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Wednesday, July 20, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
The most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking. - Martin Heidegger
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 1 - July 24: Tour de France
Upcoming racing:
- July 2 - 6:
Tour of AustriaCancelled - July 23 - 27: Tour de Wallonie
Latest completed racing:
- Late June: National Championships week
- June 22:
Halle IngooigemCancelled - June 12 - 19: Tour de Suisse
- June 15 - 19: Tour of Belgium
- June 16 - 19: La Route d'Occitanie
- June 5 - 12: Critérium du Dauphiné
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Hugo Houle's Team Israel-Premier Tech:
When asked how he would describe his win on stage 16 of the Tour de France, Hugo Houle simply responded with “unbelievable.”
The Canadian crossed the line with his arm raised in the air pointing to the sky, dedicating the win to Pierrik, his brother who was killed by a drunk driver ten years ago. Houle has chased this victory for ten years.
Hugo Houle wins the stage, pointing to the sky.
“I could not believe it when I crossed the line. I was just so happy. It was what I have been dreaming of for the past ten years. This one is for my brother,” said Houle.
A third place on stage 13 was already an indication of Houle’s strength at this year’s Tour de France and as the workhorse he is, having spent his career working for his teammates, Houle made it into today’s large breakaway with the objective of riding for teammate Mike Woods.
After dropping on the Port de Lers, Houle chased back to the front of the race with 40 kilometers to go before attacking from the reduced group at the foot of the final climb, the Mur de Péguère.
“When I attacked it was basically to set the table for Mike Woods and when I saw that they let me go, Mike made a gap, I just went all in. I went full gas. You never know how it will turn out in the breakaway. Sometimes you need some luck. I mean I was strong and everything went smoothly. I said ‘Ok I am really tired but if I go up the road then it’s easier for Mike’. Nobody wanted to commit and the gap was 40 seconds, then 30 seconds. And then it was just a time trial to the end, all or nothing.”
Houle was facing the time trial of his life while behind, it was just Matteo Jorgenson who was left to chase but the American had Woods for company giving IPT the advantage.
“I was hanging on but I was suffering so much on the steep climb,” explained Houle. “But I knew that if I got to the top with 30 or 40 seconds, maybe I could do it. It was tight, it was a long time at 30 seconds but I never gave up. I gained some more time in the technical section and when they told me the gap was one minute, I knew I was going to do it.”
For Houle, this is more than just the biggest win of his career. It’s a dream come true.
“I had one dream: win a stage for my brother who died when I turned professional. Today I won it for him. I worked hard for ten years and today I got the win for him. It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. I’m just so happy.”
With Woods crossing the line in third place to round out the podium and the last Canadian to win a stage at the Tour (in 1988), Steve Bauer, behind Houle in the race car, it was a brilliant day for Canadian cycling and IPT, said IPT Partner Sylvan Adams
“I am so proud of Hugo, Mike, and the entire team. What an outstanding victory for Hugo. He’s a hard worker for his teammates, but has shown what a special rider he truly is at this Tour. He almost won a few days ago, so he made sure to win today with his courageous ride. This is the first Canadian Tour win since Steve Bauer, who was guiding Hugo in the car. I love our team,” added Adams.
Houle’s win gives IPT its second victory of the Tour de France after Simon Clarke’s emphatic win on stage 5.
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Here's the report from Wout van Aert's and Jonas Vingegaard's Team Jumbo-Visma:
Jonas Vingegaard has defended his leading position in the general classification of the Tour de France. In the sixteenth stage to Foix, the Dane of Team Jumbo-Visma countered several attacks by Tadej Pogacar.
A group of 29 riders, including Wout van Aert and Nathan Van Hooydonck, broke away from the peloton early in the race. Van Aert picked up seventeen points for the green jersey at the intermediate sprint and extended his lead in the points classification.
In the peloton, Pogacar attempted several times to break Vingegaard. On the Port de Lers, the white jersey wearer tried to surprise his rival three times, but the GC leader did not budge. On the day's final climb, a strong Sepp Kuss ensured Pogacar had no chance to attack, especially as Van Aert and Van Hooydonck had now joined the duo in the yellow and white jersey.
Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard finish stage 16. Sirotti pnoto
"I felt excellent today. Tadej tried several times on the penultimate climb, but luckily I was able to follow him", Vingegaard said. "Our plan was to have someone in the breakaway, so I would have an extra helper on the final descent. With Wout dropping back, we hoped Tadej would think there was no point in attacking. The plan worked out perfectly."
Sports director Grischa Niermann was also satisfied after the first Pyrenees stage. "We did well today. We wanted to be in the breakaway to have someone waiting at the top of the final climb. In the end, we had two riders in the breakaway, which worked out well. That allowed us to have someone wait on both climbs."
According to Niermann, Van Aert sacrificed his own chances by waiting for Vingegaard at the top of the Mur de Péguère. "In hindsight, that might not have been necessary, but you never know how things will pan out. It just gives a lot of confidence and peace of mind when someone like Wout is waiting. We didn't gain any time on Pogacar, but we showed that we can control the race with six men. Chapeau to all men."
Van Aert: "We knew it would be crucial to have someone in the breakaway. The final climb was so steep that Jonas might get isolated. Then it's a long way to the finish. This way, we avoided that problem", Van Aert said. "I think I would have had a chance to win the stage, but it would have been unfortunate if something had happened to Jonas while I was in front. We applied the best tactic."
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Here's the stage 16 report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
The Tour de France entered the Pyrenees on Tuesday, and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team was active at all levels in this stage 16. Within the day’s breakaway, Olivier Le Gac, Valentin Madouas and Michael Storer played their cards in the fight for the stage win. In the final, the French puncher and the Australian climber put on a nice fight but could not catch the leading man, Hugo Houle. Valentin Madouas then settled for second place and Michael Storer for fifth.
As for the GC battle, David Gaudu held on tight despite a few seconds lost in the Mur de Péguère. The young climber could finish with the yellow jersey and therefore climbed three spots overall! He now sits in fifth place as two big mountainous stages loom.
Michael Storer finishes fifth. Sirotti photo
As an appetizer, in the aftermath of the last rest day, the Tour de France was tackling the first climbs of the Pyrenees. On Tuesday, it included the Port de Lers (12 km at 7%) and the Mur de Péguère (9.4 km at 7.5% including 3km at 11%). The finish was located in Foix after a long downhill.
178 kilometres before, the battle for the breakaway proved less tough than the last days, and a group of nearly 30 riders managed to go after only a few minutes. Attentive and in good position from kilometre 0, Olivier Le Gac, Valentin Madouas and Michael Storer all entered the right move. “It was planned to be in the front, but not necessarily to have three guys”, said Valentin. “We followed the moves, we were aggressive, and that’s the state of mind we need to show for the end of the Tour”. “It was not necessarily planned to have Michael in front, but once the break was gone, we thought it could be useful to have more cards to go for the stage win”, added Philippe Mauduit.
At the head of the race, the Groupama-FDJ riders however found themselves with serious rivals, like Aleksandr Vlasov, Michael Woods, Damiano Caruso, Brandon McNulty, Neilson Powless or even… Wout Van Aert. Despite the threat of the Russian rider, the peloton let this large group take a big lead of about eight minutes. This was still more or less the gap after 115 kilometres, when tackling the Port of Lers.
Olivier Le Gac first took a step ahead with Damiano Caruso, before Michael Storer jumped across to take the place of his Breton teammate at the head of the race. At the top, the Australian climber was with six other riders while Valentin Madouas managed to come back in the descent leading to the Mur de Péguère. “The days after a rest day are never easy to handle, and with the heat, I completely exploded on the first climb”, explained Valentin. “I needed to cool off and catch my breath.”
Just after coming across the front group, which was made up of around ten men, Valentin Madouas also took a step ahead in the foothills of the last climb. However, Hugo Houle had already attacked a few moments before. On the first slopes, Valentin Madouas was joined by Michael Storer, Michael Woods and Matteo Jorgenson and therefore did most of the work for his colleague. “In the final, the legs kind of came back and we tried to anticipate to go for victory with Michael”, said Valentin. “I kept my own pace, trying to get back to Hugo Houle”. In the hardest slopes, the man from Brittany however lost contact, so did Michael Storer one kilometre from the top, while the leading man managed to keep his lead.
