When Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) left the front group, it didn't look like anyone was going to counter his move. Just a few moments later, Mikel Landa (Movistar) recognized the strength of Bardet's move. Landa jumped up to the main in brown and blue. The pair pressed their advantage on the uncatagorized climb before the final mountain of the Tour. Unfortunately for this duo, the peloton (or at least the yellow jersey group) was closing from behind.
Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) wasn't going to carry everyone to the finish. So he chose the Col des Borderes to leave his break away companions. He clearly has designs on getting a fourth stage for the French today, as well as the first for his team and himself. Bardet looks back over his shoulder to see who could come with him. Behind it looks like Warren Barguil (Fortuneo-Samsic), Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikel Landa (Movistar) were late to respond to the Frenchman's attack.
With just one more stage in the mountains, nearly everyone who could was out on the offensive. Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) wasn't having the Tour he had hoped for. Quite a few of his teammates went out of the race in the early stages due to crashes and illness. And then he just didn't have the legs, until today. As this foursome off the front rides through one of the snow tunnels on the Col du Tourmalet, he peers back over his shoulder to see just how many of his erstwhile breakaway companions they had gotten rid of. The Zakarin group is being led my Mikel Landa (Movistar), Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale). All were hoping to be the ones to stay away for a stage victory. Two of the teams represented have yet to win a stage this year, the others have a tiny bit of pressure eased from their team managers.
At this point in the Tour, the struggle is very real, for everyone. While Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrophe) is suffering from the injuries recieved on a fall two stages ago, everyone from the first to the last on general classification are in a world of hurt - except, possiblily those who have already gone home. Sagan was struggling up the first big climb up the Col d'Aspin. He had hurt his gluteous maximus (his butt) and just pedaling was a struggle. He is being escorted up the climbs by his teammate and friend Daniel Oss. Others joined the riding wounded and suffering sprinters including Maximiliano Richeze (Quick Step). Sagan's goal today is to survive, get to the finish before the time limit and try and recover as much as possible. With an Individual Time Trial tomorrow, he just has to ride as easy as possible and hope he will be ready for the sprint on the Champs Elysee to wrap up the Tour.
This is the painting from this stage that you can watch being created on my You Tube Channel. I hope you enjoy watching this watercolor come to life as I talk about the Tour, creating successful watercolors and whatever art and cycling issues that come to mind as I paint. I encourage you to subscribe to the channel so you will know when I post another video of my artistic process.
Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) has been just barely finishing inside the time limit for the last two days. The joke is that sprinters are allergic to the mountains. What makes a fast sprinter usually turns them into bad climbers. It is all about fast twitch muscles and weight to power ratios. Today, he got to make all of the suffering worth the effort. He was able to claim his first stage of the Tour and the third stage for the French. Nicely for the French, it was Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) who took second, making it one/two for the French and for French teams. Still hanging about for third was the European Champion, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates). He was able to add to his sprinter points total, but Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) took eighth on the stage despite being banged up on stage 17.
And he is still in the race! Lawson Craddock (EF Education First), the American who crashed badly on the first day of the Tour is still hanging on the back of the peloton. He broke his scapula and got a bunch of stitches over his left eye. He decided he would donate a $100 for every day he could stay in the Tour, and challenged others to donate as well. He has raised over $120,000 for a Houston, Texas velodrome that was destroyed on the hurricane last year. Ahead of the American ride Rory Sutherland (UAE Team Emirates), Wout Poels (Sky) the loyal hard working teammate of Chris Froome, and the Maillot a Pois of Julian Alaphilippe (Quick Step). With just 12 K left to ride today, Alaphilippe dropped back to save his legs for the last day of climbing tomorrow. It is doubtful that anyone can take the jersey from him, he is sure to go in the break again on stage 19.
Ironically, I was congratulating myself this morning on not having duplicated a title for the first 95 paintings of this Tour. And then I called this one "Rolling Along" and blew that stat. This is a group of five that the peloton wasn't interested in letting go. While Niki Terpstra (Quick Step) was pushing hard on the front, the peloton never gave them more than two minutes. Joining the former Dutch national champion were two riders from Mitchelton-Scott, Matthew Heyman and Luke Durbridge, along with the French sprinter, Thomas Boudet (Direct Energie) and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert). With today and Paris the last chances for the sprinters to get a stage, neither I nor more importantly the peloton were giving any chance of this break succeeding.
Every road stage, with the exception of yesterday, begins with a neutral start. The group rolls out for as much as 15 kilometers before the race gets truly underway. This allows the riders to warm up their legs and to get themselves sorted out. Some want to be right up at the front to start their attempts to get in the break. Others want to get out of the way of the early aggressions, and others just want to ease in to the day. Never the less, when Christian Prudhomme drops that flag at the 0 kilometer marker, it is time to race.
See this painting come to life at my You Tube channel where I hope you will become a subscriber. When you are there, you will be able to see one painting from every stage thus far being created as I talk about the race, the painting and many things cycling and art.
This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available though my website at www.greigleach.com, or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of this post. Since it is an original it is first come first served. The painting was created using Yarka St Petersburg watercolors from Richesonart.com. The work sells for $75 plus shipping. And yes, international shipping is available.
And it is a treat to see the Nairo Quintana (Movistar) that I was so excited about in the Tour years ago. It was said that this is the first stage of the Tour that Quintana has won since 2013, hard to believe. Quintana started this effort at the base of the climb and simply rode away from everyone. The only one who seemed able to even come close to matching his speed was Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates) who claimed second on the day. The gesture seems odd, but he had just finished raising his hands in a prayful gesture before spreading his arms in celebration. As you can tell, the climb was the tallest around. Quintana not only climbed the mountain, but he climbed into fifth place overall.
With just one mountain stage left to race, it is unlikely he will be able to improve anymore. But all things are possible.
With Chris Froome (Sky) cracking on the final meters of the climb, it was Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) who went on the attack. His move was quickly covered by the Maillot Jaune of Geraint Thomas (Sky) and then joined by the Lotto NL Jumbo duo of Steven Kruijswijk and Primoz Roglic. All were hoping to move up with the collapse of Froome. All that is except Thomas. He was just making sure he kept his race lead, and apparently now the leadership of Team Sky. Over the shoulders of this group is nothing but mist and clouds as they top the Col du Portet.
