Thursday’s 18th stage of the 2024 Tour de France might have been the final opportunity for a breakaway to succeed, and veteran campaigner Victor Campenaerts won a three-up sprint with two other fugitives to take his first Tour victory. Tadej Pogačar kept safe in the yellow jersey as the peloton took it easy. Hugo Houle, also in the day’s break, was the first Canadian at 19th, and he rocketed up 22 spots on GC to 40th.
The Course
Five Cat. 3 climbs were distributed evenly along 179.5 km, the final one cresting 39 km from the finish line in Barcelonnette. The final 25 km rose gradually and steadily.
Another #TDF2024 stage that screams breakaway, this time from Gap to Barcelonnette, just ahead of the high mountains. pic.twitter.com/2YNDoFsgQo
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 18, 2024
It was another opportunity for the breakaway, and it took the first Cat. 1, Col du Festre, for it to form. Thirty-seven riders including Hugo Houle, Wout can Aert, Campenaerts, Wednesday’s winner Richard Carapaz, and a few riders in positions 14 to 19 in the GC bounded over the second climb 4:00 ahead of the peloton.
On Cat. 3 III, Col de Manse, Oier Lazcano once more snaffled up the two KOM points. Could he go five for five on Thursday? When the fugitives started to skirmish on Côte de Saint-Apollinaire, the group thinned out. Lazcano missed out on the points.
Back in the peloton, 8:45 behind, Jasper Stuyven shared M&Ms.
At the base of the final climb, Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées, more attacks in the escape came to nothing. Forty kilometers remained and 36 guys were still in it. After the descent, the group was in four pieces: three followed by five then 20 (Houle and van Aert) then eight. The trio of Michal Kwiatkowski, Campenaerts and Mattéo Vercher resisted the chasing quintet.
With 12 km to go, the trio was 1:07 clear. Inside the red kite, Vercher attacked and Kwiatkowski sewed it up. Campenaerts attacked on the left and warded off Vercher for the win.
Friday reintroduces the Alps in the first of three GC days. Two HC-rated climbs warm up the riders’ legs for summit finish Isola 2000, 16.1 km of 7.1 percent.
2024 Tour de France Stage 18
1) Victor Campenaerts (Belgium/Lotto-Dstny) 4:10:20
2) Mattéo Vercher (France/TotalEnergies) s.t.
3) Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland/Ineos) s.t.
19) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech)…
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