His audacity paid off. Leaving under the red flame of the second stage, Victor Lafay surprised Wout Van Aert and the others to sign a dizzying final stretch and clinch a victory expected by Cofidis since 2008. The long evening concluded at 2 a.m. after responding to the many text messages will be remembered by the northern team: “A crazy thing… A little glass and a shower of champagne. Cédric Vasseur (team manager) showered us all at the table. It was funny but afterwards, we could smell the champagne, it was not terrible, “said Victor Lafay to RMC.
At the top of Cauterets-Cambasque, at the end of a hectic but ultimately frustrating day after Tadej Pogacar’s spectacular comeback, Jonas Vingegaard took the honors of the ceremonial podium by finding the yellow jersey (“a color that I love”). The Dane received congratulations from Emmanuel Macron, present on the stage. But in the emotion and disappointment of a day having put his rival back in the saddle, he could not remember what the Head of State had whispered in his ear: “Ah… I can’t don’t remember…”
Alexis Renard, rookie, discovers the Tour and its madness. Amused by several spectators disguised as Borat and already seen last year on the Grande Boucle, the young Norman has, in the Marie Blanque pass (5th stage), advanced his hand in front of the private parts of one of the merry men. And the scene quickly made the buzz. “With the Tour, everything is multiplied, everything takes on an incredible scale. I did this just for fun. The guy in Borat sent me the video, I was dying of laughter. But I didn’t touch anything at all. Contrary to what the video suggests. »
At the end of the 2nd stage in San Sebastián, Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) had cursed after seeing the nails adorning his front gut: “There are smart guys who have put nails, here… Three , four five. Thank you… It lasted for 10 kilometers like that…» In the 9th stage Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat-Limoges, the Albigensian found himself tangled in a banner made in homage to Raymond Poulidor. The collection of small purple jerseys gave way and knocked the runner to the ground. Furious, he threw the banner of rage in the face of a confused supporter, before resuming the race.
Invited by L’Équipe to compare Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, Andy Schleck, winner of the 2010 Tour, assured: “Jonas is super shy, he speaks little and never lets go: he reflects a form of arrogance. He gets out of the bus without saying anything, he is invisible. A portrait that the Dane had little taste of, as he explained at the finish of the 8th stage, in Limoges: “He has the full right to express his opinion and I don’t care. That he called me arrogant is the last thing I expected. For the rest, I am calm, yes. I wouldn’t say I’m shy because I talk to riders in the peloton but I’m not the one who shouts the most. »
In Bilbao, the end of a spectacular 1st stage, an accomplice tandem made up of Adam (UAE Team Emirates) and Simon Yates (Team Jayco) created the first sensation of the Tour by finishing in the first two places. Before them, the brothers Henri and Francis Pélissier, authors of four doubles between 1919 and 1923 (the last in Geneva, during the 11th stage of the Tour 1923, on July 14). Then the Schleck brothers (Andy in front of Frank) had risen to the first places of the 18th stage of the 2011 Tour. It was, however, a great first on the Tour for twins. “They worked well together, if it was two other riders, I don’t think it would have gone to the finish,” summarized Dan Martin. Adam beat Simon by 4” and took the yellow jersey (a tunic worn for four days).