Home > News

2016 Tour de France Stage 20: Izagirre spares Spain’s blushes in Morzine

A sigh of relief for Movistar as well

July 23, 2016
Share on SMS

Jon Izagirre (Spain/Movistar) made both his country and team sigh with relief when he took his first Tour de France win in Morzine Saturday, attacking on the wet descent of the Joux Plane to triumph in Morzine. The day was disappointing in that the podium battle never cranked up, although Bauke Mollema and Fabio Aru both had bad days to drop from the top-10. Chris Froome finished safely in yellow and will win the 103rd edition.


It was the final possible day for GC shuffling, with four climbs on tap including the formidable Joux-Plane peaking 12-km before the finish in Morzine, a steep descent the final battleground of the riders.


Positions two through five were very close, with 1:06 separating Friday’s winner Roman Bardet from Richie Porte, and Nairo Quintana and Adam Yates in between.

At first a few riders broke away, Stage 12 winner Thomas De Gendt included, but the group got even larger on the first climb of the day, the Cat. 2 Col des Aravis. De Gendt took the maximum KOM points as the rain started to tip down. Sky didn’t give the 31-riders too long of a leash.

On the next climb, the Cat. 1 Col de la Colombiere, De Gendt again scored the most points. But the story of the race became the presence of Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Tinkoff) in the breakaway, Peter Sagan doing a lot of work to lift his teammate in the GC. Kreuziger started the day in 12th, 5:34 behind Bardet.

Astana was doing the majority of work in the peloton even though Vincenzo Nibali was in the break. Nibali was part of one of many fragments of the escape. Once more De Gendt tipped over Cat. 1 Col de la Ramaz in the lead.

Heading towards the final climb of the 2016 Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe (France/Etixx-QuickStep) and Jarlinson Pantano (Colombia/IAM) were in the lead, with a chase containing Nibali and Kreuziger 52-seconds behind and the AG2R and Orica-BikeExchange-led peloton 7:00 back. Tenth place Bauke Mollema (The Netherlands/Trek) was trying desperately to get back on equal terms with the yellow jersey group.

It was time for the Joux Plane, 11.6-km of 8.6%. The whole race was soaked at this point.


Krueziger took things into his own hands and laboured in the chase, but the two men out front moved away. Meanwhile, the peloton, with Mollema back on board, drew closer to them all. Sixth place Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana) was the first top-10 rider to fall off the pace.

Mollema was obviously feeling better, for he attacked. In the chase, Nibali lit out after Alaphilippe and Pantano, who had 4:55 on the favourites group with 19-km to go. Alaphilippe must’ve heard that the Shark of Messina was coming, as he momentarily shed Pantano.

Joaquim Rodriguez, in his last Tour de France, was interested in Mollema’s final position in the top-10. El Purito attacked once Mollema was brought back to the yellow jersey bunch. Trek’s man then fell off the back again.


Nibali made the juncture and then left Alaphilippe and Pantano behind with 15-km to go. Rodriguez got help from Ilnur Zakarin, left over from the big escape.

Nibali’s closest pursuers got a reinforcement in the form of Izagirre, but Alaphilippe couldn’t take the Spaniard’s pace. Nibali wouldn’t summit alone; Pantano was first over. The trio started the perilous descent, with Pantano almost going off the road. Izagirre surged away from the others and dropped like a stone.

Izagirre crossed the line 19-seconds ahead of Pantano, who has had an impressive Tour, registering a stage win, two second places and the 19th spot on GC. With Bardet’s Friday win and Izagirre’s accomplishment Saturday, only Italy was left without a win.

Alejandro Valverde vaulted into 6th, while El Purito snatched 7th. For the old Spanish campaigners, it will be Valverde’s sixteenth Grand Tour top-10 and Rodriguez’s twelfth. Roman Krueziger slotted into 10th, his fourth Tour de France top-10 and first since 2013. While Mollema only lost one position, Aru plummeted from 6th to 13th.

Sunday is the processional to Paris for the last dance on the Champs Elysées. It’s also the Women’s WorldTour La Course by Le Tour de France. Canadians Leah Kirchmann, Joëlle Numainville, Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin and Cari Higgins will line up in Paris.

2016 Tour de France Stage 20
1) Jon Izagirre (Spain/Movistar) 4:06:45
2) Jarlinson Pantano (Colombia/IAM) +0:19
3) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) +0:42

2016 Tour de France GC
1) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) 86:21:40
2) Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) +4:05
3) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +4:21
4) Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-BikeExchange) +4:42
5) Richie Porte (Australia/BMC) +5:17
6) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +6:16
7) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) +6:58
8) Louis Meintjes (South Africa/Lampre) +6:58
9) Dan Martin (Ireland/Etixx-QuickStep) +7:04
10) Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Tinkoff) +7:11