Fabio Jakobsen, with an aim at contesting the only remaining sprint stage on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday, just barely made it to the finish of stage 17 on the altiport at Peyragudes with only 18 seconds to spare before being time cut.
Riding in his first Tour de France, Fabio Jakobsen supplanted last year’s four-time stage winner green jersey winner Mark Cavendish in his team’s selection with an aim of winning stages. He made that dream come true on stage 2 in Denmark when he edged out Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo).
However, his allergy to mountains showed itself on stage 7 to La Super Planche des Belles Filles when he fought to the finish surrounded by teammates Kasper Asgreen and Michael Mørkøv.
He was out the back on stage 10 to Megève – but not struggling as much as Lotto Soudal sprinter Caleb Ewan. But on stage 11, Jakobsen was again at the tail end of the peloton on the Col du Granon with Mørkøv at his side, 40 minutes behind the stage winner and new race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
On stage 12 to l’Alpe d’Huez, Jakobsen was in the dead-last group again with Mørkøv, in the autobus on stage 13 to Saint-Etienne, and missed the front group on the sprint stage to Carcassonne on a day when Mørkøv struggled ahead of the broom wagon and missed the time cut.
Jakobsen made the autobus on Tuesday’s stage to Foix, but without his wingman Mørkøv and Asgreen, he was left to his own struggles on stage 17, burying himself to make it to the top of the final climb before the time limit expired.
He made it by just 18 seconds and, cheered on by his teammates, was pushed to the team bus to fight another day.
For a rider who nearly lost his life in a crash in the Tour de Pologne just two years ago, finishing the stage in Peyragudes was yet another example of Jakobsen’s fighting spirit.
Watch these incredible images!The Wolfpack encouraging @FabioJakobsen in the final meters of the #TDF2022 stage, as he pushes hard to make it inside the time limit by 17 seconds!What a fighter! pic.twitter.com/zgMVP33dOQJuly 20, 2022
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…