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- ‘Really explosive’ - Vingegaard ready to defend yellow in Tour de France mountain finale
There are
At the start in Belfort, the riders are signing on and preparing for the final mountain stage.
It is short at 133.5km but it will be intense.
Thibaut Pinot gets a special cheer on the sign-on podium. This is his last Tour de France mountain stage of his career, with the start just 30km from his home and thousands of his fans waiting for him on the Petit Ballon climb.
"There’s lots emotions... It’s a special day for me,” Pinot said on stage.
I hope everything goes well. My choice to retire is made and that’s why I’ll give it my all today.”
Barry Ryan has followed Pinot's career closely in the last 12 years and wrote this special feature. It's a great way to understand Pinot and what this stage means to him and the sport.
‘I think I've come full circle’ – Thibaut Pinot takes Tour de France bow on home roads
Allez Tibo!
🗣️"My heart is full, I have goosebumps just being here, there's a lot of people, it's going to be very special for me.It's going to be a crazy day, i'm hoping for everything to go well, to have a great race, and to be at the front"-🇫🇷 @ThibautPinot #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/lWmtZqKOTNJuly 22, 2023
Ineos are next to sign on. Today they will look to help Carlos Rodriguez climb to third place on the final GC podium. The young Spaniard is 1:16 down on Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates).
UAE sign on. How will Tadej Pogacar perform in the mountains today after suffering in the Alps. He could try to win the stage or could crack again.
We'll find out very soon.
Lidl-Trek sign on, with Giulio Ciccone in the polka-dot jersey.
They will ride to defend the jersey but faces several major rivals.
This is how close the KOM competition is.
⛰ Programme du jour :3 x 2ème cat.1 x 3ème cat. 2 x 1ère cat.🟰 3️⃣7️⃣ points max à prendre ⚪️🔴⚔️ La bataille s’annonce épique aujourd’hui dans les Vosges ! 😍🤔 Qui portera le maillot à pois ce soir❓#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/2nSXmdbO1dJuly 22, 2023
As we countdown to the start Jumbo-Visma and race leader Jonas Vingegaard sign on.
Vingegaard leads Pogacar by 7:35 and so today will surely be about control and staying safe so they can ride into Paris to celebrate a second Tour victory.
However if the race explodes, watch for the Dane to try to win in yellow.
Vingegaard is preparing for an explosive last stand in this year’s Tour de France as climbers in the peloton prepare to go all-in on the penultimate stage in the Vosges.
The defending champion’s team have compared Saturday’s stage - that features no less than six categorised climbs - to last year’s run to Hautacam, which Vingegaard won ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).
Jumbo-Visma sports director Merijn Zeeman said there’s still much to play for.
“It’s a very hard stage,” Zeeman said. “It’s the third week, everyone is tired but there are still lots of things to fight for: mountain jersey, stage win, all the different places in the GC starting from the 10th place to the podium.
“We will follow our plan and we will race like we always do but cycling is with 22 teams, and I think you will see a lot of different things tomorrow with a lot of different interests. It will be left out all on the road, and everyone will go full gas.”
Click below to read Sophie Smith's special preview.
‘Really explosive’ - Vingegaard ready to defend yellow in Tour de France mountain finale
We're five minutes from the stage start.
The jersey wearers on the front of the start grid, we're ready to start the stage.
1 minute to go!
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... C'est Parti!
The riders have left the start area and now face neutralised sector of 6.6km before the 133.5km stage starts.
We expect attacks from the very start.
Le Markstein is a stage finish for the first time at the Tour.
Last year Le Markstein was the finish of stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: Annemiek van Vleuten won after going solo for nearly 70 kilometres and won the yellow jersey.
🏳️ One more mountain stage until Paris, the battle will be great once again! 🏳️ Dernière étape de montagne avant Paris, la lutte sera encore une fois acharnée ! #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/jphfNfq0SxJuly 22, 2023
All the expected attackers are at the front of the peloton.
There are signs of cross winds in the early kilometres, adding an extra twist to the racing.
The roads are flat and then the Ballon d'Alsace begins. It is 11.5 km long at 5.3%.
Allez! They're off!
Christian Prudhomme has waved his flag ands the first attacks are launched.
Yet again Victor Campenaerts is the first to surge away.
He ias joined by a Lotto teammate and a Movistar teammate.
Other riders are on the move, trying to cross to the attack.
