(Courchevel) Jonas Vingegaard definitely stunned the Tour de France during the queen stage won by Austrian Félix Gall on Wednesday in Courchevel where Tadej Pogacar suffered a terrible failure in the Col de la Loze.
The Dane, fourth in the stage, now has a dizzying lead of 7 minutes and 35 seconds in the general classification over his competitor, still second.
Unrecognizable, Pogacar gave in 7.8 km from the summit when we had not even reached the most severe slopes.
The Slovenian conceded almost six minutes to his Danish rival on the finish line set up at the Courchevel altiport, which he crossed looking totally defeated.
PHOTO THIBAULT CAMUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tadej Pogacar
“I gave up, I died,” said the winner of the 2020 and 2021 editions during his way of the cross in Loze earlier, during a radio conversation with his sports directors.
Barring an accident, Vingegaard, 26, thus takes a definitive option to win his second Tour de France in a row.
Félix Gall won the greatest success of his career, only the second after his stage victory in the Tour de Suisse in June where he made a very strong impression.
PHOTO STEPHANE MAHE, REUTERS
Felix Gall
Arrived on the Tour in a role of teammate, the 25-year-old Austrian was propelled leader of the AG2R-Citroën team along the way in place of Ben O’Connor, too fair.
After having accompanied him in the breakaway of the day on Wednesday, he put himself at the service of Gall, whom he ideally launched into the vertiginous ramps of the Loze, the roof of this 110e editing.
THE top 10 of the 17e stage
- 1. Félix Gall (AUT/ACT) the 165.7 km in 4 h 49:08 (average: 34.4 km/h)
- 2. Simon Yates (GBR/JAY) at 34s
- 3. Pello Bilbao (ESP/TBV) at 1:38
- 4. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/TJV) at 1:52
- 5. David Gaudu (FRA / GFC) at 2:09
- 6. Tobias Johannessen (NOR/UXT) at 2:39
- 7. Chris Harper (AUS/JAY) at 2:50
- 8. Rafal Majka (POL / UAD) at 3:43
- 9. Adam Yates (GBR/UAD) at 3:43
- 10. Wilco Kelderman (NED/TJV) at 3:49
- 43. Hugo Houle (CAN/IPT) at 25:16
- 100. Michael Woods (CAN/IPT) at 36:33
- 117. Guillaume Boivin (CAN/IPT) at 37:31
The general classification after the 17e stage
- 1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/TJV) 67:57:51
- 2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO / UAD) at 7:35
- 3. Adam Yates (GBR/UAD) at 10:45
- 4. Carlos Rodríguez (ESP / IGD) at 12:01
- 5. Simon Yates (GBR/JAY) at 12:19
- 6. Pello Bilbao (ESP/TBV) at 12:50
- 7. Jai Hindley (AUS/BOH) at 1:50 p.m.
- 8. Felix Gall (AUT/ACT) at 4:11 p.m.
- 9. Sepp Kuss (USA/TJV) at 4:49 PM
- 10. David Gaudu (FRA / GFC) at 17:57
- 41. Michael Woods (CAN/IPT) at 2:30:12
- 48. Hugo Houle (CAN/IPT) at 2:41:34 a.m.
- 122. Guillaume Boivin (CAN/IPT) at 4:39:32 a.m.
