Tour de France 2021, stage 18 – live updates – GETTY IMAGES
02:19 PM
37.5km to go
The pace being set by Ineos Grenadiers has led to Rigoberto Urán being dropped. The Colombian has a few EF Education-Nippo teammates alongside him, but he could fall out of the top five today. He started the day fourth behind Richard Carapaz. Not great for Urán.
02:16 PM
38.7km to go
Julian Alaphilippe is dropped. Omar Fraile catches him, and the Spanish champion pursues David Gaudu, Ruben Guerreiro, and Pierre Latour.
02:12 PM
39km to go
Pierre Latour fights back to the leading group, the Frenchman’s jersey unzipped and flapping in the wind as is his wont. Not a great look, but I imagine he’s starting to feel the heat.
02:11 PM
40km to go
David Gaudu pulls off the front, taking Julian Alaphilippe and Ruben Guerreiro around 4.5km from the summit of this long, long ascent of the Tourmalet. The trio leads the Ineos Grenadiers-powered peloton by 44sec.
02:08 PM
41.2km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric share a fist bump moments before they are reined in by David Gaudu et al. BIn the peloton, Dylan van Baarleis pulls on the front for Ineos Grenadiers, with Michal Kwiatkowski and Tao Geoghegan Hart tucked in behind. Richie Porte is no longer in that group, but Jonathan Castroviejo and Geraint Thomas also work for Richard Carapaz.
02:05 PM
41.5km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric crawl under the snow tunnel a few kilometers from La Mongie; the chasing group featuring David Gaudu is looming.
02:03 PM
42km to go
Stage leaders: Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric
Second group at 19sec: Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo), Omar Fraile (Astana-Premier Tech), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education-Nippo), Ion Izagirre (Astana-Premier Tech), Pierre Latour (TotalÉnergies) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ).
Maillot jaune at 38sec
Maillot vert (Mark Cavendish) at 5min 30sec
01:57 PM
44km to go
Ineos Grenadiers have moved to the front of the peloton, that injection in pace eating away at the lead held by Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric. Astana-Premier Tech teammates Omar Fraile and Ion Izagirre have bridged over to the second group on the road along with Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education-Nippo) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), the latter of whom said earlier today this he would love to do something on this climb today.
“I was disappointed with my second week, so I wanted to shine in the third week and the Pyrenees,” said Gaudu. “The Tourmalet is the first pass that I have climbed in my life; it is also the victory of [teammate Thibaut] Pinot in 2019 is a place steeped in history for cycling and myself.”
01:54 PM
45km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric are just under 10km from the summit of the Tourmalet, and a flurry of riders are attempting to escape off the front of the peloton. Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo), Pierre Latour (TotalÉnergies), and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) have made a move, while further back, Colombians Miguel Ángel López (Movistar) and Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) are on the march.
01:49 PM
46km to go
Mark Cavendish has three teammates – Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, and Michael Morkov – alongside him on the lower slopes of the Tourmalet. Further up the road, another Deceuninck-Quick Step rider, Julian Alaphilippe, works well with Matej Mohoric as they pull out a few more seconds on the UAE Team Emirates-powered peloton.
01:40 PM
Onto the Tourmalet, we go . . .
. . . and it is a
Up through La Mongie, the road goes before a fast swooping descent which is not too technical. 17.1km long drag with a gradient of 7.3%. This is, by my reckoning, the easier side of the famous old climb, but after almost three weeks of racing and over 3,000km having been ridden, this will not feel easy.
01:35 PM
53km to go
Just two men in the leading group now – Julian Alaphilippe and Matej Mohoric – while Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) has joined forces with Christopher Juul-Jensen, but trail by 55sec.
01:31 PM
55km to go
Once through the intermediate sprint, several riders, including Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) and Dan Martin (ISN), attacked but were soon reined in before the UAE Team Emirates took over at the head of the peloton. Riding hard and fast as they approach the bottom of the Tourmalet, UAE Team Emirates look hungry and leave the breakaway on a relatively short leash of 1min 13sec.
01:16 PM
66.7km to go
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) wins the intermediate sprint, though it was pretty uncontested. The peloton crossed just over a minute later and the sprint while his lead-out man Michael Morkov trailed him over the line ahead of Michael Matthews. As a result, Cavendish extends his lead.
As you can see, Cavendish now leads that particular competition by 38 points, and so, assuming he finishes today’s stage within the time limit, he will keep hold of his green jersey later this afternoon.
01:12 PM
67km to go
Christopher Juul-Jensen dropped out of the breakaway a few minutes ago, presumably to sit up and wait for his teammate Michael Matthews ahead of the incoming intermediate sprint.