💪 Finish the sentence: The race is on and the first attacker of the day is, once again...💪Finissez la phrase : La course est lancée, et le premier attaquant est, une fois encore...#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/axEGycWG9kJuly 22, 2023
125km to go
The peloton has eased slightly and so the gap is rising.
Lidl-Trek are controlling the attack to protect Ciccone's KOM lead.
Jasper De Buyst is away with Campenaerts but the other teams seem confident they can be caught on the Ballon d'Alsace climb.
What should we expected today Jai?
🇫🇷 #TDF2023💬 “It’s going to be a cracking stage, mate!” pic.twitter.com/xeKfLDQZmoJuly 22, 2023
Hindley was more open about his plan of attack when speaking to Cyclingnews.
The injured Australian slowly dropped from third to seventh overall after a high-speed crash on stage 14, but showed signs of improvement on the Col de la Loze and is up for the contest.
“Regardless of how I’m feeling, I think all-in. It’s only 130 kilometres and, what have I go to lose? But I think everyone will be like that,” he said.
There are big gaps in the GC top 10 , but still room to move. The contest for the polka-dot jersey is also tight, with Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) holding a slender six-point advantage on Felix Gall, the motivated AG2R Citroën rider who celebrated a stage win in Courchevel earlier this week.
“After the queen stage, after the victory, of course, I mean, everyone is tired now, we’re in the third week, but it cost a lot of energy,” Gall said. “I am just looking forward to when it’s over.”
120km to go
Jasper De Buyst and Victor Campenaerts are pushing on as the climb starts.
The counter-attacks will surely come soon, with the KOM points at the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace, the first battle of the day.
The climbs kicks in and AG2R attacks but Ciccone marks him.
Jasper De Buyst is swept-up as the climbers surge but Victor Campenaerts is still racing out front.
Interestingly, the GC teams are trying to control the racing to play their cards later.
Lidl-Trek are trying to stop the attacks to keep the peloton together for Ciccone.
115km to go
Trentin is going deep to close down Campenaerts.
What is UAE's game plan? What happens now?
The speed is high and so some sprinters have already been dropped.
Matthias Skelmose is playing a key role for Ciccone. He's leading him in a small attack, with 3km to the summit.
Ineos have made a tactical call to follow UAE, because they want to win the stage.
🎙 Team radio @INEOSGrenadiers It's pretty clear for everyone that @TeamEmiratesUAE wants to win!Tout le monde a bien en tête qu'@TeamEmiratesUAE veut la victoire !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/uQDy0ACWpqJuly 22, 2023
Mads Pedersen is also working for Ciccone but Vingegaard is close to the front now.
1km to the summit and the hectic sprint for the KO points.
Lidl wind it up for Cicco!
Ciccone is first to the top.
He kicked with 150m to go and took the five points.
Skelmose tactically finished second to score 3 points, while Pedersen also rode hard to finish third and score 2 points.
That all helped Ciccone extend his lead in the KOM competition. He has 93 points now, with Gall on 82 points.
Now the riders dive down the stunning and testing descent from the Ballon d'Alsace.
This is how Lild-Trek bossed the KOM sprint.
⚪🔴 @giuliocicco1, first at the Ballon d'Alsace. 5 points for him. 0 for Gall and Vingegaard.⚪🔴 @giuliocicco1 en tête au Ballon d'Alsace. 5 points pour lui. 0 pour Gall et Vingegaard.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/pzoDf6ROaNJuly 22, 2023
Crash! Two riders goes down on the descent.
Carlos Rodriguez is one of them!
The crash came after Alaphilippe pushed the pace.
Rodriguez is up and chasing.
There are several splits in the peloton.
Rodriguez has cut his eye and perhaps hit his head. He also has cuts and road rash on his right arm and leg.
He is chasing with a teammate.
Ineos are calling all the team back to help Rodriguez.
Sadly Rodriguez is 1:30 down on the attackers.
A replay shows that something went into the road, Rodriguez avoided it buthen lost his front wheel and banged his face on the road.
Sepp Kuss also crashed and is being treated by a race doctor for cuts on his right elbow.
There are 16 riders in the attack, including race leader Jonas Vingegaard.
Rodriguez is tucked in behind an Ineos team car as he chases back to the peloton.
He has cuts to his chin, nose and eye.
Sepp Kuss also has an facial injury, to his left eye area.
With Vingegaard in the attack, UAE are chasing to defend their chances of winning the stage.
