Key events
1km to go: Vercher attacks!
2km to go: Kwiato tightened up his shoes a little while back. Business time … Vercher does a big pull at the front … was that an attempted attack? If it was, Campanaerts covers it easily.
Now Vercher takes care of those shoes …
3km to go: Campanaerts on the front again. He leads the three-man group through a sweeping left-hander. There are spots of shade under the trees, which will be welcome, even for a second or two.
3.5km to go: It’s 42sec for the leaders.
5km to go: The road kicks up again. The groups of fans at roadside are thickening and getting louder. It’s business time for the three riders up front.
This would be a massive result for Ineos if the Polish rider can do it. Ditto Lotto Dstny and TotalEnergies, of course.
6km to go: It’s 45sec for the lead group. Surely this young French lad Vercher won’t have the nous, or the legs, to beat both of his companions? It would be some result if he did.
6.5km to go: A while back they were saying Campanaerts appeared to have a problem of some kind and he was chatting to the support car, I think. Mind games?
7km to go: This is going to be a fascinating finale. “It’s going to be a little bit tactical and you have to play your cards right,” as Kelly observes on Eurosport.
8km to go: The gap is 41sec for the three riders up front so it’s still looking good for them. There are hundreds of fans lining the road and cheering them on. Well, this is the Tour de France.
11km to go: “Campanaerts really does deserve a win,” writes Kieran. “One of my favourite riders in the peloton. He’s obviously got decent power as he did well in the time-trials – sat in the hotseat until the big players arrived. So far my memory of him includes his successful hour record which stood for a few months/weeks and also curiously picking up a dental issue during a cobbled race; purely from gritting his teeth with fury.
“He more recently led out Asgreen or Mohoric for their breakaway win previously in last years addition of the Tour. Ride well, young Victor !”
There was also that time he asked a friend out on a date by writing a message on his chest and opening his jersey. Unfortunately for him the strategy didn’t work.
13km to go: Campanaerts continues to tap out a fierce pace on the front. He’s looking good and the gap is up to 52sec. The Pogacar group is 15min down on the front of the race. Now Kwiatkowski takes it up. Then Vercher takes his turn and Kwiatskowski and Campanaerts have a quick discussion about something.
14km to go: What odds was Kwiatkowski for the stage, I wonder.
14km to go: Vercher was the rider who crashed in the neutralised zone this morning! I didn’t realise that. And here he is challenging for the win.
16km to go: Now it’s 45sec for the front three. These three are going to fight for the win unless something dramatic occurs. Something else dramatic, that is.
Kwiatkowski emptys some water over his back and neck. He takes another bottle from the car.
I still suspect that Campanaerts will go long, and try and rule out a sprint against Kwiato. But when?
17 km to go: “Campanaerts was one of the first guys to really focus on aerodynamics,” says Warbasse on commentary, while complimenting his exemplary position on the bike. “He tested it all himself … then he started to switch his focus to the road. Other teams started to do the same and started to catch up …”
18km to go: “Campanaerts is really pushing on here,” remarks Kelly. Kwiatkowski is looking very strong too. The gap is 34sec.
This the fascinating bit where a handful of riders from rival teams join forces to earn their shot at a glorious Tour de France stage victory … every man for himself in the final sprint.
20km to go: Now the gap is 27sec. Vercher is in good hands with Campanaerts and Kwiatkowski up front, both wily old racers. It seems like these three are going to earn themselves a shot at the stage win. But can the five chasers make it back?
21km to go: The front three (Kwiatkowski, Campanaerts, Vercher) have 24sec on the chasers. Hindley, Lemmen, Skuijns, Neilands and Lazkano are those chasers.
23km to go: “How do the police show their presence in the Tour?” emails Gerda. “Do they follow in cars or on motorcycles?”
