The Tourmalet, the majestic giant of the Pyrenees, after so many years of British domination in the Tour, exalts French cycling with a sensational pairing: Pinot wins and on the final stretch, the most difficult, proved to be the strongest climber of the lot while confirming his jaw-dropping Julian Alaphilippe moment. The yellow jersey not only holds the wheels of the best squad on the interminable climb to over 2 meters of the Pyrenean hill but also manages to find enough energy to trigger his deadly sprint, finishing second 6” behind Pinot. An action that strengthens his leadership against his closest rivals, in particular Geraint Thomas who suffered the final tussle finishing eighth at 36” from Pinot. Four years after his first victory in the Tour on the Alpe d'Huez, Pinot on another legendary hill regains the victory in the Tour and the morale that the wind and the fans of Albi had depressed and removed from the top ten.
The most fascinating stage in the Pyrenees was enough for him to relaunch himself and come back with authority in the match for the final victory, Alaphilippe permitting. Because this sort of musketeer, a D'Artagnan on the pedals, up to now appears invincible: strong and explosive in the bumpy finals, winner against all odds in the Pau time trial, never a sign of weakness even on the toughest ramps of the Tourmalet, the yellow jersey has now convinced even the bookmakers, until yesterday skeptical of his chances of success, to rate him as the number favorite of this Tour (given at 2) supplanting, after the disappointing examination of the Tourmalet, Geraint Thomas who fell in favor to 7,5 .
One of the most awaited stages, that of the Tourmalet decreed two absolute winners which are Pinot and Alaphilippe but also two positive confirmations which respond to the names of Krujiswick and Buchmann who finished close to the two wild French. The rest are many losers, who in turn are divided between those who still remain in the game and those who definitively leave the game.
Pinot's action hurt Geraint Thomas above all who showed the first cracks of his Tour on the hard slopes of the last km, failing to follow the acceleration of the Frenchman of Groupama-Fdj and then losing the wheels not only by Alaphilippe but also by Krujiwjick, Buchmann, Landa, Uran and Bernal. A bad day for Mister G who is 2'02” away from the yellow Alaphilippe jersey while keeping second place in the general standings.
Better than his Welsh co-leader was Bernal who finished fourth 8” from Pinot, thus recovering 28” on Thomas himself, whose defaillance perhaps slowed down the action of the Colombian who was expected among the big favorites on the Tourmalet. Fourth in the standings 3 minutes behind the yellow jersey, Bernal nonetheless recovered points at Ineos who, up to one km from the top of the Tourmalet, seemed oriented to bet everything on Thomas.
Even Landa, sixth 14” behind Pinot, gained something on Thomas but the series of missed opportunities to take his first career success in the Tour is getting longer for the Movistar Basque. Like every time there is a mountain stage the Movistar gives the impression of preparing the feat also thanks to the great work of Valverde in the rainbow jersey, but then collects crumbs with Landa who never manages to finalize an attack and with Quintana who even gives up mid-climb saying goodbye to dreams of glory on the day when Colombia celebrates its national holiday. There is little or nothing left of the grimpeur who was christened the Condor of the Andes. He crosses the finish line with a delay of 3'24” which makes him fall out of the top ten in which the “old” Valverde is resisting, ninth at 5'27” behind the yellow jersey.
They finish better than Quintana but are equally defeated, now cut off from the fight for the podium Richie Porte (14th at 2'08") and Eric Mas (16th at 2'54"), who also loses the white jersey of best youngster who returns on Bernal's shoulders. Another illustrious victim of the Tourmalet was Adam Yates who crashed and little could comfort him from his twin Simon who was also on the hook. Adam finished 25th at 6'24” dropping down to 18th place at 10'37” from Alaphilippe. Simon couldn't even keep up with his twin and finished at 16'31”. Still better than another big (or presumed big) Romain Bardet, who already collapsed on the Soulor, accused a delay of over 20 minutes at the finish line. He is the only Frenchman who cries in a triumphal day for the transalpine pedal who, in addition to Pinot and Alaphilippe, also placed the national champion Warren Barguil in the top ten on the Tourmalet and highlighted the qualities of the twenty-two year old David Gaudu, winner of the Tour of the future of 2016, who for long stretches of the ascent was alongside helping Pinot to prepare the decisive attack.
In Bardet's group there was also Nibali who, unlike other days, went on the attack on Soulor on Saturday together with Wim Wellens who preceded him at the Gpm (scoring precious points in defense of the white jersey with red polka dots). But once reached in the subsequent descent, the Shark returned to the one of this Tour, in total anonymity. Ciccone was also with him, who after the double crash lost the confidence and boldness of the days when he was in the yellow jersey and then in the white jersey. But for his first Tour it's already a lot of stuff. The only Italian in the top twenty of the standings is Fabio Aru, who is doing a decent Tour if you consider that he's been back on the bike just a month after a complicated operation on his iliac artery. The Sardinian, 17th on the Tourmalet at 3'33” from Pinot, is currently 20th in the general at 11'19” from Alaphilippe.
