Stage 19 of the Tour de France from Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny on Friday was scenic, but punchy and tough. It was also fast from the start to the finish and ended up being the fifth fastest stage in the history of the Tour with an average speed of almost 50 kilometers per hour.
Attacks started early and continued until the end. There was an early nine-man break, but the peloton reeled it in. Breakaways continued and three men later took off the front of a different break, including Stage 18 winner Kasper Asgreen of Soudal-Quick Step, Matej Mohoric of Bahrain-Victorious and Ben O’Connor of AG2R Citroen Team. A couple of groups of 10 chased after them, but were unable catch up.
In the final few hundred meters, O’Connor sprinted off the front. Mohoric and Asgreen, however, passed him and went across the finish side by side. A photo review ensued and Mohoric took the stage win by an inch.
Yellow-jersey wearer Jonas Vingegaard finished 13:43 later, surrounded by four of his Jumbo-Visma teammates, including Durangoan Sepp Kuss. Nathan Van Hooydonck crossed 34th, Wilco Kelderman finished 35th, Dylan van Baarle was 36th, Vingegaard was 37th and Kuss crossed 38th. UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogacar finished right behind the yellow and black, unable to cut into Vingegaard’s 7:35 lead in the general classification.
Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot of Jumbo-Visma were among the early escapees fighting for the stage win. Laporte eventually finished sixth (+:39) and Benoot 22nd (+1:43).
Points leader Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek finished fourth and fifth for the second consecutive stage.
“It was a fast stage,” Vingegaard said. “We got through the day safely again. We ensured no one high up in the general classification got away. We managed that. For us, Tiesj and Christophe were in the lead group, so the situation was good. Winning the stage would have been nice, but it didn’t happen. This stage was like a spring classic. The start was pretty fast because everyone wanted to be in the breakaway. In the end, we are happy with the way it went today.”
There were no changes in the top-12 of the GC, with Kuss holding onto ninth place overall. Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek kept the king of the mountain jersey, Pogacar remains in the white youth jersey and Jumb-Visma extended its team lead to 27:15 over its closest competitor, UAE Team Emirates.
The Tour has two stages remaining. Stage 20 on Saturday will be 133.5 kilometers through the mountains from Belfort and Le Markstein.
The Tour will then conclude on Sunday with a 115.1-kilometer flat stage from Saint Quentin en Yvelines to Paris.
“Every day, we are getting closer to Paris,” Vingegaard said. “We are also getting closer and closer to our ultimate goal. Before we head to Paris on Sunday, we have a challenging mountain stage tomorrow. My priority is to consolidate my lead in the general classification. Being able to fight for the stage win would be a nice bonus. I also expect something from the competition. In any case, we will have to stay focused. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s beautiful stage.”
