Stage 15, Sunday 19

184 km, D+ 4100 m

This weeks ends up as this year's Dauphiné did (when Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) beat badly the rest of the field). The final climb is the same but the whole course which starts in the Jura mounts, before bypassing Geneva by staying on the French side, is very different, much more varied.

What a dramatic finale!

It all started well. Like the day before, the peloton was controlled by sprinters teams (mainly Alpecin) until the I.S. which was only 17 km away from the start. As everyone was aware of it, nobody tried anything until the Sprint was passed.

Then there were several breakaways. EF chased, as they had no one in it, and they wanted Carapaz🇪🇨 in it. they succeeded in catching the breakaway after 15-20 km, but when another good one restarted (about 85-90 km from the line, I think), the Ecuadorian missed it again.

In the very steep Croisette pass, Q. Simmons (🇺🇸 Lidl-Trek) attacked. He gained about 20 seconds over a group which only contained any more Pidcock (🇬🇧 Q36.5, here again!), Voisard (🇨🇭 Tudor), Yates (🇬🇧 UAE), as well as Schmid (🇨🇭 Jayco) and Costiou (🇫🇷 FDJ) who were dropped when Pidcock🇬🇧 accelerated in the last mile to basically catch the American up at the summit. All 6 regrouped in the descent and Schmid🇨🇭 attacked in the descent (was it the descent of the little climb just after?) as he had noticed he was inferior to the other 5 in climbs. He got like 20-30 seconds max but could reach the start of the final climb like that.

In the peloton, Visma had sent one more time Campenaerts🇧🇪 and Armirail🇫🇷 ahead in the breakaway. Visma was pulling the peloton, got those two guys back to help, and they started pulling even faster, reducing from 3 to 2 minutes the advance of breakaway / Schmid🇨🇭. Then they arrived way too fast in a small roundabout, couldn't take the smoothest exit lane but had to take the harder corner next, and Vingegaard🇩🇰 crashed with a few others including Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) and stepped into the ambulance with likely a broken collarbone. 🏥 😭

There was a long period of wavering in the small peloton. But then it got even weirder.

At the front, Q. Simmons🇺🇸 attacked again soon after the final climb started. He was doing very well, and caught and dropped Schmid🇨🇭 after a while. He unfortunately had only like 1′30″ over the peloton where Pogatchar (🇸🇮 UAE) had started pulling, apparently thinking that it would be a good idea to make Del Toro🇲🇽 win; Del Toro🇲🇽 who had just crashed a few miles earlier...

Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahrain) and Skjelmose (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek) were dropped first.

Ayuso (🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek), Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora) and... Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) dropped next, while contrarily to the other days, Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Bora) and Del Toro🇲🇽 could hand to the Slovenian rider who wasn't attacking, just pulling.

The Pogatchar🇸🇮 trio got the help of Yates🇬🇧 (dropping from the breakaway). Behind, Seixas🇫🇷 wasn't getting any help, as Lipowitz🇩🇪 had his co-leader ahead, and Ayuso🇪🇸 was unable to help. The gap between the two trios was around 30 seconds.

Yates🇬🇧 dropped, Pogatchar🇸🇮 went a bit faster, but Evenepoel🇧🇪 looked better than Del Toro🇲🇽.

Behind, Ayuso🇪🇸 cracked. As the Pogatchar🇸🇮 trio had caught Q. Simmons🇺🇸, the American had to drag the Spaniard all the way up. What a stage he did! He only finished 2 minutes behind the stage winner...

At the front, they were getting near the last mile, Del Toro🇲🇽 attacked but, as we could expect it, he couldn't drop the Belgian at all. He tried again in the final part, to no avail. It was obvious that he couldn't win and that Pogatchar🇸🇮 should have switched to playing his own card. He didn't and just escorted Evenepoel🇧🇪 to the line. Perhaps the Slovenian wanted to ridicule the race because he had been waken up in the middle of the night by the anti-doping control team? Was he pissed at team orders telling him to make the Mexican win? There is not a single logical sporting explanation for his behaviour.

I suppose that as usual, Evenepoel🇧🇪 will believe he has beaten a top guy and not understand the stage was gifted to him 🤣

From the breakaway, Voisard🇨🇭 tried with more success than Pidcock🇬🇧 to hang up with the leaders. Both did an honest work of limiting damage. The Englishman remains 9^th^, and the Swiss jumps to 11^th^ place.

Jegat (🇫🇷 Total) even more so Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahrain) did the same, from the peloton. They progress to 10^th^ and 8^th^ places, respectively.

Both Bernal (🇨🇴 Ineos) and T. Johanessen (🇳🇴 Uno-X) cracked early and lost a lot in GC.

The situation inversion between Evenepoel🇧🇪 and Seixas🇫🇷 is the possibility that was pissing me off in Seixas🇫🇷's repeated refusal to relay Vingegaard to bury the weaker (at those moments) Belgian on two earlier stages. Now the Frenchman is 1′20″ behind in GC, thanks to letting the Belgian come back twice (and grab time bonuses yesterday), whereas he could be much closer.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You should push your advantage when you have one, you won't always be in such a position.

I missed it, but Merlier (🇧🇪 Soudal-QS) withdrew. This means that Kanter (🇩🇪 Astana) will now be only 1 seat away from the Green jersey 'podium'.