Mourenx—Libourne, 207km
It was a long flat transition out of the Pyrenees today, a similar pen-penultimate stage to last year’s 2020 Tour. And like last year, the peloton did not have any impetus to keep the break in check for a full-bunch sprint finish. The break could take this one as everyone else would prepare for the final time trial test tomorrow, or quite simply let their Tour begin to tranquilly wind down.
A break formed and went up the road for the first half of the stage. Around the Intermediate Sprint, the peloton had actually brought them back to within a minute. In the Sprint, Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) only ate 3 Points into Mark Cavendish’s Green Jersey lead while the Quickstep sprinter clearly did not exert himself. But after the Intermediate Sprint, a few more riders bridged up to the early break of the day and their lead ballooned from there. No team in the peloton took up the chase. The breakaway was one cohesive unit until 45km to go, then the attacks began—much like the Stage 12 into Nimes than Bora’s Nils Politt won. For 15km everyone tried to find separation or make some sort of final selection as if this were a fierce Northern Belgian Cobbled Classic. In the end, the strongest man broke away not using much tactics, just simply his brute strength. Bahrain’s Matej Mohoric the Champion of Slovenia broke away from the breakaway some-30km from the line. He rode away from his rivals at the perfect time, or at the point on a hill or in a headwind when no one could follow him. Once Mohoric had a 30-second lead: already he had it won. Yes, it is the way of these situations: none had the strength to bridge up to Mohoric alone, and all were in the worst situation of the Prisoners’ Dilemma where none would fully work with the others to chase Mohoric down. So Matej Mohoric the Champion of Slovenia when on to take his second stage win of this Tour. It was he that won the 250km hilly Stage 7 into the foothills of the Alps when the Mighty Aces instigated that 30-man breakaway march on Tadej Pogacar and UAE. Ah! Ah! Does that not seem a lifetime ago? Mohoric won as the race entered the mountains, now he bookends it with a win after the Tour has left the mountains.
It was a fine feat of wily craft and enduring strength—it was a praiseworthy signature Mohoric win. But at the same time, there is no way it can be denied: after all we have seen this Tour, this was not the most exciting of stages. And unlike last year’s penultimate Stage TT, the stakes will not be nearly as high for tomorrow’s TT. Young Beowulf Pogacar has won the King of the Mountains Polka-Dot Jersey so long as he finishes the Tour. He has a 5:45 on second place, Jumbo’s Jonas Vingegaard, in both the Yellow and White Jersey Competitions. Even if Pogacar needs 3 bike changes in tomorrow’s TT, the Yellow and White Jerseys are still comfortably safe from Vingegaard and everyone else. The Grenadier Richard Carapaz the Jaguar of Tulcan sits in 3rd place 5:51 down on Pogacar, should he have the time trial of his life tomorrow perhaps he could unseat Vingegaard for second place, but still he has one of the podium spots already locked up. Young Ben O’Connor, the hero of Stage 9, sits in fourth place 8:18 behind Pogacar, over 2:00 back of Carapaz on the Podium. The only real compelling drama is who shall take the TT stage victory tomorrow, and can Cav wearing the Green Jersey finish this ultimate fairytale on Champs-Elysees by getting stage win #35? Like a descent of a mountain, this Tour-narrative’s falling action is quickly approaching the conclusion.
On last year’s Stage 19 transitional falling-action stage, I laid out the case for a traditional wrap up to Tour de France like we are seeing this year. This year’s route has lived out the ultimate traditional route in its entirety. We had the exposition in Northern Brittany, the rising action as we approached the Alps, the climax in the Alps and in the second week with Cav’s Carcassone win and battles into the Pyrenees. But on yesterday’s summit finish the falling action was already well under way.
With all the full-tilt decisive battles completed, today many of the riders were probably able to switch off, to unusually bask-in the long but wholesome and scenic journey. Perhaps they actually pinched themselves and enjoyed the beauty of the iconic sunflower fields around them mid-stage—one of those images that captured their hearts most when they first discovered the Tour de France. Yes, yes, they are now only 2 days’ ride from Paris, from home. After such a brutal and hard-fought Tour, think of what it must have been like for a warrior to return home by foot, horseback, or ship in ancient times of old when 90% of the journey was completed, almost the weary travel and adventure is at its end. Think of what it is like when you are now within two hours of home after an epic road trip of many days, the sense of impending-finality is beginning to wash over you. Think of what it is like to be back on the outskirts of familiar haunts after being away on a life changing journey—a bike trip, a backpacking trip, a special pilgrimage or retreat. Much has been seen and accomplished, life lessons and growth has been gained, but now the ordeal is on the cusp of being over: the longed-for return to normal life is on the horizon. Now these heroes return home out of the south like the hobbits on to the edge of the Shire at the end of Return of the King. They had left the Shire young and green and needed help at every turn: they returned battle-hardened warriors, experienced, confident, truly the ultimate versions of themselves. They were the same physical people, and yet they were not the same people at all. So it is also with the Tour de France peloton. Before this Tour, many thought young Pog would have his hands full defending the Crown, but Young Beowulf utterly trounced and shattered the opposition. Before this Tour, Jonas Vingegaard the young Dane was the last bit player—the eighth man—of the mighty Jumbo-Visma squad, now he is a Grand Tour star of the future who rose to the occasion in the absence of the Hectorian Primoz Roglic the Relentless to do the team proud by finishing on the podium and racing the Young Beowulf undaunted. Before this Tour, Cav was lucky to get one last unexpected loop around France where he was titan of the sport many years ago, now he is the Manx Missile once more who crafted the ultimate swansong Tour anyone could dare imagine for the end of their career. Before this Tour, Wout Van Aert had limits, now no mountain is too high or too tough for the Mighty Ace Wout Van Aert even more firmly in grip of The Swiss Army Knife of the peloton title than he even was before. The Australian Ben O’Connor was a bit player coming into this Tour, now the Australians have a star—even Grand Tour contender—to root for; and to a lesser extent finally, for the Americans, Sepp Kuss went from potential to established with his Andorran stage win. The hero-sculptings and the champion-crownings of this Tour have now just about all been accomplished by this leisurely homeward-bound transition stage.
Am I jumping the gun and saying things meant to be said on the last day when the heroes have firmly made it home like Odysseus on dry land for good with his estate cleaned up in order? No, I do not think I am jumping the gun, especially since more will be said in the coming weekend anyways. We have our champion in waiting—now last year at this time we thought we did too, but this time we must be sure, right? There is one minor GC skirmish left tomorrow, and it could prove a great battle for stage honors; and on Sunday we watch for the perfect career capstone on the Champs-Elysees. But beyond these anticipated highlights, this Tour is over. Let us too begin to wind down as we watch the last chapters neatly wrap up one by one. All the laboriously heavy lifting has been done, the last high hurdles are cleared, it is all downhill from here to Paris.
Cycling Odysseys 