Saturday’s imposing fourteenth stage of the 112th Tour de France saw Michael Woods in another breakaway, Remco Evenepoel abandon and Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard throw a few haymakers on Pyrenees HC summit finish Superbagnères. Fugitive Thymen Arensman added a Tour stage to his Vuelta a Espana stage triumph.
The GC Situation Overnight
In the time trial Oscar Onley was the only fellow to move in the top 10. But Evenepoel had Florian Lipowitz breathing down his neck for the final podium spot. Primož Roglič lurked 35 seconds behind Vauquelin.
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) 45:45: 51
2) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Visma-Lease a Bike) +4:07
3) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +7:24
4) Florian Lipowitz (Germany/Red Bull) +7:30
5) Oscar Onley (Australia/Picnic-PostNL) +8:11
6) Kévin Vauquelin (France/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +8:15
The Course
Brace yourself. Stage 14’s summit finish was HC-rated Superbagnères, with the Tourmalet (its 87th appearance since its inclusion in 1914), Col d’Aspin and Peyresourde climbed along the way. Fifty-five KOM points were on offer to tempt Lenny Martinez and Woods. It was a chillier day with some light rain.
Sure enough, Woods and Martinez were in the day’s raft of escapees, one kept on a short leash. Eighth place Tobias Halland Johannessen was in the mix too. On the Tourmalet, the group shrank considerably. Evenepoel was on another bad day, one so lousy that he abandoned the Tour. The Belgian has DNF’s in half of the Grand Tours he has started. Nineteenth place Mattias Skjelmose, who crashed earlier in the day, also climbed off the bike.
Remco Evenepoel abandons, climbs in the team car
Martinez, clad in Pogačar’s polka dots, bolted on his breakmates with Ben O’Connor and then went solo to take the Souvenir Jacques Goddet and provisional KOM lead at the top, 2:00 ahead of Woods and company and 3:25 before the yellow jersey. The Frenchman grabbed 20 points, Woods snagged 15 to tie Pogačar on 37. A sketchy, misty, drizzly descent led to the foot of the Col d’Aspin.
Martinez started up the Col d’Aspin with less than a minute on a trio headed up by Sepp Kuss, with Woods and Johannessen +1:20 and Pogačar’s lot still…
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