Tour de France Stage 10: Pogacar Reigns on Bastille Day
The Tour had a Stage (#10) on Bastille Day. The French were hoping for a win from Paul Sexias, the 19-year-old wonder kid. However, the potential win was spoiled by Tadej Pogacar. He expanded his lead and was dominant again on another hot day. Jonas Vindegaard lost almost a minute.
There were seven mountains in this demanding stage. It was also hot. The stage featured two solo breakaways, both of which were caught by the inevitable Pogacar train. This was a demanding stage, but it was good to have this stage after a rest day. This was Pogacar’s third stage win of this tour, and his 25th overall. Do you think he will finish with the most stage wins by a person ever?
Tour de France Stage 10 July 14 Summary
There were three main stories to this mountainous stage. First, Javier Romo of the Movistar team went on an early solo breakaway (he was part of a much larger breakaway). It was inevitable that he got caught, and he did. Richard Carapaz of Team EF Education broke away solo near the end of the stage, but he was caught by Pogacar. Interestingly, this stage was ridden just two years ago. In that race, Vindegaard outsprinted Pogacar. Not so today, with him losing 54 seconds.
In the stage, Tadej Pogacar won. Remco Evenopoel, who looked dead, sprinted to second. The Frenchman Paul Sexias was third on this stage of the tour. Florian Lipowitz was fourth. Juan Ayuso was fifth. Jonas Vingaraard was only seventh, 44 seconds behind. Pogacar lengthened his overall lead. Jonas Vinegaard remained in second place, 3:36 behind. Remco Evenopoel, Juan Ayuoso, and Paul Sexias all rose one spot to third, fourth, and fifth. Isaac del Toro, the young Mexican superstar, lost big time.
Not only were there big mountains on this stage, but there were also dangerous descents. Tom Pidcock crashed into a parked car. American Matteo Jorgenson also crashed. Whatever goes up must come down. It is important to point out that Pogacar is probably the best descender in the world, who comes in handy on stages of the Tour de France.
Bastille Day
It was Bastille Day in France. French citizens wanted a French bicycle rider to win the stage. Paul Sexias, a 19-year-old Frenchman, was third in this stage, and the French crowd booed Pogacar near the finish. He said he wanted to perform well to honor the yellow jersey. This is the third time he has won a tour stage on Bastille Day.
In terms of a history lesson. Bastille Day in France is a little like July 4 in the United States. Bastille Day, a national holiday in France, commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, in Paris. The Bastille was originally a medieval fortress. It had become a state prison and a symbol of the Bourbon monarchy’s oppression. It held political prisoners without trial. On July 14, 1789, Parisians, protesting economic hardship, food shortages, and heavy taxation, seized weapons from the Hôtel des Invalides and stormed the Bastille, freeing the seven prisoners held there.
Conclusion
This stage of the tour was exremely difficult with 7 mountains and 7 dangerous descents. This was a day for General Classification riders, with Tadej Pogacar winning and extending his overall lead over rival Jonas Vindegaard by almost one minute. The next two stages are flat and are days for the sprints. Tomorrow is a stage from Vichy to Nevers. This stage of the tour is 161.3 kilometers long. Stage 12 is also flat. These flat stages give some opportunity for the General Classification riders to rest a bit.
