Dra-Ma-Tique!

Egan Bernal with hIs father

I was crying right along with Thibaut Pino when, in that terrible exit from the Tour, he finally gave up and climbed into the team car, three days from the end. It was just a crushing scene, coming out of nowhere as it did, the sight of Pino struggling with his bandaged leg, knowing the Tour was already lost to him in those initial moments as the pitiless peloton roared down the road leaving the weak and ill behind as it always does. Groupama-FDJ team boss Marc Madiot runs on emotion, the old-fashioned, deep French sort that we saw in his wild cries of joy when Pino won in the Pyrenees, and this run from high to low must be completely devastating for him and the rest of the team. They had all been so great in this Tour, unafraid to take the fight to everyone, racing to win, unwilling to accept anything but victory. We can only wish Pino the very best, thank them all for providing us with such fantastic, engaging racing, and hope to see Pino back in action, and at the front, soon. 

 Mountains can be treacherous, dangerous places, susceptible to sudden changes of weather that can be frightening in their scope, which is what we saw yesterday. While I’ve been up on my high horse lately about the riders needing to race in all conditions, the Tour made the right and only decision yesterday in halting the stage. The storm hit so powerfully and quickly that the reaction from the race direction was in fact efficient and correct. The Tour is a massive logistical undertaking containing team, media and VIP cars, media and police motos, helicopters, the 140-strong publicity caravan, not to mention all of the civic authorities of the municipalities dotted throughout the racecourses. To put all of that to a halt in the way they did was, to my mind as a former race organizer, admirable. The stage was slated to finish on a mountain top and they took the one they had, threw some commissaires out there with stop watches and made the best of the situation. 

 We can discuss the ramifications of what happened yesterday for decades because, as with everything else in this Tour, no one really knows. I do know that I got to watch Julian Alaphilippe in his last, heart-in-mouth mountain descent of this Tour and am sure he would have caught back to the front. The official time checks were off, they’ve been less than accurate at other times in this Tour as the mystery of the high mountains always causes some issues with technology. Would he have held on in the final climb to Tignes? Not sure, the team directors have been quoted as to how difficult he was to dislodge, but in seeing the power of Bernal I think the result would have been similar. Alaphilippe is still in second overall, only 45” behind Bernal and 16” ahead of Thomas, so yet again the man from Montluçon will captivate our attention as we will him to a deserved podium spot. 

 Steven Kruijswijk, who backed off on the Iseran to wait for his teammate Laurens De Plus and now finds himself 13” off the podium after the time checks were made at the top, must have had a sleepless night. That’s a cruel set of circumstances for the Dutchman. I don’t see him dislodging Thomas so he must focus on offing Alaphilippe, a difficult task given today’s shortened stage. Emannuel Buchmann. stitting in 5thoverall only 40” off the podium, is in the same position as Kruijswijk, with “what if’s” coursing through his mind. 

I truly feel bad for the three Movistar – Mikel Landa, Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde – and EF Education’s Rigoberto Uran who were all playing the long, grinding endurance game. They needed all of those long Alpine passes to get themselves back into some sort of contention, and could have, maybe, possibly, worn some riders out. Movistar will go home with their cherished Team Prize and a prestigious stage win, leaving frustrated Landa to come up short. Uran, who exhibited the most public anger yesterday, was too far down in the GC to make a difference, but clearly felt that he was on to something good for the last two days in the Alps. 

 Today’s 59-km stage, a “course de cote” will be dominated by the Ineos, who will put their big men, Dylan Van Baarle, Wout Poels and whoever else is still alive on the squad, on the front at blistering pace. The climb is long, but only 5.5% for most of it, and with today’s across-the-board super fit peloton, that’s just not enough to make any meaningful differences. Geraint Thomas must have a real case of “what if’s” as well, but the inevitable rise of Egan Bernal could not be denied. The Colombian will be so very good for the sport, he’ll motivate even more young people from his country to take up cycling, and finally, 30-years after they first appeared on the European racing scene, Colombia will win the Tour de France.