2023-07-22 17:54:06
Tadej Pogacar, second at 7′29″ overall on the eve of this 20th stage, was keen to finish this Tour de France 2023 by raising his arms. It’s done for the leader of Team UAE-Emirates, who settled Jonas Vingegaard and the group of favorites in the sprint at Mararkstein Fellering to win his second stage on the Grande Boucle this year.
But the hero of this 20th and penultimate stage, disputed in the Vosges, will have been Thibaut Pinot, author of a real home number for his last stand on the Grande Boucle. The Groupama-FDJ rider, present in the breakaway of the day, gave himself the ultimate pleasure by crossing “his” Petit Ballon pass alone in the lead, splitting the crowd in general jubilation before exploding about ten kilometers from the finish.
Pinot, named combative of the day, hung on but ended up being caught before giving in to the acceleration of the favorites at the start of the Platzerwasel pass, the ultimate difficulty of this edition of the Tour. After a first banderilla signed Pogacar, it was Félix Gall (AG2R-Citroën) who took the Slovenian and the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard in his wheel. The two rivals, who looked at each other, saw the Yates brothers return below the 5km mark. If the Dane from the Jumbo-Visma started the sprint first, it was his runner-up overall, who was stronger, who won. An outcome that satisfied everyone.
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