The heroes are tired, there are almost 3500 km in their legs, but in the stage of legendary cols such as the Aspin, the Tourmalet and the Aubisque they light the last fires of battle in a Tour that Geraint Thomas has shown he deserves with flying colors while Froome even sees himself overtaken on the podium by Roglic.
Yesterday's stage from Lourdes to Laruns from Lourdes to Laruns was not an easy stage for the yellow jersey with almost 5 meters of difference in altitude to overcome: if on the Aspin in the breakaway riders had gone far in the standings with the usual Julian Alaphilippe leading the way to put in the safe his red polka dot jersey of leader of the climbers, on the Tourmalet a group of treaders had formed including Romain Bardet and Mikal Landa.
In the descent of the famous col, the one that the Tour has climbed 84 times more than the others, the escape had reached and exceeded three minutes on the group of the best led by the men of Team Sky to protect Thomas and Froome.
Landa, who raced a Tour again this year without having a clear idea of what to do, whether captain or second after Quintana, he found himself at that point virtually in second place in the standings about a minute and a half behind the yellow jersey. Landa is one of the strongest grimpeurs around and there was still the Col des Bordères to climb and the Aubisque on the Soulor side.
With the Spanish there is another teammate from Movistar, Soler to give him a hand. On the Team Sky flagship there is no concern but Thomas and company warn that it's time to start reducing the gap. The Lotto-Jumbo gives him a hand in this and he sets off at full speed with Gesink on the first ramps of the Col des Bordères, a prelude to an attack by Kruijswijck or Roglic on the Soulor.
Once Gesink's push has run out, it is Kruijswijck who takes the initiative, the Dutchman known as the "crutch" who would have been about to win the 2016 Giro if he hadn't fallen into the ice barrier on the downhill With Lamb. Krujiswijck, in turn, provides a foothold for an attack by Roglic, the Slovenian who since then moment takes over from Landa and Bardet as the protagonist of the day.
The action of the former ski jumper, who arrived late in cycling but still in time to leave his mark, makes illustrious victims: on the rampe de Soulor Quintana also breaks down, which after a day from Condor on the Col de Portet closes its wings and lets go. But also suffering is Froome who cannot keep the wheels of Roglic e he is also detached by Dumoulin and Thomas ready to take the Slovenian back. Thomas for the first time in this Tour attacks the last part of the climb of the Aubisque without companions but he gets along just fine, as master of the Tour which sees the triumph on the Elysian Fields ever closer. It doesn't matter if in the descent, technical and made more dangerous by the fog that envelops some curves, Roglic still manages to fly away risking his life as he was used to every time he launched himself on skis into the void from a trampoline.
Roglic alone wins his second stage in the Tour after that of Serre Chevalier last year, but Thomas is immediately behind second at 19" from the Slovenian, collecting 6" bonus and preceding Bardet, Daniel Martin, Dumoulin, Majka, Landa and also Froome who, helped by Bernal, managed to get back on the best but not on Roglic who thanks to the 29" seconds between advantage and bonus, he overtook the "historic" captain of Team Sky, putting him off the podium. Quintana arrives more than 7 minutes late, slipping from fifth to eighth place in the standings which sees more and more leader Thomas who extends the advantage over Dumoulin second to 2'05”, approached by Roglic, third just 19” from the Dutchman. Fourth is Froome at 2'37", fifth Kruijswijck at 4'37", sixth Landa at 4'40", seventh Bardet at 5'15", eighth Martin at 6'392, ninth Quintana at 10'262, tenth Ilnur Zakarin at 11'492.
More than for the primacy now in the hands of Thomas, today's time trial of 31 km will be decisive for the definition of the podium with Dumoulin and Roglic who will have to defend themselves from a resurgence of pride from Froome.
Very far from the leaders, but also a hero of the last Pyrenean ride, Peter Sagan suffering for 200 km as he has never suffered in ten years as a runner, battered by his injuries following his fall on the descent from the Col de Val Louron-Azet, he managed to close the stage in 143rd place, over 38 minutes behind the leader, but within the maximum time. His sixth green shirt is safe.
