While today's course was listed as flat - and it is relative to the hilly ones - but there was a dagger at the end with a 800m Cat 3 climb with an avg gradient of 12.4% but in listing to the commentary it has a section at about 20-25%. What this means is the main sprinters may not make it to the end as once over the top there is only about 8K to go and while they could catch on if the big guns - Tadej, Jonas, Remco and MVDP go they will not want to let them back. Then there is the idea that flat days are a rest but in the way they are racing this will be fast and with the intermediate sprint at just under 60 miles likely they don't let big gaps on any breakaway so they can at least get the intermediate sprint.
Quickly became clear that there may be mountains tomorrow on Stage 12 but that was not going to slow them down. With 66K to go the big guns were pushing it, Healy not letting them go, and closing the gap to the break to under 1:00. They seem to want to make sure the split that was created if not staying makes the guys work. Hey guess who else was up there - Quinn Simmons, who jumped again with 65K to go!!! NO resting today and MVDP was working to get up to Quinn and the question was would they let them go as no GC threats. With the way they are racing who knows.
With 28K to go there was still a break out front but the chase group of 5 that included MNDP, WVA and Simmons were only 19 seconds behind and the main peloton was another 2:00 behind. With 2 climbs to go and the last one a short but tough one was looking to be a good one. Even if they stay our front back in the pack would be interesting as would anyone try and get a gap. Among the main 3 but upfront where there was no issue with taking yellow it was looking to be a good finish. With a kick up on the last climb of up to 25% and then about 5 miles to the finish excitement was ahead all the way around. Should mention that up front was one of my favorite riders, Jonas Abrahamsen, as he is the guy who last year had the Polkadot Jersey for quite a while and attributed his success to gaining, yes gaining, 40 lbs . There is more to that story that I may write on later.
Talk about exciting. Up in the first chase group MVDP was chasing the front and with 2.2k to go was 10 seconds behind. Then 3 minutes back Tadej gets taken down when an UNO-X rider cuts across chasing a move. He did have to chase on but the group he had been in did not push their advantage - questionable choice even if seems like a nice thing to do - was not sure if the 5K rule was in play as did not hear them mention it but they did say it was in the last 5K. Then with less than a mile to go MVDP was back 8 seconds and the two in front had the advantage but could not play around. They did not and hung on for the win and while the guys calling it said Schmid won it ended up be Abrahamsen - happy for him - and MVDP for third. Truth is Schmid made it possible as pulled hard so MVDP would not catch - had to be done and the hard part in these finishes. Tadej was so close to hitting the curb with his head when he crashed and controlled it and did not panic. While Jonas and others could have pressed an advantage but did not as no one wants to win due to the error not of the main buy but someone else.
Now off to the Pyrenees for the Mountain stages and tough days ahead.
Race Highlights:
- Winner - Jonas Abrahamsen
- Yellow Jersey - Ben Healy
- Green Jersey - Jonathan Milan
- Polkadot Jersey - Lenny Martinez
- While Jersey - Ben Healy
GC W/Time Gaps
1) Ben Healy
2)Tadej Pogacar - +00:29
3) Remco Evenepoel - +01:29
4) Jonas Vingegaard - +01:46
5) Mateo Jorgensen - +02:06
6) Kevin Vauquelin - +02:26
7) Oscar Onley - +03:24
8) Florian Lipowitz - +03:34
9) Primoz Roglic - +03:41
10) Tobias Johannessen - +05:03
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