01:04 PM
75km to go
Luke Durbridge has shifted to the front of the peloton on a short incline, the injection in pace from the Aussie diesel causing a split in the group. BikeExchange teammate Michael Matthews is on his wheel, Sonny Colbrelli is in the group, and Mark Cavendish hangs on towards the rear. They will have done this in preparation for the intermediate sprint, where both Matthews and Colbrelli hope to gain more ground on Cavendish. Failing to drop the British sprinter will have felt disheartening for BikeExchange et al.
12:55 PM
78km to go
Julian Alaphilippe has been chatting with the others in the breakaway. The world champion shakes his head and does not appear too impressed by the lack of ground gained by this quintet. Their lead is holding at around 1min 40sec while back in the bunch, south London’s Fred Wright is pulling on the front for Bahrain Victorious, who will be thinking about the intermediate sprint points for Sonny Colbrelli along with the mountain points for Wout Poels. They are probably thinking about some other things, too.
12:48 PM
85km to go
Interesting to note that Bahrain Victorious are riding hard in the front of the peloton. I assumed they would allow other teams to chase or set the pace, but I was way off the mark. I am almost certain, though, that their Dutch climber Wout Poels will be hoping to challenge the 20 points up for grabs on the summit of the Tourmalet later this afternoon. The only problem with that plan, though, is the fact that there are double points up for grabs on the final climb of this year’s Tour, and so should Tadej Pogacar win the stage on Luz Ardiden and Poels fails to finish high in the standings, then the Slovenian may take home the polka-dot jersey.
12:42 PM
A preliminary investigation into Bahrain Victorious is underway
Non-racing update: French authorities have announced an initial inquiry into doping allegations against Bahrain Victorious after their hotel and team bus was searched on Wednesday night.
The Marseille prosecutor’s office said the raid was part of an investigation launched on July 3 into the possible “acquisition, transportation, possession and importing of a prohibited substance or method for use by an athlete without justification by members of Team Bahrain Victorious, currently in action at the 2021 Tour de France”.
A statement added: “The preliminary investigation continues to determine the reality or not of the offenses that justified its initiation. “The existence of this investigation and the operations carried out do not in any way predict the existence of criminal offenses. Anyone suspected or prosecuted is presumed innocent until proven guilty.” Press Association
12:34 PM
96.5km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Pierre-Luc Périchon manage to bridge over to Sean Bennett, Christopher Juul-Jensen, and Matej Mohoric. At that point, Deceuninck-Quick Step’s world road race champion fist-bumps his compatriot for the help – both needed each other there to close the gap on the stage leaders who have been riding at full pelt from the flag. The quintet now leads the stage by 1min 35sec.
12:26 PM
100km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Pierre-Luc Périchon have gained more time in the leading trio. The pair trail the stage leaders by 20sec, while the peloton is around one minute further down the road.
12:24 PM
102km to go
Matej Mohoric, who won stage seven at this year’s race, has been pulling hard on the front of this leading trio. That’s not to say Sean Bennett or Christopher Juul-Jensen are not taking turns. With Mohoric up the road, the onus shifts to Michael Woods and his ISN teammates if the Canadian is seriously thinking about challenging the points in the mountains classification today. I’m not sure what Mohoric is thinking of here. Still, I wonder if he has been put in the breakaway to ensure Wout Poels, who started today in the polka-dot jersey, and his under-fire Bahrain Victorious teammates do not have to do too much of the heavy lifting in the chase?
12:15 PM
110km to go
Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis) has bridged over to Julian Alaphilippe; the Frenchmen form a two-up as they continue to chase down that leading trio, but they are stuck very much in no man’s land: 20sec ahead of the peloton, 30sec off the stage leaders.
12:10 PM
115km to go
Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-NextHash) and Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) were involved in a minor crash back in the peloton. Not sure what happened, but Pacher was not happy and was spotted shaking his head. Both have been back to medical care to receive some in-race treatment. Julian Alaphilippe, meanwhile, is pressing on but has not made any further inroads into the lead of Sean Bennett, Christopher Juul-Jensen, and Matej Mohoric.
12:02 PM
120km to go
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) has dropped the hammer, and the world champion is off up the road in pursuit of Sean Bennett, Christopher Juul-Jensen, and Matej Mohoric. He’s not hanging about but has gained just 13sec on the peloton while he trails the leading trio by 25sec. He’s not too far from the day’s first climb, the category four côte de Notre-Dame de Piétat, where he may gain some ground on the stage leaders. Or maybe not.
11:59 AM
123km to go
Just eight teams – Ag2r-Citroën, Alpecin-Fenix, Bahrain Victorious, Bora-Hansgrohe, Deceuninck-Quick Step, Jumbo-Visma, Trek-Segafredo, and the UAE Team Emirates – have won stages at the race, meaning a staggering 15 have yet to register a victory. Despite their efforts Arkéa-Samsic, Astana-Premier Tech, B&B Hotels p/b KTM, BikeExchange, Cofidis, DSM, EF Education-Nippo, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, Israel Start-up Nation, Lotto-Soudal, Movistar, Qhubeka-NextHash and TotalÉnergies are all winless. Today may represent one of their last opportunities to right that wrong. Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), who has impressed in the previous three weeks, has been attempting to bridge over, but the Frenchman was marked closely.
