Special Event: 2024 Tour de France
July 10, 2024 9:45 AM - Subscribe
From Florence, Italy to Nice, France, the 2024 Tour de France is underway with significant milestones racking up as the peloton reaches the halfway mark of the greatest cycling race in the world.
On Wednesday, July 10, the mountainous stage 11 of the Tour de France (Tour page does have spoilers) has run its course, marking the halfway point of the three week 21 stage race. Prior to this moment, the Tour has witnessed the first stage win (and later, a second) by Benjamin Girmay, the first Black African rider to do so in the race's history. Not long after, seasoned sprinter Mark Cavendish, in what is likely his last Tour, broke the 40 year or so old record of Eddie Merckx for the highest number of stage wins.
Standings as of July 10
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
Stage 11 - Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran
A mountain stage with 4,350 m / 14,217 ft of climbing, the stage concluded with an exciting duel by last year's winner Vingegaard and 2020/2021 and current leader, Pogacar as the pair both raced each other for the precious time bonuses. Vingegaard outsprinted Pogacar by half a wheel to gain the ten second time bonus, though still remains behind Pogacar and Evenepoel in third place.
Stage 12 - Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot
203.6 km / 126.5 miles long with 2,200 m / 7,212 ft of climbing, is considered a "flat" stage by the race organizers. For more information, just click here!
(I'll try to provide an update every day during the week for the remainder of the race. That will occur sometime between 1 pm EST and 5 pm EST.)
On Wednesday, July 10, the mountainous stage 11 of the Tour de France (Tour page does have spoilers) has run its course, marking the halfway point of the three week 21 stage race. Prior to this moment, the Tour has witnessed the first stage win (and later, a second) by Benjamin Girmay, the first Black African rider to do so in the race's history. Not long after, seasoned sprinter Mark Cavendish, in what is likely his last Tour, broke the 40 year or so old record of Eddie Merckx for the highest number of stage wins.
Standings as of July 10
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
- Tadej Pogacar - 45 hr 00' 34"
- Remco Evenepoel - +1' 06"
- Jonas Vingegaard - +1' 14"
- Primoz Roglic. - +2' 15"
- Benjamin Girmay - 267 pts
- Jasper Philipsen - 193 pts
- Anthony Turgis - 121 pts
- Tadej Pogacar - 36 pts
- Jonas Abrahamsen - 33 pts
- Jonas Vingevaard - 28 pts
Stage 11 - Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran
A mountain stage with 4,350 m / 14,217 ft of climbing, the stage concluded with an exciting duel by last year's winner Vingegaard and 2020/2021 and current leader, Pogacar as the pair both raced each other for the precious time bonuses. Vingegaard outsprinted Pogacar by half a wheel to gain the ten second time bonus, though still remains behind Pogacar and Evenepoel in third place.
Stage 12 - Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot
203.6 km / 126.5 miles long with 2,200 m / 7,212 ft of climbing, is considered a "flat" stage by the race organizers. For more information, just click here!
(I'll try to provide an update every day during the week for the remainder of the race. That will occur sometime between 1 pm EST and 5 pm EST.)
Watching break aways make it to the finish is one of the best feel good moments you can get in the tour. I heard that there was a lot of trouble in this stage with the break away even forming to begin with. I rarely get to watch a full stage due to work and family life, so it's mostly avoiding spoilers when I can and watching the last 10 or so miles.
Whit Yost at Bicycling thinks that yesterday was a big momentum shift and that Vingegaard’s result is bigger than just the bonus—he’s in a pretty good position as the tour hits the mountains since Pogaçar didn’t consolidate a lead.
That makes a lot of sense and will make it really exciting as we start going up those mountain slopes. I wonder if Evenepoel will hang on or not.
posted by Atreides at 7:02 AM on July 11, 2024
Whit Yost at Bicycling thinks that yesterday was a big momentum shift and that Vingegaard’s result is bigger than just the bonus—he’s in a pretty good position as the tour hits the mountains since Pogaçar didn’t consolidate a lead.
That makes a lot of sense and will make it really exciting as we start going up those mountain slopes. I wonder if Evenepoel will hang on or not.
posted by Atreides at 7:02 AM on July 11, 2024
This has been a really good Tour so far. The gravel stage 9 was a fantastic race to watch. As a Roglic fan, I wish he was looking a little stronger, but I'm still expecting him to get a stage win before the Tour is over. As for the overall, I still don't think there is a clear winner yet. Exciting racing.
posted by spudsilo at 9:06 AM on July 11, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by spudsilo at 9:06 AM on July 11, 2024 [1 favorite]
Stage 12 - Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Stage 12 marks the third stage victory by Benjamin Girmay, who continues to hold claim to the Green Jersey by out sprinting the field to the line. Cavendish, still in hope of adding to his record stage wins, found himself relegated from finishing fifth overall down to 68th after officials alleged the Manx Missile deviated from his chosen line during the final sprint in a manner that obstructed or endangered another ride. Significantly, Roglic suffered a terrible crash with only 11 km left in the race that left his continued participation in the Tour in question and dropped him to almost five minutes behind the leader in General Classification. Stage 13 will start with a clear divide between the top three in the GC and the rest of the field.
