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Yellow jersey van der Poel uses breakaway to pad lead on 2021 Tour’s longest stage

Huge breakaway containing race leader, Van Aert and Houle overwhelms Pogačar

July 2, 2021
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An unusual thing happened on Thursday’s longest Tour de France stage in 21 years. The yellow jersey went out in a large breakaway and put a significant chunk of time between himself and the reigning champion, Tadej Pogačar, who looked to be in the catbird seat after Wednesday’s time trial. Mathieu van der Poel now has a 30-second lead over his ol’ cyclocross rival Wout Van Aert. Tadej Pogačar, once second place and 8 seconds behind the race leader, is now fifth at +3:43. Hugo Houle placed 12th and leaped up to 39th on the GC. There was a major GC shake up before the weekend’s Alps.

Pogačar took the time loss in stride, mugging for the camera behind stage winner and compatriot Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious).

You can watch the 108th Tour de France on FloBikes.

The Course

At 291.1 km, Friday was the longest stage of the 2021 Tour de France. After 150 km the riders hit the first of five categorized climbs, the hardest of which was Cat. 2 Signal d’Uchon cresting with 20 km to go. The final climb was Cat. 4 Côte de la Gourloye peaking 9 km from the finish line in Le Creusot. It was the first hot day of the Tour de France.

The story of the day was the size and composition of the day’s breakaway. After many attacks in the opening kilometres, a breakaway containing the yellow jersey and third place Van Aert kept receiving reinforcements until, with 200 km to ride, there was a 28-rider fugitive group up the road. Canadian Houle was in the gang. Even double stage winner Mark Cavendish was involved. Pogačar had no teammates in the break.

By the first climb, the gap was 6:30, and it was clear that Pogačar’s UAE-Emirates team wasn’t bringing it back. Slovenian champion Matej Mohorič crested first and then continued to ride ahead of the break with another rider, taking a useful gap to the foot of Cat. 4 Côte de Glux-en-Glenne, where the Slovenian claimed the maximum KOM points again.

Other fugitives made several efforts to join Mohorič out front before Cat. 3 Côte de la Croix de la Liberation. A duo bridged over to create a quartet. Mohorič was tied on points with polka dot jersey wearer Ide Schelling.

Signal d’Uchon was the first climb of the 2021 Tour de France rated higher than a Cat. 3. Its second half was where it was most difficult, and it was here that Mohorič dashed away from his breakmates to assumed the mountains classification lead.

Just after Primož Roglič dropped off the back of the peloton Pierre Latour attacked. But the prospect of permanently burying Roglič doomed Latour’s move. Richard Carapaz’s surge popped teammate Geraint Thomas off the back. The fellows who crashed in the first few days were suffering.

Behind a solo Mohorič, Van Aert couldn’t shake van der Poel on the final climb but the two distanced the others in their group to place fourth and fifth on the day. Carapaz was making gains on the isolated Pogačar, but he was caught right on the line by the Slovenian’s group.

Matej Mohorič’s victory was his first Tour win and gave him stage triumphs in all three Grand Tours. He’s also up to fourth in the GC.

Saturday is the first of two days in the high mountains, as the Alps beckon.

2021 Tour de France Stage 7
1) Matej Mohorič (Slovenia/Bahrain-Victorious) 5:28:20
2) Jasper Stuyven (Belgium/Trek-Segafredo) +1:20
3) Magnus Cort (Denmark/EF Education-Nippo) +1:40
12) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana-Premier Tech) +2:47

2021 Tour de France GC
1) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) 25:39:17
2) Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma +0:30
3) Kasper Asgreen (Denmark/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +1:49
4) Matej Mohorič (Slovenia/Bahrain-Victorious) +3:01
5) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +3:43
39) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana-Premier Tech) +13:47