11:53 AM
127km to go
With barely the bat of an eyelid from the peloton, Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-NextHash), Christopher Juul-Jensen (BikeExchange), and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) clip off up the road while Deceuninck-Quick Step, as predicted, did their best to fan out across the street to make sure Michael Matthews or Sonny Colbrelli did not bridge over. That trio has gained around 25sec on the peloton, but with so many teams that have failed to win a stage at this year’s race, I suspect this will not be the complete breakaway. Matej Mohoric rides on the front of the breakaway ahead of Sean Bennett and Christopher Juul-Jensen – REUTERS
11:48 AM
And they’re off!
Having navigated their way out of the Pau along a relatively short neutralized section, race director Christian Prudhomme popped his head out of his shiny red Skoda and dropped that little flag to signify that it was time to start racing. It will surprise few to discover that Deceuninck-Quick Step had several riders up near the front of the bunch, presumably ready to monitor any breakaway moves – they will not be too keen on the likes of Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) or Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) chipping off up the road and taking more points in the race for the green jersey that currently rests on the shoulders of their man Mark Cavendish.
Cavendish, of course, must complete today’s stage within the time limit if he wants to contest tomorrow’s stage. If you have been on the moon, the British sprinter has won four stages at this year’s race and must finish each stage within strict time limits to continue the next day. With two more possible sprint stages – tomorrow’s and the final day in Paris on Sunday – Cavendish will be desperate to make sure he can challenge for another set win. And that place, for now, will be tomorrow’s start line.
09:55 AM
French police raided Bahrain Victorious team hotel
Police searched the accommodation and team bus of the Bahrain Victorious team on the Tour de France on Wednesday after stage 17; a police source has told Reuters. The source added that the search was performed amid doping suspicions since last year.
No arrests were made, and nothing was found at the team hotel. Officers searched through training records for around an hour before leaving. It is not clear if anything was seized or not. In response, Bahrain Victoriou said they have “nothing to hide” and will take the start of today’s stage as planned.
In a team statement, Bahrain Victorious said: “On the eve of stage 18 of Tour de France, Team Bahrain Victorious were subject to an investigation by French Police. Several officers monitored the team following their arrival after stage 17 at the team hotel in Pau.
“The investigation involved a search of riders’ rooms as part of the process. Despite being unaware of the investigation reasons, the team was also requested to provide all training files compiled and presented to the officers as requested.
Vladimir Miholjevic, the technical director, added: “Following stage 17, we were greeted by several French police officers. We were not given the warrant to read through, but the team complied with all the officers’ requests.
“We are committed to the highest professionalism and adherence to all regulatory requirements and will always cooperate professionally. The process had impacted our rider’s recovery and meal planning, and as a professional team, the well-being of our team is a key priority.”
09:50 AM
Bonjour!
Hello and welcome to our live rolling blog from stage 18 at the Tour de France, the 129.7-kilometer run from Pau to Luz Ardiden.
Given what we saw on the final seven kilometers of the Col de Portet, the third and final climb in yesterday’s stage, I think we can now as if we did not already know, say that Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) will, barring disaster, be winning a second consecutive Tour title in Paris on Sunday. However, who completes that podium is far from certain while the mountains and points classifications are still up for grabs, as is today’s stage, which includes not one but two hors catégorie climbs.
Before we look at today’s profile, here’s a quick reminder of who will be wearing what as a respective leader in each of the four main classifications – in other words, those that have jerseys. Pogacar has the Maillot Jaune, the leader’s yellow jersey, for a 10th day running with an almost unassailable margin of 5min 39sec.
Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) will again wear the maillot à pois, or polka dot jersey, as a leader in the mountains classification but has a specific young Slovenian breathing down his neck. Should Pogacar win today, he may, as he did last year, take home the polka-dots in addition to the yellow and white jerseys he is on course to win. Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step) will again be dressed in the maillot vert, the green jersey as a leader in the points competition.
As the overall leader of the race, Pogacar also tops the best young rider classification. However, as second best, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) will wear the Slovenian’s maillot blanc, the white jersey. And you can relive the highlights here for anybody that missed Pogacar’s summit finish victory on the Pyrenees on Wednesday.
Featuring four categorized climbs – côte de Notre-Dame de Piétat, côte de Loucrup, col du Tourmalet, and Luz Ardiden – and 3,561 meters in vertical elevation, today’s stage is the final day in the mountains and, as such, will represent the last opportunity for many to attempt a stage win or to gain time on the general classification.
Here’s a look at the all-important numbers from those climbs and a breakdown of what points can be won in the mountains. But what about those who only have eyes for the green jersey?
