Frenchman Laporte surprises sprinters and wins stage 19 Tour

Frenchman Christophe Laporte took the ‘small hand’ fifth victory for Jumbo Visma after winning a reduced sprint in the 19th stage between Castelnau Magnoac and Cahors, 188.3 km long, in which Dane Jonas Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey, who finally five insignificant seconds ahead of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.

Laporte (La Seyne sur Mer, age 29), was the smartest in a messy finish that prevented the bunch sprint. The Frenchman joined a trio of breakaways close to the finish, starting from a distance and taking his first Tour de France win, taking in a streak of a year with no French victories in his career.

The last to raise his arms was Alaphilippe, on the first day of the 2021 Tour. Laporte clearly had the upper hand from behind, with the peloton in a mess, a second ahead of Belgian Jasper Philipsen, Italian Alberto Dainese (DSM) and of Pogacar, who quickly got into the dispute.

The latest disorder caused cuts in the pack. At the back was the leader, Jonas Vingeggard, who gave Pogacar 5 seconds, the same time as Nairo Quintana and Geraint Thomas. That pinch meant no changes overall. The Dane, a former worker in the warehouse of a fishmonger and an admirer of Alberto Contador, is in the time trial on Saturday with 3.21 minutes on Pogacar and 8 minutes on Thomas.

With the loss of Enric Mas by Covid, the first Spaniard in the general classification has to be sought in fifteenth place 47 minutes away.

The stage started from Castelnau Magnoac, a small town where rugby vibrates more than cycling, as its 800 inhabitants can boast that they have among their neighbors one of the best players in the world, Antoine Dupont. From such an illustrious spot in the Hautes-Pyrenees, the peloton left for a transition stage, after the days in the Pyrenees and before Saturday’s time trial in Rocamadour.

With the overall and podium finishes settled, the sprinters had to take the floor. Flat stage, with 2 levels of the fourth and conditions suitable for “cheetahs”. In case Politt (Bora), Honoré (Quick Step), Mohoric (Bahrain), Van der Hoorn (Intermarché) and the youngest of the pack, Quinn Simmons (Trek), fled.

The adventure had the noose around the neck at all times. The peloton didn’t open the traffic light all the way. The teams interested in arriving en bloc did their job until they broke the rioters illusion with 35km to go, with Simmons the last to deliver the spoon.

The chapter in question had as an anecdote the fracture that was caused at km 30 by a demonstration. Another. During the Tour, it will become a social protest as common as withdrawals due to covid.

POGACAR ON ATTACK, LAPORTE GIVES JUMBO ANOTHER WIN

Demarró Pogacar with 33 goals. The Slovenian remains determined to keep his promise to attack at the slightest opportunity. He wants to sell defeat dearly, fall with greatness. And he did so in the Cota of the medieval city of Lauzerte, although he was immediately neutralized by Van Aert, Vingeggard’s bodyguard at the time.

Cleared the attempt, Gougeard, Wright and Stuyven continued. The trio opened a half-minute rent and the platoon was not done organizing the hunt. Lotto Soudal wanted to run for the battered Ewan, but no one imposed his ‘treno’.

The escapees began to dream of competing for the win, but less than 600 meters from the line, with the road slightly elevated, the jumps multiplied. The peloton was cut, there were few sprinters in front.

Laporte took advantage of the lead, stayed ahead and had the chance to throw the rest away. The “cheetahs” fell asleep on their laurels, or the French destroyed the plan that seemed sung. Roglic’s luxury herd animal in the Dauphiné and important part of the leader, he was king for a day.

The 1.91 meter tall giant made his debut in the Tour and has 23 victories to his name. Like this one from Cahors, no compelling reason to celebrate with a good wine from the country of the Lot department. The party never ends at Jumbo Visma.

This Saturday there will be a stopwatch appointment in the twentieth and penultimate stage of the Tour with a 40.7 km route between Lacapelle Marival and Rocamadour, a long stage, for specialists, which comes at a less important moment due to the large differences than expected in general, both for the yellow jersey, tied by Vingegaard, and for the podium places, with Pogacar and Thomas in the secondary places.

However, Pogacar does not want to say goodbye to the Tour without a fourth victory, which would mean number 10 in 3 participations. A duel with Van Aert, even with Vingeggard, could be interesting.