[ritchiebaby]

Back in town and watching ITV4 live. Pogacar really suffered yesterday, but it's far too early to write him off - he's the type of rider who can storm away with a stage of his choosing, if he has some backing from his team. They'll try to regroup and go again in the mountains.

Pidcock and Froome going well just now.

[ritchiebaby]

Tom Pidcock was going so well he left established climbers in his wake, both on the ascents and the descents. He rode to a dominant victory, 48 seconds ahead of Louis Meintjes and 2 minutes and 6 seconds ahead of Chris Froome. Pogacar, after 3 sprint attacks late on, finished at the same time as Vingegaard and Thomas to leave these three riders at the front of the GC race.

Jonas Vingegaard leads Tadej Pogacar by 2 minutes 22 seconds, with Geraint Thomas a further 4 seconds behind. Romain Bardet, despite a valiant ride, is 4th on 2 minutes 35 seconds behind with Adam Yates, Nairo Quintana and David Gaudu all more than a minute behind him. Tom Pidcock's magnificent ride brings him up to 8th, over 3 minutes 32 seconds behind them.

Wout van Aert's attacking style extended his lead for the Green Jersey and, on 315 points, has scored more points than his two nearest rivals, Pogacar and Fabio Jakobsen, combined.

The Polka Dot Jersey has been retained by Simon Geschke, ahead of today's big mover, Meintjes, and Vingegaard.

[ritchiebaby]

Tomorrow's stage is the 192kms from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne. With two Category 3 climbs and a Category 2 climb, plus a mid-stage Sprint, it should be a relatively easy day for everyone. It won't suit the climbers, so they'll probably save themselves for Saturday and Sunday. It won't suit the pure sprinters, unless their teams protect them and deliver them in good condition near the finish. It should suit riders like Wout van Aert and Peter Sagan (in his prime) and also a strong breakaway group, so look out for Fred Wright and Stefan Kung.

Saint-Etienne is probably most famous for it's football team, who won Ligue 1 ten times, and their stadium will be used for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The city was also the birthplace of composer Jules Massenet.

Saint-Etienne is also featured on Saturday as the starting point of the 192km Stage 14 to Mende, where the finale is set for another steep climb to the usual airport runway battle. It's definitely more hilly and testing than Friday, having 5 categorised climbs, but still nothing too severe, so look out for the breakaway again and a lot of probing from Vingegaard and Pogacar to test each other out. Warren Barguil and Dylan Teuns might feature and never rule out Wout van Aert on this type of stage, if Jumbo-Visma allow him freedom from his domestique duties.

[themaclad]

Sky Plus the Stage, 50 kms out got a text on the phone, telling me the result, reverse Likely Lads, good win for Pidcock but fantastic performance by Chris Froome

Tom Pidcock won his maiden Tour de France stage in style with a solo victory atop the iconic Alpe d'Huez.

Four-time Tour champion Chris Froome and fellow Briton Pidcock were part of a five-man breakaway during stage 12.

And Pidcock, making his Tour debut aged 22 for Ineos Grenadiers, became the youngest winner on the Alpe d'Huez.

It sent the world cyclo-cross champion and Olympic mountain bike champion back into the top 10 overall, as Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey.

Pidcock is only the second Briton to win on the summit of Alpe d'Huez after Geraint Thomas in 2018, when a stage last ended there.

Asked afterwards when he knew he would win a testing 165km route that had begun in Briancon and took in two other huge mountains, the Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer, Pidcock replied: "Honestly, only with 800m to go.

"I didn't really know what to do. I kept going because I didn't want to get caught. I don't know if I went too hard or whatever, but actually I paced it really well."

Pidcock had continuously gained time on his fellow escapees with some dynamic descending earlier in the day, but only broke clear for good on the famous final climb, with 10km to go.

As well as battling stifling heat in the Alps, he had to ride through a wall of fans as spectators packed the roadside, creating a unique and raucous atmosphere for all the riders.

"That was unbelievable, one of the craziest experiences ever," Pidcock added. "I could barely hear anything, I've probably got hearing damage.

"It was just ridiculous - there were many points where I thought I was going to get taken out - but it was one of my best experiences in cycling. It was unreal, slaloming through people's flags and fists."

A first stage win on the Tour since 2016 ultimately eluded Froome, but the 37-year-old clearly relished his performance in what was his best day in the race since suffering severe injuries in a crash in 2019.

"I gave it absolutely everything I had today to win the stage, and I don't have any regrets," Froome said.

"Where I have come from in the last three years, battling back after my accident, to finish third on one of the hardest stages of the Tour, I can be really happy with that.

"I am going to keep pushing. I don't know where my limits are, but I am going to keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again."