They have plenty of motorbike outriders who go through before the race arrives (both a few minutes before and also directly in front of the race leaders). This is largely to try and get fans to stand back and give the riders space. It doesn’t always work. The other day, Cavendish mentioned how the police motorbikes are a big aerodynamic benefit for the front group on a mountain stage when the peloton is split.
25km to go: Kirby: “How do you hide in a group of three, Larry?”
Warbasse: “You don’t.”
25km to go: Following his crash, Johannessen (Uno-X) looks in a right state. His kit, I mean, which is ripped up. But he’s riding hard.
26km to go: Kwiatkowski, Lemmen, Campanaerts and Lazkano are all mentioned by the commentators as their respective picks for the win.
Does Kwiato have the legs? I’d like to see him win, he’s been one of my favourite riders for 10 years now.
27km to go: It’s uphill all the way to the line. But it’s not steep enough to rule anyone but the heaviest riders out. It’s going to make for an exciting finish and looks like a good bit of course design.
28km to go: The front three have 12sec on a group of chasers, known as the Carapaz group on the telly graphics.
28km to go: “No rider will want to bridge across to that front group and drag others with them,” says Blythe. “Van Aert will wait …”
29km to go: Vercher (the third escapee) I know nothing about, and it appears he’s never won a pro race.
31km to go: On Eurosport commentary, Kirby mentions Kwiato’s Milano-Sanremo win in 2017. He says he’d be happy with a three-up sprint. Yes, but Campanaerts (Lotto–Dstny) will surely attack from a distance?
32km to go: No, Kwiatkowski has now been joined by Campanaerts and Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies).
35km to go: Johannessen crashes! He slides off the bike into a left-hand downhill bend. Up front, Kwiato has 21sec on a couple of chasers.
36km to go: Kwiatkowski of Ineos – a former world champion, Milano-Sanremo winner, Strade Bianche etc. etc. – is off the front. He’s not the kind of rider you want to let go up the road, even if he’s not at the level he was 10 years ago.
37km to go: “Just wondering if there any more sprint stages remaining in the next three days,” writes William. “Or has the Green Jersey been decided at the end of today’s stage?
There are no sprint stages remaining, but there is a sprint point on each of the next two days. Sunday is an ITT. Girmay leads Philipsen by just 34 points at the top of the classification, so it’s still up for grabs.
Tomorrow, the sprint point comes early in the day before the big climbs, so that is guaranteed to be a lively start.
40km to go: Wonderful helicopter shot of a bridge across the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, that has just been negotiated by the riders. Kwiatkowski leads through the KOM point. Carapaz, still full of beans after yesterday’s stage win, is trying to bridge across.
42km to go: Lemmen, Bernard and Lazkano are now off the front together.
Lemmen of Visma–Lease a Bike used to be a military man, so they say.
42km to go: The pace is hot, much like the weather, on the final categorised climb of the day. The riders have another two kilometres to go until the summit.
44km to go: The gap is 10min 41sec. The final climb of the day, the Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées, is 3.6km long with an average gradient of 5.4%.
48km to go: Nils Pollitt (UAE Team Emirates) is seen back at the team car, enjoying a handy little tow while he’s at it.
The race is five minutes ahead of the fastest schedule. As it stands this is the fastest ever Tour de France.
49km to go: Cycling legend Philippe Gilbert is pictured at roadside. He also had a chat with Adam Blythe a few minutes ago.
Remember 2011, when he was nailed on for Stage 1, and only went and won it?
52km to go: Johannessen took two points on the previous climb, Kwiatkowski took one.
Now it’s downhill for a while until the road kicks up again on the Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées – the final categorised climb of the day.
The gap is up to 10min.
54km to go: “If you’re starting to blow up, I don’t think it’s the moment to attack,” McEwen observes of that Healy effort for EF Education–EasyPost. “If you get yourself dropped, you’ve lost your numerical advantage [for the team]. Maybe make an acceleration, but to get yourself dropped? That’s quite a blow to their tactics.”