Shortly after the top, seventeen kilometres from the finish, the two men from Groupama-FDJ then found themselves in a third echelon. “I didn’t blow on the climb, I was able to give another push towards the top,” said Valentin. “I was hoping we would come back in the downhill. We didn’t take any risks with Michael, but we rode very fast together. We both did a great race, but a little something was missing”.
Although Valentin Madouas was able to come back to the first chasers in the very last kilometre, Hugo Houle was never seen again and took the win. After a last sprint to the line, the Frenchman therefore had to settle for second place on the day, while Michael Storer took fifth following a great work in the chase. “It’s obviously a decent performance but being second in the Tour de France is never a satisfaction”, said Valentin. “We definitely want the win. I am disappointed for sure because I think it was possible to get the win, but we came against a stronger man on this climb. He anticipated at the right time, and we did not have the legs to get across”. “You have to be bold to win on the Tour, and that’s perhaps also what we lacked today”, added Philippe Mauduit. “But we still have a few opportunities left”.
About five minutes after his long-time friend from Brittany, David Gaudu crossed the line alongside the yellow jersey. In the right move when Tadej Pogacar opened up the race in Port de Lers, the Groupama-FDJ leader struggled a bit more in the Mur de Péguère, but he never cracked. “He was never really in trouble, and when he was a bit distanced, he was always with top guys”, recalled Philippe Mauduit. “He was first with Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas, then with Geraint Thomas only, and he crossed the top of Péguère only ten seconds behind. He knew the descent well and knew that he had to bridge across in the most technical part. This is what he managed to do, as he already did in this same stage a few years ago. He didn’t lose his nerves.”
“I was at my limits in Péguère”, added David. “I was worried when I saw that the green jersey was leading the group when I started to come back in the downhill, but I managed to join them. I didn’t have great legs today, but I went through it ok, so hopefully that was a good restart for the next two days. I hope the best is coming.”
At the end, David Gaudu could be very satisfied with the day’s outcome as he personally moved up to fifth place overall. “It’s obviously a pity to come so close to victory, but we still have some great days ahead of us,” said David. “But today, I gained places overall, we again fought for the win, and the whole team is going well. It’s a pleasure to be on this Tour de France”. On Tuesday, the collective strength of Groupama-FDJ was also verified since they moved up to second place in the team classification.
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And here's the report from Aleksandr Vlasov's Team Bora-hansgrohe:
Due to a persistent cold that started a few days ago and didn’t improve by yesterday’s rest day, Lennard Kämna unfortunately couldn't take the start today anymore.
Already the first attack today was the right move, and 29 riders went clear from the bunch. BORA – hansgrohe had with Aleks Vlasov and Felix Grossschartner two riders in this break. While Felix was committed to work especially in the first flat part, Aleks focused on the final two climbs. With around eight minutes the group entered the penultimate KOM and already after the first kilometer several riders had been dropped including Felix.
Unfortunately, also today Aleks didn’t have his best day and he found himself in the second chasing group on the last climb of the day. Still he gained more than five minutes to the other GC favorites after fighting hard until the end and moved into 8th place of the general classification.
Aleksandr Vlasov (left) & Dylan Teuns finish the stage. Sirotti photo
“It was another hard day. I made it into the group today which was our goal before the start. I didn’t feel too bad in the beginning, but I also had to spend some energy early to keep the group going. Felix did a great job to support me, and we have been in a perfect position before the last two climbs. But again, I didn’t have my normal climbing legs today. I felt a bit better, but I am not at 100%. I suffered a lot and just was able to go on my own rhythm. Still, I gained some time today in GC and we have to see how the last two days in the mountains will play out. I think it will be hard for breakaways and I have to see how I can recover.” – Aleksandr Vlasov
“Again, our team showed great spirit and all of them have been committed to our plan. We wanted to take some risk today and ride offensive with Aleks. How we present ourselves here, being present in almost every break, we really can be proud of. Unfortunately, Felix had a crash in one of the early downhills, still he did a great job in pulling in the flat part of the stage. Everybody can see that Aleks is not at his normal level, but he tries absolutely everything. It wasn’t enough for the stage win we hoped for, but he gained some time back in GC. Theoretically he is now back within reach of a top five, but of course we have to see how he can recover for the next two mountain stages.” – Rolf Aldag, Sports Director
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