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166km to go: Lidl-Trek continue to boss it for their sprinter, Jonathan Milan. The telly helicopter shows the peloton snaking through a valley with the mountains in the middle distance.
On the team radio, Steven de Jongh of Lidl-Trek indulges in a bit of banter, saying there are a lot of teams who would rather see the green jersey go to a sprinter, that is Milan.
He doesn’t mention Pogacar by name but we all know what he’s talking about.
167km to go: Cyril Barthe (Groupama-FDJ) has also abandoned today, along with Rodriguez of Ineos Grenadiers. An early Barthe.
169km to go: Lidl-Trek are massed at the front of the fast-moving peloton, seeking to control affairs until the intermediate sprint at Rioupéroux, that comes after just 23.7km.
“This is going to be a real day,” says Sean Kelly on commentary. It’s hard to argue with that.
“For the GC contenders it’s a real, real test.”
Stage 18 begins
The flag is waved and just like that, the race has begun.
“Hi Luke,” writes Alex on email. Hello Alex.
“I’ve joined the sad crew of people having to work in an office today so am unable to secretly have TNT or ITV on in the background. I’ll be following your updates avidly on this day of days that will, hopefully, go down in tour history.
“After Tuesday, I can see it going both ways. Has Tadej been bluffing strength and is he struggling in week three? If so he will be found out today in potentially extraordinary fashion. But equally, has he been focusing on building some allies in the peloton and let down by a relatively weak team incapable of chasing down breakaways, if so then he will surely want revenge on the Col De La Loze.
“Or maybe, they’ll just mark each other out – boring! Either way pleased to be with you and the Guardian family of cycling-obsessed procrastinators.”
Courchevel, as any fule kno, is a ski resort. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that some steep climbs will be involved given the riders will finish there. As just mentioned by Luke Rowe and Orla Chennaoui, too, all those steep climbs mean some technical descents. Fierce concentration, along with an ability to handle the burning pain in the legs and body, will be key for every rider in the bunch.
The neutralised rollout has begun. There will be some tired, tired bodies in that bunch as they make their way slowly to the official start.
“Today is another chance,” Jonas Vingegaard tells Matt Stephens. “We will fight until the end. Today is going to be a proper hard stage, and we’ll do everything we can.
“The last, what is it? Five, 6km or so, is super-steep [on the final climb]. Before that, there is a flatter section. In general it’s a very hard climb, a very long climb.
“We just have to keep trying. I am not really looking at that [Pogacar’s form and condition], I am just trying to do something.”
Luke Rowe, on pundit duty for TNT Sports, spoke to Geraint Thomas about Rodriguez’s crash yesterday. “He actually crashed twice yesterday. He got tangled up with Alaphilippe and a few others … he was all right …
“Behind the big crash (1km out), people were reacting. We didn’t see it on the TV but 50metres behind that Carlos crashed.”
Carlos Rodriguez abandons
Contrary to what I wrote earlier, there has been a significant withdrawal this morning. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) is out, having broken his pelvis in a crash yesterday. He was 10th in GC.
That means Jordan Jegat (Total Energies) moves into 10th in GC, +23min 10sec down on the race leader.
What are your expectations for today and for the rest of the Tour? Email me.
It is worth mentioning that the weather is expected to be highly unpredictable for the next couple of days. Riders and teams are going to have to deal with big fluctuations between hot weather lower down and cold conditions up in the mountains.
I fancy that a young man named Primoz Roglic will be a rider to keep an eye on today. Earlier in the race, Roglic said he was pleased to see his teammate Florian Lipowitz riding so strongly.
“I’m happy. I’m really happy,” he said of Lipowitz after stage 12 on the Hautacam, when the German rider sailed away on that final climb to finish third. “I hope he keeps the level to the finish.”
It would be fascinating to know what is being said in the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team briefing this morning. Presumably Roglic, while being willing to help Lipowitz, also believes he could still finish on the podium himself?
There are only two riders within 10 minutes of Pogacar in the GC, which is astonishing. Here is the top 10 after stage 17:
1) Tadej Pogacar 61hr 50min 16sec
2) Jonas Vingegaard +4min 15sec
3) Florian Lipowitz +9min 03sec
4) Oscar Onley +11min 04sec
5) Primoz Roglic +11min 42sec
6) Kevin Vauquelin +13min 20sec
7) Felix Gall +14min 50sec
8) Tobias Johannessen +17min 01sec
9) Ben Healy +17min 52sec
10) Jordan Jegat (Total Energies) +23min 10sec
The heavy crash leading into yesterday’s sprint finish appears not to have claimed any victims yet. The official abandonments page is blank for today so far.
Happy to say that Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty), who looked quite badly hurt, has signed on and is ready to go.
(Given the difficult of today’s stage, mind you, anyone carrying an injury may yet be forced to pack it in later.)
Speaking of subplots – perhaps even full plots – there are some negative vibes around the race, after Pogacar and his team were accused of arrogance by rivals.
Jean‑René Bernaudeau, the Total Energies team manager, said: “They’re arrogant towards those who just want to live simply alongside them. I expect their team manager to make that point to them.”
“Arrogance is something, trying to win the Tour de France is another thing,” Pogacar said in response. “I think a lot riders would see us as arrogant because we want to control every single kilometre of this race. We don’t try to be arrogant, we just try to make our race as easy as possible. I think – this will sound super-arrogant – but some guys can stay quiet.”
For the full story, read Jeremy Whittle’s stage 17 report:
Preamble
Today’s stage doesn’t ask the riders for much, unless you count 5,450m of climbing across three hors catégorie mountains on the 171km route. Perhaps the more significant figure is 14,000: the sum total in metres of vertical ascent in four stages remaining (4,550m tomorrow, 2,990m on Saturday and 1,100m on Sunday, added to 5,450m today).
It will be gruelling, brutal, epic, punishing, attritional – take your pick. It might even be dramatic if Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease A Bike can isolate the race leader, Tadej Pogacar, and take a chunk or two out of his commanding 4min 15sec lead in the general classification. The Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Loze must all be tackled by the peloton today: the sheer length and difficulty of the stage promises another rich self-contained narrative within the context of one of the toughest Tours in history. No doubt, Vingegaard’s team have created a plan for how they might launch attacks on Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates most effectively.
A successful Visma counterattack is not beyond the bounds of possibility but given Pogacar’s flying form, it feels more likely the reigning champion will roll with the punches, yet again, and take another significant step towards glory in Paris.
This being the Tour de France there will be subplots aplenty. The battle to form the breakaway will be fierce, with the 15 teams that remain empty-handed particularly motivated, while the race for the podium and top 10 in GC is very much on. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek, who won yesterday to forge a 72-point lead over Pogacar in the green jersey standings, will merely be aiming to make the time cut, hoping a stage win for the Slovenian doesn’t reignite the points classification race.
It’s going to be emotional. Are you ready? Allez!
Stage start: 11.20 UK time / 12.20 local time
