2023-07-15 18:29:00
Several abandonments, including that of Frenchman Romain Bardet, are to be deplored in this 14th stage of the cycling event, which took place in the Alps this Saturday.
By Lise Lacombe for Le Point
Published on 07/15/2023 at 2:10 p.m. – Modified on 07/15/2023 at 6:29 p.m.
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Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos) won the 14th stage of the Tour de France, the first in the Alps, on Saturday in Morzine, winning ahead of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard who retains the yellow jersey.
Rodriguez made the difference in the descent after the ascent of the Col de Joux Plane, where Pogacar and Vingegaard explained themselves without succeeding in deciding, at the end of a stage marked by several falls and at least seven retirements, including that of Romain Bardet.
Great hope of Spanish cycling, Rodriguez, 22, won five seconds ahead of the duo to climb to third place in the general classification, clearing the podium of Australian Jai Hindley, who arrived 1 min 46 later .
Hand in hand between Pogacar and Vingegaard
It is already the third Spanish victory in this Tour de France, while this traditional cycling nation has been chasing success for five years before this 110th edition.
The stage gave rise to a new mano a mano between Pogacar and Vingegaard which grabbed a second on Saturday, thanks to bonuses at the top of Joux Plane. He now has ten in advance in the general classification, a tiny margin.
His Slovenian rival, glasses raised, placed his attack 3.7 km from the top of this exceptional pass. He immediately took a lead of twenty meters.
But, as if held by an invisible leash, Vingegaard, with his impenetrable face behind his visor, clung on to cushion the shock and pick up two kilometers further.
The two men then found themselves shoulder to shoulder. But when he started his sprint to take the bonus points at the top, Pogacar was blocked by a press motorbike and forced to sit down.
Vingegaard took the opportunity to grab three seconds from the Slovenian who then took two back by finishing the stage ahead of the Dane.
A collective fall
After their battle of leaders, the two favorites temporized, which allowed Rodriguez and Adam Yates, teammate of Pogacar, to pick up on the descent. The Spaniard immediately went on the attack to surprise Pogacar and Vingegaard and win in Morzine.
The stage was also marked by a major collective fall after only five kilometers, causing the retirement of South African Louis Meintjes and the neutralization of the race for about twenty minutes.
Twenty kilometers further, the Frenchman Romain Bardet fell in the descent of the first pass of the day and was also forced to leave the race, victim of a concussion.
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