Valentin Madouas gave it a go at the start this Friday, but stage 19 of the Tour de France was meant to be contested between the best climbers of the peloton. A few riders were able to get a head start towards the Col de la Bonette and the final ascent of Isola 2000, but no one could stay away from Tadej Pogacar. The final hopes of Groupama-FDJ are postponed until tomorrow, towards the Col de la Couillole.
Although the public was unsure about qualifying stage 19 as the “queen stage” of the Tour, one thing was crystal clear: the peloton was going to reach “the roof of the Tour” between Embrun and Isola 2000. The Cime de la Bonette, 2800 metres above sea level, was indeed the highest point of this 2024 “Grande Boucle”, and its endless climb (23 km at 7%) followed that of the Col de Vars (19km at 5.6 %) and preceded the final climb towards Isola 2000 (16 km at 7%). In total, around 4,500 meters of elevation gain had to be covered, over just 144 kilometres of racing. “It wasn’t very long in terms of kilometres but very hard in terms of elevation,” said Valentin Madouas. “We tried to deal with it as best we could.” The former French champion also took the lead in the first ten kilometres, before the first climb of the day. “I tried to go from the start, I knew I had to anticipate,” he said. “But obviously, when you find yourself with such big names and real climbers, it’s difficult on such slopes.” At the start of the Col de Vars, the race opened up again in the peloton and a very solid group of nine men ultimately broke away, while the peloton controlled four minutes behind.
“There was no surprise”, Benoît Vaugrenard
David Gaudu was then re-joined in the yellow jersey group by Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher and Romain Grégoire, then was the last to be dropped from this same group in the mighty Cime de la Bonette. “We knew that the big guys wanted to win this iconic stage, there was no surprise,” added Benoît Vaugrenard. “The guys fought well and did their best.” Valentin Madouas eventually took twenty-fifth place in the stage, meaning the first team’s first rider at the summit. “We had done a recon of the stage,” he said. “I didn’t want to get too enthusiastic; I climbed the Bonette at my own pace so as not to get into the red zone. There were groups in front of me, I did a fast descent, and I was able to return quite fast, then we were able to benefit from the work of others.” “It was too difficult for us today,” concluded Benoît. “Pogacar really destroyed the competition, we hope that he will let go and that it will be more open tomorrow.” On Saturday, a real up-and-down stage will be on the menu, with four classified climbs, three of which of first category. The finish will be located at the top of the Col de la Couillole after 132 kilometers.
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