJauneLCL in Salins-les-Bains (passed at km 130 today)
Will we see a new @Strava KOM today?#TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/nq14cxEGfK
50km to go: Andrew from Cambridge has emailed in to say he’d be keen to see more victory for the Yates’. He writes: “Would be good to see one the Yates’s get a stage win and Adam on the podium at the end. With no Thomas or Froome and Cav gone, hope these guys can keep the British presence at the top.”
52km to go: Clarke and Campenaerts have almost 30secs on the chasing group and are on a near 10km descent. Uno-X are doing quite the majority of the work to chase them down.
55km to go:
59km to go: Simon Clarke and Campenaerts have broken off the front and have 22sec. There’s around 10km of climbing now.
64km to go: Tom Pidcock, Christophe Laporte, Philipsen and van der Poel are among the 29 riders that joined the eight that were leading. They have 1min 17sec on the peloton.
66km to go: There is a big group about 11sec behind the eight-man breakaway. If they catch them, the breakaway group would swell to around 36 riders. It would provide the eight riders with some teammates.
Pedersen wins the intermediate sprint
73km to go: Pedersen is the first to cross the line of the intermediate sprint. Here are the results:
1. Mads Pedersen, 20 pts
2. Victor Campenaerts, 17 pts
3. Warren Barguil, 15 pts
4. Julian Alaphilippe, 13 pts
5. Jack Haig, 11 pts
6. Tiesj Benoot, 10 pts
7. Georg Zimmermann, 9 pts
8. Matteo Trentin, 8 pts
9. Jasper Philipsen, 7 pts
10. Jordi Meeus, 6 pts
11. Corbin Strong, 5 pts
12. Mathieu van der Poel, 4 pts
13. Jonas Abrahamsen, 3 pts
14. Anton Charmig, 2 pts
15. Nic Schultz, 1 pt
Updated
78km to go: The eight riders (Barguil, Zimmermann, Haig, Pedersen, Campenaerts, Benoot, Trentin and Alaphilippe) have dropped their lead to around 40sec. We’re approaching the intermediate sprint soon.
81km to go: The gap between the breakaway and the peloton has dropped to under a minute. I’m eating a cheese sandwich (sadly, not comté) and my eyes are watering at the speedy state of today’s racing…
More than 47km/h at the front for almost 2 hours... And the bunch are only 1' behind the attackers 💨
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 21, 2023
Talk about an impressive battle on the way to Poligny 🥵#TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/ogfQ0HlFFD
85km to go: It looked like Politt was dropping into the third group on the road and not attempting to get back to where he was, but he’s actually getting back on to the peloton. The breakaway have dropped their lead to 1min now.
90km to go: Politt has a broken chain and was given a replacement bike by the Shimano Neutral Service but it’s no good. The bikes are too small apparently. He’s out of the break now and waiting for his team car.
Updated
94km to go: With under 100km to go now, here’s a quick update on where the groups are. A breakaway of nine riders have a gap of 1min 09sec. Uno-X, EF Education-EasyPost and Israel-Premier Tech are working to reduce their lead but the gap is looking stable at the moment.
105km to go: The breakaway has a gap of 1min 11sec. Warren Barguil, Georg Zimmermann, Haig, Politt, Pedersen, Campenaerts, Benoot, Trentin and Alaphilippe are the nine riders up there. Behind, Israel-Premier Tech, Uno-X and EF Education-EasyPost are keen to chase the group down, having missed the breakaway.
110km to go: Neal has emailed in from Crete in Greece and has made me chuckle with this message about the picture of the cows I shared earlier in the blog: “At least they aren’t taking selfies. Thanks for taking us through the stage today.” That is a good point.
Also, Matjaz has reminded me of today’s finish in Poligny, or the town of Comté. It’s a fabulous cheese and one of my favourites. “Cycling there…you can see that it’s impossible to dissociate the town from the famous cheese,” he shares, via email.
Updated
115km to go: Eurosport are calling it. The commentators are chatting about how after an hour and 45min, the breakaway of the day has finally been established. They now have 1min 18sec. Sean Kelly is even heading off for lunch now…
117km to go: Another two riders are joining the seven at the front. The breakaway group have now got 20sec on the chasing group. Tiesj Benoot, Jack Haig, Matteo Trentin are in there along with Alaphilippe and Politt.
Updated
120km to go: Alberto Bettiol has also had a go but has been swallowed up. There’s some strong players up in the front group and around six or seven riders have broken away. Politt, Alaphilippe and Pedersen are in there.