90km to go
The presence of Vingegaard in the attacks is not welcome by other riders. They have little chance of getting away with the yellow jersey in the move and Warren Barguil makes that clear to the Jumbo leader.
The race blasted through the intermediate sprint, with Mads Pedersen winning to score 20 points.
Everyone is focused on the attack and the crash victims.
Vingegaard has wisely eased up as the attacks splits and reforms.
Of course, other riders are trying to get across, including three riders from Uno-X.
Sadly Kuss has bandages on the side of his left eye. He's going to have to fight even more pain during the stage.
After a fast opening hour, the rider start the Col de la Croix des Moinats climb.
Bora-Hansgrohe are trying to drag the peloton up to the attackers.
80km to go
Jai Hindley has got across to the attack but Ciccone is still ahead with a few other riders.
The peloton is at 30 seconds but Kuss has been dropped after his crash.
There are 2km to climb on the Col de la Croix des Moinats.
Powless is going clear to cross to the front group as he returns to fight on the climbs.
Race doctors have treated Carlos Rodriguez and he is okay to race on.
💪 Warrior#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/gLUygVY0szJuly 22, 2023
Skelmose again leads Ciccone to the summit.
Ciccone and Skelmose again pull off a double move, sweeping up the points.
Ciccone is the first to the summit and Skelmose is second, with other riders just behind them. That stops Gall and Vingegaard from scoring points.
Ciccone scored 5 points and so now has a total of 98 points.
He's extended his leads in the polka-dot competition. but there are still 20 points up for grabs on the final 2 climbs.
Pinot alert!
The Frenchman is on the move with two teammates.
Pinot has Madouas and Küng with him. They're 30 seconds behind the attackers and 30 seconds ahead of the peloton.
Jumbo have taken control of the peloton, keeping the attacks in check.
Ciccone is again up front on the Col de Grosse Pierre. He's taking more points but now Pinot is up in the front group.
There are six riders in the Ciccone group but let's call it the Pinot group, as the roadside fans realise their idol is in the attack.
The Pinot group lead the peloton by 1:00.
65km to go
Madouas, Uran and Vermaerke are about to join the Pinot group andhelp drive it along.
There are 11 riders in the attack now and they lead the peloton by 1:00 in the valley road.
The riders are in the Alsace forests, with the Col de la Schlucht coming very soon.
Ciccone just needs one more KOM point to mathematically win the polka-dot jersey.
⚪🔴If @giuliocicco1 takes 1️⃣point at the Col de la Schlucht, he will be assured to win the @maillotapois if he crosses the line safely in Paris #TDF2023 https://t.co/XqdJwPPnu6July 22, 2023
Sadly for the many Pinot fans along the route, UAE is leading the chase and clearly want Pogacar to try to win the stage.
Jumbo are also up front and vigilant. We could have a real pursuit match all the way to the finish.
There are 2 points up for grab at the summit of the Col de la Schlucht, enough for Ciccone to seal victory in the KOM competition.
If he wins it, he'll be the first Italian to take it since Claudio Chiappucci in 1991-1992.
Andiamo Cicco!
55km to go
Ciccone kicks and takes the KOM.
He even celebrates with his arms in the air and a big smile!
It's been a testing summer for Ciccone. He came down with COVID-19 and so missed the Giro d'Italia.
He refocused in June, got married as planned but spent his honeymoon riding the Italian national championships.
He came to the Tour to target stages and the polka-dot jersey. He and Lidl-Trek let Neilson Powless control the jersey in the early stages but then rode aggressively in the Alps and the final week.
🤩 Job done for @giuliocicco1! He is now sure to wear the polka dot jersey in Paris tomorrow! Bravo Giulio !🤩 C'est fait pour @giuliocicco1 ! Il est assuré de porter le @maillotapois sur le podium final demain s'il termine le Tour !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/CgwiqYmgtUJuly 22, 2023
The peloton refuse to let the break go clear, with UAE again driving the pace on the road to the Petit Ballon and the finale of the stage.
The gap is just 1:15.
These are the riders up front:
Thibaut Pinot and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Giulio Ciccone and Matthias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Chris Harper (Jayco-Alula), Warren Barguil (Arkéa Samsic, Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost), Kevin Vermaerke (Team dsm- irmenich) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).
The crowds are huge as the rider start the Petit Ballon climb.
There is tension over the race radio. Let's hope the stages goes safely.
