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2017 Tour de France Stage 17: Roglic prevails in the Alps, Aru dumped from podium

Kittel abandons after a crash

July 19, 2017
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He used to be the junior world champion of ski jumping, and on Thursday’s Alpine stage of the Tour de France Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) took the biggest win of his cycling career, becoming the first Slovenian to earn a stage triumph. Roglic added the honour to his 2016 Giro d’Italia victory by soloing away from a breakaway on the Col du Galibier. In the GC battle, Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana) lost his podium place, dropping from second to fourth. Rigoberto Uran and Romain Bardet are tied on time behind yellow jersey Chris Froome, 27-seconds back.


The Course
It was the first day in the Alps, with some really serious climbing on tap. The Col de la Croix de Fer was the first HC of the day, at 24 sapping kilometres of 5%. Then came the one-two punch of the Cat. 1 Col du Télégraph (12-km of 7.1%) followed by the famed HC Galibier (17.7-km of 6.9%) after a 4.5-km downhill. The Galibier crested 28-km from the finish and was the 104th edition’s Souvenir Henri Desgrande, or the race’s highest altitude, a KOM whopper.


The Breakaway on d’Ordon and Croix de Fer
The first couple of breakaway attempts failed on the way to the Cat. 2 appetizer climb of d’Ordon. A crash took down Warren Barguil, Marcel Kittel and Stephen Cummings. A massive breakaway of 30-riders got clear, with swashbuckling Thomas De Gendt taking the maximum KOM points atop d’Ordon.


Of course, Michael Matthews included himself in the escape to take the most points at the day’s intermediate sprint.


On the Croix de Fer, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador dashed away from the peloton, but Contador ended up going it alone. Meanwhile, the breakaway had fragmented. De Gendt and Matthews led, but then the sprinter slipped back and was replaced by Cofidis’s Daniel Navarro (Spain). Contador joined the remnants of the breakaway. Once more De Gendt snagged the maximum KOM points, 20-seconds ahead of the chase and 3:20 in front of the Sky-led peloton.


Télégraph


In the kilometres–most downhill, some flat–between Croix de Fer and Télégraph, Contador’s chase group nabbed the two leaders and the Spaniard’s Trek-Segafredo teammates drilled it at the front. Word came that Marcel Kittel had to abandon the Tour de France. It was a shame not just because of the German’s pain, but also since the green jersey race with Matthews had become very compelling.


Right at the base of Télégraph Contador experienced a mechanical and had to chase back on. His teammate Bauke Mollema buried himself to drive the fugitive group. By the top, the breakaway group was down to a dozen men. Roglic crested first.

Galibier
Galibier gets steeper near its peak. At its foot Roglic attacked, with only Contador and Serge Pauwels (Belgium/Data Dimension) able to keep contact. First Daryl Impey (South Africa/Orica-Scott) and then Diego Ulissi (Italy/UAE-Emirates) led the yellow jersey peloton to try to protect their team leaders’ top-10 positions from Contador.

With 9-km still to grunt, the break’s number was doubled. Sky led the yellow jersey gang. Aru and Rigoberto Uran were on their own, but Bardet still had a teammate with him.

As Roglic attacked his breakmates and forced a gap, Dan Martin, who lost time in Tuesday’s headwinds, burst from the yellow jersey group but was corralled.


Bardet attacked with 3.4-km to climb and Froome and Rigoberto Uran were able to latch on. It all came together again, Aru struggling to make contact. Bardet went again with the same result. Simon Yates went backwards.


Third place in the Tour de Romandie, Roglic tipped over the Galibier to take the prize. Darwin Atapuma (Colombia/UAE-Emirates) was his closest chaser. Bardet attacked over the top, with the group sweeping up Contador. Aru was unhitched.

The Descent
Roglic had 1:30 on the yellow jersey to start the drop towards Serre-Chevalier. Atapuma was caught by Froome, Bardet, polka dot jersey holder Warren Barguil and Uran.

Froome, Bardet, Barguil, Uran and Mikel Landa time-trialed to keep Aru in arrears. With Roglic celebrating his triumph ahead, the Froome group started to think about the bonus seconds. Uran and Froome sopped up the bonus seconds. Aru lost 31-seconds to his rivals.

Contador was back in the top-10 and Quintana was back out. Barguil entered the top-10 for the first time.

Thursday is the second day in the Alps, with the giant Izoard climb as the finale.

2017 Tour de France Stage 17
1) Primoz Roglic (Slovenia/LottoNL-Jumbo) 5:07:31
2) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Cannondale) +1:13
3) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) s.t.

2017 Tour de France GC
1) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) 73:27:26
2) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Cannondale) +0:27
3) Romain Bardet (France/AG2R) s.t.

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