TOPS
Wout Poels, the perfect shot
The Dutchman (Bahrain Victorious) maneuvered perfectly in the Côte des Amerands, penultimate difficulty of the day, to drop off Wout Van Aert who saw himself as too handsome. The winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2016, who is competing in his 10th Tour, takes his first stage victory. The second of the Bahrain Victorious team on this Tour (after Pello Bilbao in Issoire, 10th stage).
The Norman, leader of the Cofidis team, illustrates the confidence that infuses the northern team (rewarded with stage victories by Lafay and Izaguirre). After a scare (a straight downhill), he took advantage of a solid day spent up front rewarded with a 7th place at the finish to make a nice rapprochement in the general classification (10th, 11” from David Gaudu, the first Frenchman, 9th).
9th at the top of Puy-de-Dôme, 2nd in Belleville-en-Beaujolais won a new place of honor (3rd) after a well-run stage and a daring finish. Accompanied by four Frenchmen in the Top 10 of the stage (Pinot 6th, Martin 7th, Guglielmi 9th and Barguil 10th).
Falling in the fall which had tested a large part of the peloton on Saturday, Adrien Petit (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) gritted his teeth to finish. After a night cut short by the pain of injuries, he once again gritted his teeth. Awarded the Combativeness Award.
Tadej Pogacar, after a long work from Adam Yates, attacked 950m from the finish. Without managing to win Jonas Vingegaard, vigilant. The Slovak and the yellow jersey finished in that order (16th and 17th on the stage). Without the slightest difference. Here they are back to back (separated by 10” in the general classification before the last 6 stages).
FLOPS
Sometimes unlucky, sometimes badly inspired, Wout Van Aert is not as irresistible as in 2022 but the Belgian does everything to jump on the opportunities that arise. On the attack at the top of the Col des Aravis, the versatile Jumbo-Visma team (accompanied by Dutchman Wout Poels and Spaniard Marc Soler) headed for Saint-Gervais. In pursuit of his 10th stage victory on the Tour, he who has become accustomed to winning at least once on each Tour disputed (1 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 3 in 2021 and 3 in 2022). Before being dropped by Poels and settling for 2nd place (as in San Sebastian, 2nd stage). Jumbo-Visma is still waiting for a stage victory but wears the yellow jersey.
The Latvian, incisive in this Tour, had the legs to follow Van Aert, Poels and Soler. Symbol of the offensive tactics put in place by his Israel Premier Tech formation, he fell heavily on his back, grazed the parapet in the descent of the Col d’Aravis, 35 km from the finish, after trying to catch a container transmitted by the “fresh motorbike”.
Behind the escapees Julian Alaphilippe and Alexey Lutsenko, the peloton was advancing at high speed when a spectator wanting to show his enthusiasm touched the Belgian Nathan Van Hooydonck with his hand, 128 km from the finish. The rider of the Jumbo-Visma team found himself thrown to the ground. Sounded, experienced. Before managing to resume the thread of the race.
