2023-07-21 18:12:49
Slovenian Matej Mohoric (Bahrain) won the 19th stage of the Tour de France by beating Dane Kasper Asgreen at the photo-finish on Friday July 21 in Poligny.
This is the third victory in the Grande Boucle for the Slovenian who won ahead of his two breakaway companions, Asgreen and the Australian Ben O’Connor, after a long final straight of 8 km.
A great downhill specialist, Mohoric, 28, threw his bike over the line to keep a few millimeters ahead of Asgreen, winner the day before in Bourg-en-Bresse.
It was so tight that he had to wait a few minutes after the finish to be sure of his victory, before bursting into tears.
Tadej Pogacar’s compatriot had already raised his arms twice on the Tour in 2021 and also has a Monument to his credit with his victory at Milan-Sanremo in 2022.
It is also, after Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels, the third victory in this Tour de France for the Bahrain team, bereaved just two weeks before the start by the death of its Swiss rider Gino Mäder in a col descent at the Tour de Suisse.
Mohoric proved to be the toughest and smartest in a rather crazy stage, run like a classic, with a multitude of attacks, breakaway attempts and riders breaking up in several groups.
The peloton, with the Jonas Vingegaard yellow jersey, arrived almost 14 minutes late, riding at a senator’s pace since no dangerous rider for the general classification had slipped into the breakaway.
► The classification of the 19th stage, Moirans-en-Montagne – Poligny, Friday July 21
1. Matej Mohoric (SLO/TBV) wood 172.8 km one 3 h 31 : 02.
(average: 49.1 km/h)
2. Kasper Asgreen (DEN/SOQ) at 0 seconds.
3. Ben O’Connor (AUS/ACT) 4.
4. Jasper Philipsen (BEL/ADC) 39.
5. Mads Pedersen (DEN/LTK) 39.
6. Christophe Laporte (FRA/TJV) 39.
7. Luka Mezgec (SLO/JAY) 39.
8. Alberto Bettiol (ITA/EFE) 39.
9. Matteo Trentin (ITA/UAD) 39.
10. Thomas Pidcock (GBR/IGD) 39.
► The top 10 of the general classification after the 19th stage
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/TJV) 75 h 49 : 24.
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO / UAD) at 7mn 35s.
3. Adam Yates (GBR/UAD) 10:45.
4. Carlos Rodríguez (ESP/IGD) 12:01.
5. Simon Yates (GBR/JAY) 12:19.
6. Pello Bilbao (ESP/TBV) 12:50.
7. Jai Hindley (AUS/BOH) 13:50.
8. Felix Gall (AUT/ACT) 16:11.
9. Sepp Kuss (USA/TJV) 16:49.
10. David Gaudu (FRA/GFC) 17:57.
► The profile of the 20th stage
For Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France : “On the eve of the finish, there remains an Alsatian menu likely to cause indigestion, including on this shortened format, where the cumulative climbing reaches 3,600 m. If the match for the Yellow Jersey is still open, everything is possible: after the Ballon d’Alsace, there will be options to launch assaults at the Col de la Croix des Moinats, a little further at the Col de Grosse Pierre then at the Schlucht before attacking the Petit Ballon and the Platzerwasel… Minefield! »
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