Pinot is on the front of the attack and hurting everyone.
Only Madouas, Barguil, Pidcock, Pinot and Ciccone are left up front.
UAE keep chasing, doing the job of Jumbo and hoping to win the stage.
They peg the Pinot group to 1:30. as they climb through the trees of the Petit Ballon.
30km to go
Riders are being spat out of the peloton as they chase the Pinot group.
This is a brutal final mountain stage.
30km to go
Pinot is alone and on the attack!
The crowds on the Petit Ballon and then Pinot will soon go crazy.
The crowds are huge on the Pinot Corner near the summit.
Pinot is driven by emotion today. He night ot win but he's going to enjoy and savour it all.
Pinot dances on the pedals alone out front, everyone cheering his name.
There are only 20 riders in the peloton, such is the high speed. But they are 1:15 down on Pinot.
Fortunately the Pinot crowds are controlled, even if they are going crazy for their local hero.
Pinot leads Ciccone, Barguil and Pidcock by 20 seconds. The peloton is at 1:20.
Allez Tibo!
This is crazy! The official Pinot Corner is packed with people, all shouting his name!
This is what they came for and perhap what he wanted as a farewell.
Ciccone is dropped and so just Pidcock, Barguil and Harper are chasing Pinot.
Thibaut Pinot leads over the Petit Ballon, his home climb. He must have goose bumps as he faces the last 25km of the stage.
Can he win?
Who dares to spoil his last mountain stage at the Tour? Who will try to spoil his last dance on home roads?
Perhaps Pidcock, or Barguil.
There are no gifts in pro cycling, especially today.
The peloton cross the summit at 1:25.
Crash in the peloton!
David Gaudu goes down.
Gaudu took a tight line on a curve after eating something and lost control.
He is up but in pain.
20km to go
Meanwhile, on the descent of the Petit Ballon, Pinot still leads the chasers by 25 seconds, with the peloton at 1:20.
Gaudu gets a new bike and rides on. He's racing for a top ten in the GC.
Pidcock has not crossed to Pinot as the Frenchman goes deep to stay away.
The final climb up to Col du Platzerwasel will be decisive for Pinot's fairytail stage.
15km to go
The Col du Platzerwasel starts with 15km to go.
Pinot is still on a ride, with everyone cheering him to the finish.
This was the moment he attacked.
Attack by Pogacar in the peloton!
Vingegaard follows him!
They're 5km from the summit and Pogacar and Vingegaard began the chase of Pinot, Pidcock and Barguil.
Yet they ease and look at each other.
Felix Gall joins then and leads the pace.
They are suddenly only 25 seconds down on Pinot.
Pidcock and Barguil catch Pinot.
Gall, Vingegaard and Pogacar are only 10 seconds back.
Behind the other riders are racing for the podium and top 5.
Gall, Vingegaard and Pogacar catch Pidcock, Barguil and Pinot.
Sadly Pinot casn;'t hold the wheels. His dream of a stage win seems over.
Gall, Vingegaard and Pogacar are racing for the stage win.
Simon Yates is on the attack to fight for the podium.
He's dropped Carlos Rodriguez and goes clear.
He's also bastling with his brother Adam, who is chasing him to defend third overall and perhaps help his twibn borther move up to fourth overall, ahead of Rodriguez.
It's clear that Gall, Pogacar and Vingegaard want to win the stage.
This is a tactical final 10km to the finish.
They lead Simon and Adam Yates by 20 seconds, with Pinot just behind them.
Gall, Pogacar and Vingegaard lead over the top of the Col du Platzerwasel.
The Yates brothers are at just 15 seconds.
The riders face 7.5km on a rolling plateau road.
This is a thrilling finale to the final mountain stage.
Sadly Victor Lafay (Cofidis) has abandoned due to fatigue and illness. He won stage 2 in San Sebastian.
Vingegaard refuses to ride with Pogacar but finally hits the front, perhaps to stop the Yates coming across.
Pogacar is naturally not working, hoping that Adam can come up and help him win the stage.
5km to go
Behind Ineos are trying to keep Rodriguez in fourth overall but it's a battle to the finish. Pidcock uses his last drop of energy to help the young Spaniard.
The Yates brothers join Gall, Vingegaard and Pogacar. We have five riders up front and thinking about the stage win.
What a finale to the final mountain stage.
Incredibly Pinot is only 30 seconds back.