Standings as of July 11
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
Benjamin Girmay - 267 pts
Jasper Philipsen - 193 pts
Anthony Turgis - 121 pts
Mountain Classification (Polka Dot Jersey)
Tadej Pogacar - 36 pts
Jonas Abrahamsen - 33 pts
Jonas Vingevaard - 28 pts
Young Rider Classification (White Jersey) is currently in the hands of Remco Evenepoel with a 3' 34" over Carlos Rodrigquez.
Stage 13 - Agen to Pau
Another flat stage arrives tomorrow at 165.3 km (102.7 mi) in length and approximately 2,000 m / 6,561 ft in climbing.
posted by Atreides at 1:47 PM on July 11, 2024 [1 favorite]
Stage 12 marks the third stage victory by Benjamin Girmay, who continues to hold claim to the Green Jersey by out sprinting the field to the line. Cavendish, still in hope of adding to his record stage wins, found himself relegated from finishing fifth overall down to 68th after officials alleged the Manx Missile deviated from his chosen line during the final sprint in a manner that obstructed or endangered another ride. Significantly, Roglic suffered a terrible crash with only 11 km left in the race that left his continued participation in the Tour in question and dropped him to almost five minutes behind the leader in General Classification. Stage 13 will start with a clear divide between the top three in the GC and the rest of the field.
Standings as of July 11
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
- Tadej Pogaçar - 49 hr 17' 49"
- Remco Evenepoel - +1' 06"
- Jonas Vingegaard - +1' 14"
- João Almeida - +4' 20"
Young Rider Classification (White Jersey) is currently in the hands of Remco Evenepoel with a 3' 34" over Carlos Rodrigquez.
Stage 13 - Agen to Pau
Another flat stage arrives tomorrow at 165.3 km (102.7 mi) in length and approximately 2,000 m / 6,561 ft in climbing.
posted by Atreides at 1:47 PM on July 11, 2024 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure why Biniam Girmay's name is being given as Benjamin Girmay, or whether that originates here or in the source being used to grab race standings info, but it is "Biniam." It would be worth correcting from here on out.
posted by neutralhydrogen at 10:18 AM on July 12, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by neutralhydrogen at 10:18 AM on July 12, 2024 [1 favorite]
This was probably a loose wire in my head. I have hearing loss and I probably thought I heard "Benjamin" when someone was saying Biniam and it stuck. Thank you for bringing this up!
Now for today's results...
Stage 13 - Agen to Pau
Not a friendly day for breakaways, as there were a number of failed attempts. Team UAE was faulted for keeping the pace of the peloton high, potentially trying to wear out Vingegaard's Jumbo-Lease a Bike, and unkind winds also helped to splinter the peloton with the result that many of the typical sprinter candidates weren't close enough to the front to fully compete the final rush to the finish line. This left Biniam Girmay, Wout van Aert, and Jasper Philipsen, among the few remaining sprinters with Philipsen pulling out the win in the last few meters (not without controversy for changing his line). The other specter in the peloton was sickness, with Covid taking out Mark Cavendish's lead out man, and apparently also removing one of Pogaçar's stronger domestiques, Juan Ayuso. Lastly, due to the injuries he suffered in a crash yesterday, Primoz Roglic opted not to start and withdrew from the race.
Standings after Stage 13 are:
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
Tomorrow..
Stage 14 - Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla D'Adet
151 km with over 4,000 meters of climbing, Stage 14 is a return to the mountains. As we go up more in the race, the likelihood that we'll be witnessing the true battle between the top three contenders will take place.
posted by Atreides at 11:47 AM on July 12, 2024 [1 favorite]
Now for today's results...
Stage 13 - Agen to Pau
Not a friendly day for breakaways, as there were a number of failed attempts. Team UAE was faulted for keeping the pace of the peloton high, potentially trying to wear out Vingegaard's Jumbo-Lease a Bike, and unkind winds also helped to splinter the peloton with the result that many of the typical sprinter candidates weren't close enough to the front to fully compete the final rush to the finish line. This left Biniam Girmay, Wout van Aert, and Jasper Philipsen, among the few remaining sprinters with Philipsen pulling out the win in the last few meters (not without controversy for changing his line). The other specter in the peloton was sickness, with Covid taking out Mark Cavendish's lead out man, and apparently also removing one of Pogaçar's stronger domestiques, Juan Ayuso. Lastly, due to the injuries he suffered in a crash yesterday, Primoz Roglic opted not to start and withdrew from the race.
Standings after Stage 13 are:
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
- Tadej Pogaçar - 52 hr 40' 58"
- Remco Evenepoel - +1' 06"
- Jonas Vingegaard - +1' 14"
- João Almeida - +4' 20"
- Biniam Girmay - 346 pts
- Jasper Philipsen - 271 pts
- Anthony Turgis - 141 pts
- Tadej Pogacar - 36 pts
- Jonas Abrahamsen - 36 pts
- Jonas Vingevaard - 28 pts
Tomorrow..