It was also a productive day for Thomas, who finished with two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar and race leader Vingegaard, rolling over the line in seventh.

That was enough for the 36-year-old Welshman, who went on to win the Tour after his victory here in 2018, to move up into third overall.

Pogacar is now second, while Romain Bardet fell two places to fourth after being dropped in the final 5km.

Vingegaard, who took the yellow jersey from Pogacar in dramatic style on stage 11, looked content to protect his lead and comfortably dealt with two attacks by Pogacar in the closing stages.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 12 - as it happened
Vingegaard wins stage 11 to take yellow jersey off Pogacar
How Pidcock is part of Ineos Grenadiers' new plan for success
Stage 12 results
1. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) 4hrs 55mins 24secs

2. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +48secs

3. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +2mins 06secs

4. Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-EasyPost) +2mins 29secs

5. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 23secs

6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

7. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers)

8. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 26secs

9. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

10. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +3mins 32secs

General classification after stage 12
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 46hrs 28mins 46secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs

3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM) +2mins 35secs

5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 44secs

6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea-Samsic) +3mins 58secs

7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +4mins 07secs

8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +7mins 39secs

9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 32secs

10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-hansgrohe) +10mins 06secs

[themaclad]

Didn't really watch a lot of this stage and for the next two stages won't be in, so copy and paste jobs

Mads Pedersen produced a powerful final burst to claim victory on stage 13 of the Tour de France.

The Dane won a three-way sprint against Britain's Fred Wright and Canada's Hugo Houle, who were all part of a seven-man breakaway at the start of the day.

It is a first Tour stage win for Pedersen, who attacked in the final 250 metres of the 192km stage.

Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey and maintained his lead over defending champion Tadej Pogacar.

Tour de France - stage 13 as it happened
A rolling route from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne saw a quiet day in the General Classification in the first stage since the race left the Alps, but the entertainment was provided by the battle for the win.

Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan crashed with 70km to go to scupper the hopes of his Lotto-Soudal team catching the break, and it soon became evident that the escapees would stay clear to the end.

Londoner Wright, 22, was hoping to emulate fellow Briton Tom Pidcock's brilliant triumph on Alpe d'Huez on Thursday, but ultimately Pedersen was too fast and too clever to be caught.

Asked what his tactics were to deal with Pedersen in the final 1km, Wright replied: "I don't know to be honest - I was just going to try to surprise him."

It was Pedersen who had the plan, initially attacking with 12km to go to whittle down what was by then a six-man lead group to just three riders - and then again, decisively, in the race to the line.

The 26-year-old was World Road Race champion in 2019 but had never won a stage at any of the Grand Tours.

"It's incredible to finally take a win," Pedersen said. "I knew my shape was really good and I definitely missed out on the opportunities in the first week.

"In the last two weeks of this race there's not a lot of chances for a guy like me.

"So to take the chance today and get the reward is really nice, not only for me but for the whole team. We came here with riders only for stages and now we have one so it's such a relief."

There will be more chances for a breakaway to succeed on Saturday's stage, a 192.5km route from Saint-Etienne to Mende.

Stage 13 results
1. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo) 4hrs 13mins 03secs

2. Fred Wright (GB/Bahrain Victorious) Same time

3. Hugo Houle (Can/Israel-Premier Tech)

4. Stefan Kung (Swi/Groupama - FDJ) +30secs

5. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Movistar Team) Same time

6. Filippo Ganna (ITA/Ineos Grenadiers) +32secs

7. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) +5mins 45secs

8. Florian Senechal (Fra/Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl) Same time

9. Luca Mozzato (Ita/B&B Hotels-KTM)

10. Andrea Pasqualon (Ita/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux)

General classification after stage 13
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 50hrs 47mins 34secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs

3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM) +2mins 35secs

5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 44secs

6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea-Samsic) +3mins 58secs

7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +4mins 07secs

8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +7mins 39secs

9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 32secs

10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-hansgrohe) +10mins 06secs

[themaclad]

Australian Michael Matthews produced a brilliant ride to win a tough and hilly stage 14 of the Tour de France from Saint-Etienne to Mende.

The 31-year-old escaped in a 23-man break early in the 192.5km route.

Matthews was passed by Alberto Bettiol on the final climb, but recovered and overhauled the Italian to clinch the fourth Tour stage win of his career.

Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey after holding off attacks from defending champion Tadej Pogacar.

Tour de France - stage 14 as it happened
Pogacar's first attempt to isolate the Dane caused chaos in the peloton almost as soon as the stage started, and he tried to take time off him again on the way up the famous Cote de la Croix Neuve just before the finish.

Vingegaard stuck to Pogacar's wheel throughout, however, and did the same when the Slovenian sprinted for the line.