Pello Bilbao and Barguil are with Pinot.
Adam Yates is on the front for Pogacar.
Sprint!
Jonas Vingegaard kicks!
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) wins!
Pogačar lets out the emotions after the disappointment of losing the battle for overall victory to Vingegaard.
Wow. What a finish to the final mountain stage of the Tour.
Here is Pogacar as he celebrates his win.
Victory put a smile on Pogačar's face after the disappointment of missing out on overall victory.
“I finally feel like myself again. It was good to feel good again from start to finish after many days of suffering,” he said.
“To pull it off at the finish line, I’m just super, super happy.
Pogacar added:
“I was waiting for Adam to come back, and his brother again, they were super good. I know him very well, he led me out really good. Thanks to him it was a bit easier to prepare the final and less nervous. I was super happy that the team did such a great job again.”
Vingegaard stands on the podium in the yellow jersey. He is just 11.1km from a second consecutive Tour de France victory.
Thibaut Pinot also gets a cheer on the podium. He won the Prix de la Combativité and is the local hero of the day.
Here is Pinot's moment on the podium.
Il s'est échappé sur ses routes des Vosges.Il est passé seul en tête à "son" virage.Thibaut Pinot nous a fait vivre d'ultimes immenses émotions sur le Tour de France 💖 pic.twitter.com/F9JHCkZMyHJuly 22, 2023
Pogacar was smiling again after his stage win but was also happy the Tour was coming to an end.
He tried to stay optimistic in defeat, finding the special memories of his race.
“I think just the atmosphere in the bus every day, how this team was, I think this will stay as the best memory of this Tour de France,” he said.
He was also asked for his worst memory and again avoided talking about defeat but touched on the day he cracked the mighty Col de la Loze climb and had to fight to hold onto second place overall.
“Everytime Marc Soler looked at me on Col de la Loze with his scary eyes. That was the most terrifying moment,” Pogacar said, confirming how Soler played a vital role in getting him to the finish on the day that decided the 2023 Tour de France.
How loud were the cheers for Pinot? This loud.
💪 Today was his day, his stage, his corner. He's the combative of the stage, well done @ThibautPinot !💪 Aujourd'hui, c'était sa journée, son étape, son virage. Il est le combatif de l'étape, bravo @ThibautPinot !#TDF2023 | @century21fr pic.twitter.com/SmErMF3fE4July 22, 2023
This is how Pogacar won and celebrated his stage victory.
🏆🇸🇮 @TamauPogi wins stage 20!🏆🇸🇮 @TamauPogi remporte l’étape 20 au Markstein !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/9t4iBQmElJJuly 22, 2023
This is the moment Pogacar won the stage.
And during a day of racing emotions, these were the crowds cheering for Pinot on the Petit Ballon.
This is absolutely incredible. pic.twitter.com/iOOGBV4zh0July 22, 2023
Vingegaard’s 7:29 margin on Pogačar in the GC means that he could already begin to celebrate overall victory.
“A second one is also really amazing,” he said in the podium area before giving a more detailed press conference later.
“Of course there’s still the stage into Paris, we have to be careful and not to do anything stupid, but it’s amazing to take my second victory in the Tour de France. I almost can’t believe it.”
Vingegaard is quiet and reserved but seemed to enjoy his long and intense battle with Pogačar.
“It was definitely a crazy battle we had all these three weeks. I think it has been a really nice race to watch,” he said.
“Also for us, I really appreciated the battle I had with Tadej in this year’s Tour de France. He’s a super great guy. It’s been an amazing fight since Bilbao and hopefully also in the future.
“I enjoyed today and I enjoyed every day I had in the yellow jersey. I felt good on the bike today and so it was another nice fight between me and Tadej.”
Vingegaard rightly shared his success with his Jumbo-Visma teammates. On Sunday they will ride into Paris to win a second consecutive Tour de France.
“I’d never have been able to do this without my fantastic team, they’ve been there every day for me. They’ve done so well over the last three weeks, I’m so happy for all of us. It’ll be super nice in Paris tomorrow,” the Dane said.
“We had a plan and it was the way we executed the plan every day like we wanted to. Thanks to the team, they were so good every day.”
To read our full stage report on all the action and to see our growing photo gallery and see the full results, click below.
Thanks for joining us for full live coverage of stage 20.
We will be back on Sunday for live coverage of the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes and then for the final stage to Paris of the men's Tour de France.