123km to go: Nils Politt has attacked. They’re all giving it a try today aren’t they? The question is though, which of the many attacks will stick? I hear there are about 40 riders off the back of the peloton, including Sagan.
124km to go: Couldn’t resist this picture of the cows and the riders. Hope you also enjoy.
Updated
129km to go: Alaphilippe and Küng have been caught. Astana Qazaqstan on the team radio tell their riders to “get in the right move” – that might be easier said than done.
132km to go: We’ve got splits. Pedersen and Lutsenko have been brought back by a group that includes Vingegaard and Pogacar. Adam Yates, though, is in the group behind them and about 20secs off getting back. Now Alaphilippe is off the front with Stefan Küng.
Updated
138km to go: While we wait to see what happens with the Pedersen-Lutsenko attack and whether any of the chasing riders bridge across, I’m going to share an email that has come in on the earlier talking point around Philipsen’s behaviour yesterday.
Nick from London writes: “On the Philipsen – Eenkhoorn incident yesterday (re: 11.51), I see Rachel’s point. On the other hand, I think the outcome of yesterday’s stage has undone some of the hard work Philipsen has put in over the two-and-a-bit weeks to keep the points jersey and shed that odd Jasper-disastre nickname.
“Plus it’s all made him look like, well, a bit of a plonker. I don’t think he’ll be doing it again in a hurry. Not sure anyone else will either – Pogacer (sic) and Vingegaard don’t strike me as the next Bernard Hinault, at least in terms of behaviour to their fellow competitors…Keep up the good work and enjoy the stage!”
Thanks Nick. I certainly shall try.
Updated
146km to go: Bryan Coquard has accelerated off from the chasing group. Pedersen and Lutsenko have a 15sec gap on the yellow jersey group and are now descending.
Updated
149km to go: Pedersen and Lutsenko are still hanging off the front and Lutsenko has just taken 1pt as he reaches the summit of the Côte du bois de Lionge. Elsewhere, Jack Haig had a wheel change and is still chasing to get back onto the peloton.
150km to go: Pedersen and Lutsenko have 6sec on the chasing group and they’re climbing up the Côte du Bois de Lionge.
Updated
151km to go: Pedersen and Lutsenko have formed a power duo off the front. There’s a group of seven chasing them.
154km to go: Alberto Contador has been telling Eurosport that the wind out there is stronger than anticipated. Sagan’s attack has been brought back. Who’s next to attack?
156km to go: I was in the midst of writing about how Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Axel Zingle (Cofidis) tried an attack and were reeled in, but then Sagan went and attacked. Who will come across to Sagan?
157km to go: Sagan has attacked!
159km to go: “Bonjour!” says Antony. Bonjour Antony. He’s emailed in to share his thoughts on how today’s stage might go: “There’s no way the sprinters can get it wrong again, right? That would be too much of a treat for the viewer. Maybe a couple of the older sprinters in a big breakaway. Basically, what I m saying is, with Cav departed, I would love to see Peter Sagan wheelie over the line in first place, one last time. It’s his last chance.”
160km to go: Campenaerts has been reeled in after 10km. The riders are now climbing and some big names are hovering near the front.
162km to go: A lot of riders have already expressed publicly their aim to get in the breakaway today (Nils Politt and Bryan Coquard among them), but Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen have been touted as favourites for the win today.
Campenaerts – the most combative rider yesterday – has a lead of around 3sec. Adam Blythe reports that the speeds have been very fast, with the riders descending at about 95kph.
167 km to go: I think I might be writing a lot about attacks and potential breakaways in the upcoming kms. There are a lot of riders hungry for it. Victor Campenaerts is off the front at the moment but the peloton is not far behind.
The racing has begun!
172km to go: The 151 riders have begun the race and there is already a group of four fighting for a breakaway.
Also, here is a little GC recap for you: Vingegaard, in the yellow jersey, leads the Tour de France with an impressive 7min 35sec over Pogacar. Adam Yates sits in third with 10min 45 sec and Carlos Rodriguez is in fourth position with 12min 01sec.
Updated
Today’s start line selfie is below, if you’re a fan of these. Look away, if you’re not. Also, for those watching the TV coverage, you may have spotted Eddy Merckx chatting and shaking hands with riders, including Vingegaard and Ciccone, at the start line. It’s Belgium’s national day so aptly Eddy Merckx is the guest of honour at the Tour today.
#StartlineSelfie
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2023
Everyone is looking 🎉
Tout le monde regarde la caméra !🎉#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/VRMHP8IFWL
Today's roll-out has begun
They’re off and having a lovely chat at the front by the looks of it. The peloton have a 7.7km neutral zone before the race properly kicks off.
