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Ineos Grenadiers salvage their Tour de France with win on last day in the Alps

Landa and Mas climb GC at expense of Adam Yates and Uran

September 17, 2020
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When two Ineos Grenadiers entered the final kilometre of Thursday’s 18th stage of the Tour de France minutes ahead of their chasers, the team redeemed it 2020 Tour. Michal Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz clapped each other on the shoulders and trickled over the line, with the Pole taking the win. Except for Enric Mas and Mikel Landa moving up over Rigoberto Uran and Adam Yates, the GC race stayed the same on the last day in the Alps.

Kwiatkowski was quick on Twitter

You can find out where to watch the 2020 Tour de France here.

The Course

Stage 18 served up five classified climbs, with the final ascent unclassified. The 16 km, Cat. 1 Cormet de Roselend kicked off proceedings, with a Cat. 3 between Roseland and Cat. 2 Col des Saisies. Next up was Cat. 1 Col des Aravis before the main battleground, HC Montee du plateau des Glieres, a nasty 6 km of 11.2 percent. An unclassified 6-km climb peaked 10 km from the finish in La Roche-sur-Foron.

Tadej Pogačar wore polka dots on Thursday, while Movistar’s Mas kept the Slovenian’s white young rider jersey warm.

A massive group surged away before the day’s intermediate sprint. After Sam Bennett padded his lead in the green jersey competition, the Cormet de Roselend streamlined the fugitive group. Stage winner Marc Hirschi was fastest to the top.

Hirschi also scored maximum points on the Cat. 3 Côte de la route des Villes and the Col des Saisies, but crashed on the descent of the latter. The breakaway got smaller and smaller.

By the foot of Col des Aravis, it was serial escapee Carapaz in front with teammate Kwiatskowski and Pello Bilbao, who worked so hard for Landa on Wednesday. A dozen former breakmates made up the closest chase group. Hirschi laboured in vain to return to the front. The yellow jersey group was 7:00 behind.

Without Hirschi around, Carapaz took the maximum KOM points at the top of the Aravis and became a serious threat to Pogačar’s polka dots.

Montee du plateau des Glieres

Not only was the 2020 Tour de France’s last HC climb steep, but it also had a gravel section at its peak. Movistar and Trek-Segafredo upped the tempo at the foot of the climb and then Landa attacked. Landa’s teammate Bilbao dropped away from the Ineos riders in front.

Uran was just in front of Landa on the GC, but the EF Pro Cycling rider couldn’t hang on to the Jumbo-powered yellow jersey group. Soon, Landa was virtually in fourth place after starting the day at seventh.

Up ahead Carapaz became the KOM on the road and also edged closer to Alejandro Valverde’s last spot in the GC top-10, although Valverde would hold on. It was a dash from eighth place Mas that caused a reaction from the favourites. Landa was reabsorbed.

Pogačar led a small elite force through the gravel before Roglič took over. Richie Porte’s front wheel puncture seemed to doom his fourth place on GC.

The yellow jersey leads on the gravel.

The Slovenians, Sepp Kuss, Lopez, Mas and Landa emerged from the dust and Mas encouraged them to keep Porte distanced. There was still 30 km to race. The yellow jersey group became involved in a deep conversation that allowed Porte to come back.

Clearly the win would be between the two Ineos riders, neither of whom had ever won a stage of the Tour. Kwiatkowski inched over the line ahead of the new King of the Mountains.

Behind, Bahrain-Merida led the 12-strong yellow jersey group to the line. Landa and Mas had to be satisfied with moving up the top-10 at the expense of Uran and Yates. Somehow the Slovenians won a second on all their rivals without appearing to have done so.

Friday has hills but only one Cat. 4 climb. It’s the last chance for sprinters and will encourage another large breakaway.

2020 Tour de France Stage 18
1) Michael Kwiatskowski/Ineos Grenadiers) 4:47:33
2) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers)
3) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma) +1:51
41) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana) +13:11

2020 Tour de France GC
1) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) 79:45:30
2) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +0:57
3) Angel Lopez (Colombia/Astana) +1:27
4) Richie Porte (Australia/Trek-Segafredo) +3:06
5) Mikel Landa (Spain/Bahrain-McLaren) +3:28
6) Enric Mas (Spain/Movistar) +4:19
7) Adam Yates (Great Britain/Mitchelton-Scott) +5:55
8) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/EF Pro Cycling) +6:05
9) Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Jumbo-Visma) +7:24
10 Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +12:12
47) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana) +2:30:59