Stage 14 - Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla D'Adet
151 km with over 4,000 meters of climbing, Stage 14 is a return to the mountains. As we go up more in the race, the likelihood that we'll be witnessing the true battle between the top three contenders will take place.
posted by Atreides at 11:47 AM on July 12, 2024 [1 favorite]
Welp, it was a weekend! Today's a rest day, but I'll try to pop in later to provide an update for tomorrow's resumption.
posted by Atreides at 7:51 AM on July 15, 2024
posted by Atreides at 7:51 AM on July 15, 2024
Alas, the time got away, but over the weekend, Tadej Pogaçar may have managed to put enough time between him and his rival Vingegaard to seal a victory in the 2024 tour. Part of this came on an exciting climb in yesterday's stage 15 after a failed attempt by Vingegaard and Team Jumbo-Lease a Bike to wear out Pogaçar by striking a hard pace that obliterated any chance of a breakaway. In the final 10k, Vingegaard attempted to break away and tire Pogaçar, but the strategy backfired after Pogaçar saw a momentary break in his opponent's rhythm and took off up the mountainside. In the end, Pogaçar hung over a minute on Vingegaard, which on top of his time from the previous stage, dropped the Danish rider to over 3' behind the leader. Pogaçar also set a new record for the climb, breaking the previous record by famed Italian rider, Marco Pantini over two decades ago.
Tomorrow's stage promises to be the second to last spring stages, leaving Girmay another opportunity to add to his own record building run in this Tour or for Cavendish to add to his all time stage win record. Alas, for the sprinters, more mountains await, and of course, next weekend, we end in Nice.
posted by Atreides at 2:20 PM on July 15, 2024
Tomorrow's stage promises to be the second to last spring stages, leaving Girmay another opportunity to add to his own record building run in this Tour or for Cavendish to add to his all time stage win record. Alas, for the sprinters, more mountains await, and of course, next weekend, we end in Nice.
posted by Atreides at 2:20 PM on July 15, 2024
The last full week of the Tour has commenced!
After a final rest day on Monday, the Tour resumed with Stage 16 - Gruissan to Nîmes, categorized as a flat stage and considered the second to last opportunity for a sprint finish. While the general classification leaders played it safe with no real changes occurring, the opportunity to get points and win a stage with a sudden acceleration of speed was not passed up. Near tragedy occurred with Binian Girmay crashing with just over one kilometer to go, which in turn, undoubtedly opened up the sprint to Jasper Philipsen to take the stage and notch his own third victory of the 2024 tour. While Girmay remained the leader in the points classification, Philipsen has suddenly become uncomfortably close. As one commentator noted, were it not for Philipsen being relegated and fined points earlier in the race, the competition for the Green Jersey would be even closer. With a significant lead on his rival Vingegaard, Pogacar need only avoid misfortune or fend off extraordinary attacks to keep the Yellow Jersey to Nice.
Stage 17 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Super Dévoluy returns to the mountains with a climbing stage with the current leaders:
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
Young Rider Classification (White Jersey) is currently in the hands of Remco Evenepoel with a 6' 08" over Carlos Rodrigquez.
posted by Atreides at 6:30 AM on July 17, 2024
After a final rest day on Monday, the Tour resumed with Stage 16 - Gruissan to Nîmes, categorized as a flat stage and considered the second to last opportunity for a sprint finish. While the general classification leaders played it safe with no real changes occurring, the opportunity to get points and win a stage with a sudden acceleration of speed was not passed up. Near tragedy occurred with Binian Girmay crashing with just over one kilometer to go, which in turn, undoubtedly opened up the sprint to Jasper Philipsen to take the stage and notch his own third victory of the 2024 tour. While Girmay remained the leader in the points classification, Philipsen has suddenly become uncomfortably close. As one commentator noted, were it not for Philipsen being relegated and fined points earlier in the race, the competition for the Green Jersey would be even closer. With a significant lead on his rival Vingegaard, Pogacar need only avoid misfortune or fend off extraordinary attacks to keep the Yellow Jersey to Nice.
Stage 17 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Super Dévoluy returns to the mountains with a climbing stage with the current leaders:
General Classification (Yellow Jersey!)
- Tadej Pogaçar - 66h 07' 51"
- Jonas Vingegaard - +3' 09"
- Remco Evenepoel - +5' 19"
- João Almeida - +10' 54"
- Biniam Girmay - 376 pts
- Jasper Philipsen - 344 pts
- Bryan Coquard - 179 pts
- Tadej Pogacar - 77 pts
- Jonas Vingegaard - 58 pts
- Remco Evenepoel - 42 pts
Young Rider Classification (White Jersey) is currently in the hands of Remco Evenepoel with a 6' 08" over Carlos Rodrigquez.
posted by Atreides at 6:30 AM on July 17, 2024
And it's over folks! I'll post up the final tallies later!
posted by Atreides at 6:37 AM on July 22, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 6:37 AM on July 22, 2024 [1 favorite]
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Whit Yost at Bicycling thinks that yesterday was a big momentum shift and that Vingegaard’s result is bigger than just the bonus—he’s in a pretty good position as the tour hits the mountains since Pogaçar didn’t consolidate a lead.
posted by thecaddy at 5:14 AM on July 11, 2024 [1 favorite]