Geraint Thomas lost 17 seconds to the top two, but actually strengthened his position on the podium - he is still third and now 18 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet, who also suffered on the final climb.

Matthews, who is renowned for his sprinting rather than his ability in the mountains, was expected to do the same but instead he found the energy to claim a famous victory.

"I wanted to show everyone that I am not just a sprinter, I can also ride like I rode today," Matthews said.

"I was just thinking of my daughter on that final climb the whole way up to the finish, and my wife, for how much sacrifice they make for me to make my dreams come true.

"Hopefully today I showed them the reason why we sacrifice so much.

"This was for my daughter today. She's four years old and I really just wanted to show her why I'm away all the time and what I do it for. Today was that day."

Stage 14 results
1. Michael Matthews (Aus/Team BikeExchange-Jayco) 4hrs 30mins 53secs

2. Alberto Bettiol (Ita/EF Education-Easypost) +15secs

3. Thibaut Pinot (Fra/Groupama - FDJ) +34secs

4. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +50s

5. Patrick Konrad (Aut/BORA-hansgrohe) +58s

6. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Israel - Premier Tech) Same time

7. Felix Grossschartner (Aut/BORA-hansgrohe) +1:06

8. Lennard Kamna (Ger/BORA-hansgrohe) +1:12

9. Simon Geschke (Ger/Cofidis) Same time

10. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty)

General classification after stage 14
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 55hrs 31mins 01secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs

3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 43secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM) +3mins 01secs

5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +4mins 06secs

6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea-Samsic) +4mins 15secs

7. Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty) +4mins 24secs

8. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) same time

9. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +8mins 49secs

10. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 58secs

[ritchiebaby]

Not a lot to add to themaclad's posts, except to say I'm getting some of the names right, but not necessarily in the right order. Now where have I heard that before?

Anyway, bring me sunshine tomorrow as the heatwave builds up over here. Over there the predicted Carcassonne temperature at the finish is 37C. Setting off in Rodez, it is to be a mere 32C and we can look forward to a mid-30's duel in the sun. The route generally follows a lumpy course in a southerly direction for 202kms. The last 48kms after the second of 2 Category 3 climbs might be the most interesting part of the stage, which is mostly downhill at the start and finishes with a fairly flat stretch of 13kms, heaven-sent for the sprint teams. Due to it's benign nature, I'd say just about any top rider has a chance of winning the stage, but I'd go for one of Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenwegen, Mads Pedersen and possibly Jasper Stuyven. I've discounted Wout van Aert and Fillippe Ganna because they will probably be on domestique duties.

The route passes through the village of Lautrec (see previous years' threads for Toulouse Lautrec jokes) and the Aude area and you might get pretty pictures of the Canal du Midi, which I can recommend.

Monday is a rest day for the riders in Carcassonne and Tuesday will be too much of a scorcher for my delicate complexion, so I'll be indoors watching all of the stage from Carcassonne to Foix.

[themaclad]

Off all this week so really should be doing soethng like housework, so will probably watch most of it, surprised the French Government has not given them a heat warning about riding in high temperatures .

[ritchiebaby]

Amazingly my predicting skills have hit an all-time high. My 4 picks came in 1st, 6th, 3rd and 18th, all recording the same time. Even one of my discarded riders finished in 2nd place.

The stage result was
1. Jasper Philipsen
2. Wout van Aert
3. Mads Pedersen
4. Peter Sagan
5. Danny van Poppel
6. Dylan Groenewegen
7. Florian Senechal
8. Luca Mozzato
9. Andrea Pasquelon
10. Fred Wright

The overall GC order and time differences stay the same with Jonas Vingegaard leading despite an "interesting" race and Wout van Aert is still head and shoulders above everyone else in the Points classification. Simon Geschke still leads the KOM race, but expect lots of changes this coming week - well, up to Thursday anyway.

[ritchiebaby]

Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Foix is another one for a long breakaway. The 178km stage runs towards Andorra but turns back to stay in France. There are two Category 1 climbs in the last third, the second featuring sections at 16% and 18%, followed by a 27km downhill stretch to the finish. Probably another day where the heat will play a big part in deciding race tactics.

If a group gets away and stays away, then the likes of Michael Matthews and Matej Mohoric, who's done very little this Tour, and possibly Tom Pidcock, who is a brilliant descender as seen on Stage 12, can come to the fore. Pidcock is almost 9 minutes behind in the GC race, so he won't be allowed a huge lead and that might bring Geraint Thomas into the equation, as well as the other contenders. Dylan Teuns, Lennard Kamna and Bauke Mollema are so far back in the GC race, they might be allowed more leeway. Simon Geschke could be another rider to consider as he will want to consolidate his KOM lead.