Superdévoluy (France), Jul 17 (EFE).- Richard “Super Carapaz” made history as the first Ecuadorian to win a stage in the Tour de France by winning alone in the seventeenth stage between Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Superdévoluy, 177.8 km, in which the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE) kept the yellow jersey.
If Carapaz made history in Turin by putting on the yellow jersey of Tour leader, now, in the Alps, “The Locomotive of Carchi” once once more embraced glory with a brilliant solo victory, the first for his country, and which allows him to be one of the 116 riders who have triumphed in the three Grand Tours.
A lightning-fast attack up the Col du Noyer was enough for the Olympic champion to raise his arms in the name of “all of Latin America”, happy, with time to savour his moment. He was 12 seconds ahead of Britain’s Simon Yates (Jayco), and 59 ahead of Spain’s Enric Mas.
While Carapaz was experiencing his excitement, the favourites were in a frenzy due to attacks by Pogacar, who were joined by Vingegaard and Evenepoel. The Belgian fished in troubled waters, gaining a handful of seconds on the Slovenian and the Dane. An interesting fight, but without serious consequences for the general classification.
Pogacar remained intact in his yellow jersey, which he has worn more than 35 times since his debut in 2020. Vingegaard follows at 3.11 minutes and Evenepoel at 5.09. The Spaniards maintain their positions, Mikel Landa is fifth at 13.24 and Carlos Rodriguez sixth at 13.30.
Supersonic start, the favorites in the fray
The stage that entered the Alps concentrated its essence in the last 50 km with three linked passes until reaching the mountain station of Superdévoluy. From the start, there was a revolution in the peloton, coinciding with moments of mischievous wind and a lot of pace. In the first hour, 49 kilometers were covered, which knocked out the Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Lutsenko.
There was no respite from the start of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The men in the general classification put on their work clothes, including the leader Tadej Pogacar, and Vingegaard himself dared to try his luck with the fans. War, pulls and constant attacks, which were also joined by illustrious names such as Geraint Thomas and Van Aert.
The UAE calmed down when they took matters into their own hands to control the peloton. The wind stopped and the desire to revolutionise the riders stopped. The pending breakaway was started by the moustached Dane Magnus Cort at km 57. Benoot (Visma), Jungels (Red Bull) and Grégoire (Groupama) joined him.
Carapaz disappears in the Col de Noyer, Pogacar attacks
The main peloton was now able to breathe a sigh of relief. UAE and Visma, Pogacar and Vingegaard gave the green light to the project. The Slovenian’s team put Sivakov in a group chasing the breakaway, the Dane’s group consisting of two men, Van Aert and Laporte.
The quartet took the first climb of the day, the Col de Bayard (2a, 6.8km at 7.3), with an advantage. It was the first Alpine pass to be climbed in the Tour, in 1905, and marks the border between the northern and southern Alps. But the story changed with the movements of the large chasing group, from which the winner of the 2018 Vuelta, the British Simon Yates, emerged decisively.
Yates attacked on the Col du Noyer, the main obstacle of the day (1a, 7.5km at 8.5). He caught up with the leading quartet and went off alone. The Englishman had not counted on Richard Carapaz’s reaction. The Olympic champion stuck close to his rival, tested his rival and 2km from the top laid his cards on the table. He reached the top with 13 seconds ahead of Yates and 36 seconds ahead of Enric Mas.
Behind him, there was a surprise. Pogacar exploded with a trademark attack 1.5km from the top. Unexpected given the calm that was in the air among the top hierarchy of the Tour, but the Slovenian is volcanic and moves on impulse. He crowned with a handful of seconds over Vingeggard and Evenepoel, but was caught on the descent. The Dane was lucky to meet up with his teammate Laporte, key to catching the leader.
Carapaz direct to the gold album, Evenepoel warns Vingegaard
The only thing left to do was the climb to the mountain station of Superdévoluy (3a, 3.8 to 5.9). Two stages in action. Carapaz, enormous, set out for his day of glory, while Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel were struggling on the climb to the finish line.
Pogacar was content to keep the situation under control, always marked by Vingegaard, who also found Van Aert’s miracle wheel. In this marking, Evenepoel played his card, far from second place on the podium, but worried regarding the presumed weakness of the Dane.
The winner of the Vuelta and 2022 World Champion went in search of seconds. He managed it, just 21 seconds, but an interesting moral boost in anticipation of an explosive weekend. Evenepoel said he was content with third place, but if he sees options he will make the most of them.
Glory for Carapaz at the top of Superdevoluy. A dream has come true for the winner of the 2019 Giro d’Italia, for the gold medallist in Tokyo 2021. He dreamed, if only for one day, of the yellow jersey in Turin, his lucky city, where he was the maglia rosa in the Giro. Now he has made his debut in the Tour. In addition, among his 23 professional victories, he has 3 stage wins in the Vuelta and 3 in the Giro.
“I knew the last climb, I did it in the morning, and I rode intelligently during the stage. It was a beautiful victory. Winning the Tour is incredible, the best come here, it’s the best race in the world. It’s a victory for Ecuador, everyone will be happy, and for all of Latin America,” said an emotional Richard Carapaz.
The eighteenth stage, 179.5 km long, takes place on Thursday between Gap and Barcelonnette. It will be a medium-mountain day with five third-class climbs that will not give the peloton any respite all day. A breakaway might be successful on this route.
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2024-07-18 20:11:54
