A Day of Relative Calm

The racing action seemed lacking on Stage 11, the 180-km race between Clermont-Ferrand and Moulins, yet, despite some mercifully cooling rain showers and strong winds, the average speed was an impressive 44.75-kph showing that the boys were moving right along. It all came down to the inevitable field sprint where Jasper Philipsen confirmed that he is the best sprinter in the world, winning clearly, this time with no controversy and no Mathieu van der Poel to lead him out. VdP remained resolutely in the back of the peloton, the Dutch mega-star confirming - for me anyway - that he is at this Tour to help his Alpecin-Deceuninck team, yes, but also to prepare the World Championships in Glasgow that take place two-weeks after the finish in Paris. VdP is a championship racer, that’s clearly his mentality, and rather than bury himself as he did in the Giro d’Italia last year, he’s racing this Tour in a much more measured, recuperable way. He still could find his way to a stage win; today’s Stage 12 will be his last opportunity for at least a week as the Alps are looming, but I see him simply wanting to finish the Tour, lend a hand to his team, and grow his form.

My friend Jacques Michaud (a Tour stage winner and former Team Director) expressed, when I visited him last year, the frustrations of the French with their current crop of racers. “We have the best infrastructure in the world with our developmental clubs, top amateur and pro teams not to mention having the finest races (Tour de France, Tour de l’Avenir, Paris Roubaix from Junior up to WorldTour, etc., etc.) yet it remains a mystery to us why we can’t create great champions.” That frustration is really playing out in the press this year with David Gaudu clearly in their gunsights.

The small climber was fourth in last year’s Tour and a podium place became the unique focus for his Groupama-FDJ team this season, controversially leaving their sprinter Arnaud Démare home in favor of another climber for the squad. Gaudu was an excellent second at Paris-Nice this March, fourth at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, invisible at the Dauphiné in June, and is now sitting ninth overall at this Tour, 6’01” down on Vingegaard. The entire team, including possible stage chasers as Thibaut Pinot - in his final Tour - and French Champion Valentin Madouas, have been assigned to sherpa duty. “Is it a worthy use of an entire team just to protect a 9th place on the General Classification?”, is the question making the rounds. “Shouldn’t Pinot be allowed to go on the hunt for a victory, especially as he seems to be coming into good form?” Gaudu promises action in the Alps, that he’ll confirm the team’s dedication to him, a statement that is not mollifying the press. They are seeing deeper issues.

There is a feeling that the French teams are “too conservative” that they race on the defensive rather than taking chances. An example can be found in Australian Jai Hindley and his successful, long-range attack in the Pyrenees that landed him in Yellow. Hindley, having won the Giro, is certainly more marked of a marked man than any of the top French riders, yet Gaudu has never tried anything as daring. Why not open up the race, why not try something slightly irrational? They bemoan the “General Classification obsession” and are hoping for more. All will be forgiven, however, should Gaudu perform in the Alps. France is waiting for him.

Today, with its eight tough little climbs through the beauty of the Beaujolais, is a perfect breakaway day, and everyone knows this is the last chance corral before the Alps begin. The starts, and today’s will be very much worth watching, have turned out to be the best part of these stages in this - and I may have criticized the design earlier but who can remember, Bibao was so long ago- this excellently designed Tour. Only 4% of the Tour riders have abandoned - in 2021 it was 15% by this point. The tough, early stages on those largish roads calmed the peloton, the race remains close and fascinating. One more abandon has been announced this morning: Fabio Jakobsen is out, his injuries proving too much to overcome, his Soudal-Quickstep now truly lost in this, their worst Tour in history.