Real French Racing

Yesterday’s stage into the heart of Champagne was a triumph for cycling and the Tour de France. Starting in Binche, the final leg of the massively successful “Grande Depart” in Belgium and a city that has invested heavily in cycling, holding three major professional races this year, the race, aided by a strong tailwind, plunged down into France at incredible speeds. In a Tour designed for climbers, the “rouleurs” took one of the few chances they had in this three-week race to escape, and a five-man breakaway soon formed, gaining six-minutes on the field. The likable Tim Wellens of the always-attacking Belgian Lotto-Soudal squad, took the bit between his teeth with 45 kilometers to the finish, dropping his breakaway companions, to set off to try and win the stage, but certainly to grab the Mountains Classification points that lay between him and the finish line. And this is where all of the real drama began. 

Wellens, who started in mountain bike racing (there we go again!) has had an excellent career, winning eight stage races and the GP Montreal among other triumphs and is widely known for his clean approach to sport. He dropped out of the 2017 Tour due to asthma and his refusal to request a TUE permitting an inhaler. There is still so much criticism of the racers these days and I hope that the example of Tim Wellens can help to put a more balanced perspective on things. 

Wellens, alone in front, racing through the majestic champagne vineyards, was in with a chance and putting everything in his heart and soul to win. His efforts were clear to see for everyone to see – it made for great television. Behind the Jumbo-Visma team, who had used up “Panzerwagon” Tony Martin on the front to hold the gap to the break, and who were in the best position to take the Yellow Jersey – either through young Teunissen holding on or by replacing him the current second place Wout van Aert – began to fade back under the pressure of the Astana, Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-Quickstep teams. The previous day’s TTT efforts had now relegated them to passengers in the peloton and the sight of the Yellow Jersey in the caboose position, with not one teammate around him, yo-yoing on the back, was amazing. 

Abandoned to his fates by a team that had quickly changed objectives, or perhaps were all just hanging on themselves, Teunissen finally cracked on the last climb. All of us who raced know the feeling of having been dropped, having not been able to find that tiny bit of energy needed to keep in the draft, and then looking up and seeing the race barely in front of you yet unreachable, and realizing that for .0001% more effort, you would have been in there for the win. That’s what was going through Teunissen’s head at the top of the Mutigny climb. His moment of national fame, the recipient of 30-years of pent up Yellow Jersey Dutch joy, was, for that bit of effort, now dropped back to relative anonymity. Will he ever hear a hundred miles of crowds pointing at him yelling “Maillot Jaune!!” again in his life? 

The French wrote an article describing Julian Alaphilippe’s racing style as somehow turning a dull local dance into Studio 54, disco ball and all. That when he attacks, his energy is so contagiously exciting, his joy of battle so apparent, that everyone, from grandmothers to young children, falls completely in love with him. Last year I described him as one the Three Muskateers (can’t you see him, laughingly deft with a sword, infuriating the Cardinals soldiers?)
Everyone in the peloton, in the following cars, the world-wide television audiences and on the web, knew exactly when and where he was going to attack yesterday. And when he did, there was not a damn thing anyone could do about it. What a racer! He is so completely in command of his bicycle, his descent off the Mutigny so frightening and fast, tucked into that crazy, sitting on the top tube areo tuck, even over the speed bumps taken at 90 kph, that if beggars belief. Gosh, even his victory salute was way beyond the bike-handling abilities of 95% of the peloton. As first French Yellow Jersey in five years, won in the world champagne center of Épernay, Julian Alaphilippe put in a performance that will be remembered and revered for decades to come. 

Behind him, all sort of interesting things happened. Egan Bernal took five-seconds out of his leader, Geraint Thomas (oh, this dynamic is going to be so very interesting), Wout van Aert finished in the front group on that very steep finish which speaks even more to his enormous capabilities, Thibault Pinot showed great form (after his team surpassed themselves in the TTT, previously an Achilles Heel) as did Rigoberto Uran and Michael Woods.

Early days yet but little things are becoming clear. Today is a great, wide open sprint finish. Is Dylan Groenewegen recovered from his crash? How will Elia Viviani’s announcement of his 2020 transfer to Cofidis affect how the Deceuninck-Quickstep team rides for him – not the most forgiving bunch, it must be said – and can Caleb Ewan break through in his first Tour? The boys will be crazy, that’s for sure.