Surprise - Not - Attack

I saw at this year’s Paris-Nice that Luke Rowe, back from his 2017 smashed leg, was definitely going to be on the Ineos (then Sky) Tour de France team. The Welshman was imperial during the fierce crosswind battles of the Race to the Sun, guiding Egan Bernal – a quick study if there ever was one – through the treacherous echelons to overall victory, and getting them both ready for July in the process. Rowe’s been quiet since Paris-Nice, a good long rest was needed after the fantastic, sometimes single-handed efforts he put out in March, but he’s certainly been on point throughout this Tour, never-more so than during yesterday’s surprise attacks, that shouldn’t have really been surprising, on the run-in to the beautiful city of Albi. 

You could see that the wind was blowing and you also could see the difference between the super teams of Ineos, Deceuninck-Quikstep and the rest. It was all a matter of preparation and focus, with a truckload of speed and power thrown in. Ineos had researched every meter of the racecourse, looking for exposed-to-the-wind sections, pinpointing the exact places to be on guard and ready for attacks. The directors monitored the wind direction and strength in real-time, keeping their team informed and in correct position, trying an echelon attack with 73-kilometers to go, but dropping their hands after finding that wind not yet powerful enough to crack the field. Warning bells should have gone off throughout the peloton.

It was with about 40-k to the finish, at a roundabout, that Groupama-FDJ, who has ridden an almost perfect race thus far, lost Pinot his podium in Paris. They went around on the left side while Education First, all lined up, blasted around the shorter, right side launching a serious echelon attack, the team all lined up at an angle to the wind, absolutely ripping through the wind and flying down the road. Pinot, having lost at least 40 positions in the line, never saw the front again. Then, inexplicably, after having done all of that damage and been in the perfect position, EF sat up. They clearly are missing a road captain, a man of experience in the manner of Ineo’s Michael Kwiakowski, the sort who will command an attack, stop and fix his leader’s gears, throw himself into any and every situation needed to help his team – oh, and win a World Championship while he’s at it too.

EF’s right cross was counterpunched, a Mike Tyson scale counter punch, by none other than the Yellow Jersey Julian Alaphilippe, who launched his team with incredible power with the ever-alert Ineos jumping on that train. Alaphilippe’s final 35-kilometers of the race, to put it in perspective, were raced at a 57 kph average (!!!!), with a side wind blowing… EF crumbled, joined up with Pino’s squad, Richie Porte, Jakob Fuglsang, a dozen in total, who desperately and tantalizingly (for us all) got to within ten-seconds of the front group – before collectively exploding, fading to 1’40” behind by the end. Education First has had a most destructive few days, first losing Tejay van Garderen, followed by Michael Woods crashing himself out of contention with now Rigoberto Uran, a man who follows rather than attacks, being put in a position to do just that, counter to his nature.

Movistar rode beautifully, Alejandro Valverde, who has endured his own Tour de France echelon disasters, dropping out of podium contention in 2013 by being on the wrong side of the wind – I was there on that stage, on a bicycle ride with my young son, standing on the side of the road, feeling the sheer intensity and anger of the wind-blown peloton race by and witnessing sadness of Valverde. It’s great on TV, but to see it all live, even for those fleeting moments, is something every fan needs to do at least once in their lives – anyway, Valverde guided Quintana through the battle making sure his climber was safe. But, poor Mikel Landa! Taken out of the front through no fault of his own, Movistar sent four men back to pick him up off the ground. They chased like heros, but Landa’s podium chances are now shot, which is to Quintana’s benefit. Valverde is in worker mode and the Colombian now the clear leader of that team.

As I state over and over again, le Tour is a race for “rouleurs” (big gear men) who can climb too, and yesterday’s race into Albi emphatically confirmed that fact. A racer never knows when and where things will go crazy, and the best Tour riders have the ability for intense concentration over weeks at a time. As we saw with Thibault Pino, a moment’s hesitation, a left instead of a right, can cost you everything. 

There’s no space to even begin to speak about Wout van Aert, except that I’ve been blowing his horn all year long. Besides everything else, one of his great strength’s is found in his beautiful souplesse. As I said back in March, I could watch him all day. He’s such an artist of the bicycle. Souplesse leads to an ever-more efficient racer, one who, as we are seeing with him, can go further and further in a race using less and less energy in the process. He’s simply getting stronger right before our eyes. 

What a Tour this has become, what a wonderful race, and we’re only halfway through. Lot’s more to come, because the truly hard part, unbelievable as it seems, has yet to begin.