Updated
For those of you who love a Tour de France stat:
🇸🇮@TamauPogi just got his 100th distinctive jersey in 81 TDF stages!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2023
🤍He's also worn the white jersey for the past 69 racedays, which is an all-time record!#TDF2023 https://t.co/4EhAs9HnWU
Here’s a little on Moirans-en-Montagne, where the peloton will be rolling out from today: “There has been a wood-working industry for centuries in Moirans-en-Montagne. The small Jura town has gained particular renown as the capital of wooden toys and is home to a museum that showcases this speciality, featuring 16,000 objects from all over the world.
“The town is also known by some Tour riders, specifically those who raced the 2016 edition, when it hosted the start of a FrancoSwiss stage that ended with Peter Sagan taking victory in Berne.”
I can’t speak for the wooden toys of the area but I can say that I visited the Jura earlier this year for some riding and it was brilliant.
Congratulations are in order for Wout van Aert and his wife! They’ve welcomed a baby boy and named him Jerome. The Jumbo-Visma rider announced yesterday that he was leaving the Tour de France to be with his wife Sarah, ahead of the birth of their second child. Welcome to the world baby Jerome.
JEROME.
— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) July 21, 2023
plus d’amour. 🤍 20/07/23. pic.twitter.com/WoBhZXqQZf
One of the talking points from yesterday’s stage was – and continues to be – Philipsen’s reaction towards Pascal Eenkhoorn when he attacked to bridge across to the breakaway. If you missed it, Philipsen was seen to be blocking Eenkhoorn and was accused by of using a “bullying tactic” – you can see a glimpse of it in the below image.
Rouleur’s Rachel Jary has penned an opinion piece on the subject. She writes: “Speaking afterwards to Belgian media, Philipsen told Sporza that the move was not meant to be aggressive. “I wanted to sprint and I was fine with three leaders,” was his explanation. “It was certainly not meant to be bad or arrogant. But I didn’t want more riders in the front.”
“Regardless of his intentions, Philipsen’s actions shouldn’t have been made, and he deserves some sort of punishment from the judges for his behaviour. Even if this punishment doesn’t impact the stage result at all, it is necessary to set a precedent that this sort of behaviour is not welcome in professional bike racing. It’s understandable that Philipsen wanted to control the race, but this was more than that. Every rider who rolls off the start line deserves a fair opportunity to race, regardless of if you’re a stage winner or not.”
Jasper Philipsen bullying Eenkhoorn who tries to attack, not very nice. #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/l9T3MWxhnu
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 20, 2023
What might happen today? Well, after yesterday’s success for the breakaway (and in particular, Asgreen), I imagine those that missed out will be hungry to replicate it. Also, as we approach the final stages of this year’s Tour, there are going to be riders without a stage win looking for their opportunity. Time is ticking. And then there’s Philipsen…he didn’t get the sprint finish he was after yesterday, so is he eyeing up today’s flat finish?
With only a few more stages left of the 2023 Tour de France, and with the yellow jersey competition pretty much sewn up (although, never say never), what kind of action would you like to see happen over the next few days?
🇩🇪@PolittNils is ready to be in today's breakaway!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2023
🇩🇪@PolittNils est prêt à être dans l'échappée d'aujourd'hui ! #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/BrmqlI1hae
Updated
Who’s wearing what jersey
Yellow: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 72hr 04min 39sec
Green: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 352pts
Polka-dot: Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) 88pts
White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates)
Asgreen sprints to thrilling stage 18 win as Vingegaard retains solid Tour lead
Stage 18 report: Jonas Vingegaard retained his overall lead in the Tour de France as Soudal Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen won stage 18 in Bourg-en-Bresse. Asgreen was one of four riders in the day’s breakaway to survive a thrilling pursuit by the speeding peloton, as the race left the Alps behind and entered the Rhone valley. Jeremy Whittle reports from Bourg-en-Bresse…
The top 10 on General Classification
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 72hr 04min 39sec
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +7min 35sec
Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) +10min 45sec
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +12min 01sec
Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) +12min 19sec
Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +12min 50sec
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +13min 50sec
Felix Gall (AG2R-Citreon) +16min 11sec
Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +16min 49sec
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +17min 57sec
Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne-Poligny (173km)
William Fotheringham on stage 19: Another flat stage, this time out of the Jura and into the Doubs. This should be another bunch sprint, but there’s a stiff little climb 26km out, which could well put the riders who are left in the sprinters’ teams seriously off their stride. So perhaps a reduced bunch sprint for a seasoned warhorse such as Mads Pedersen. Today’s stage is due to roll out at approximately 12.15pm (BST).
