Jonas Vingegaard rode Tadej Pogačar's wheel up the entire final climb, never giving Pogačar the belief that an attack would work until the two battled for the finish line. I kept wondering when Pogačar was going to attack, but it never happened. I guess his legs weren't primed for an attack that could have left Vingegaard well behind. Time bonuses meant that Pogačar got four seconds closer to Vingegaard. It was fun watching them power up the final climb!
We had a great prediction for today's stage.
- Stage 17: 3h 25' 51" (actual), 3h 27' 32" (prediction), 01' 41" slow (0.82% error)
Speeds were pretty fast today, especially for the top two GC contenders.
- Stage 17: 10.50 m/s (37.80 kph or 23.49 mph)
Kudos to Pogačar's teammate, Brandon McNulty, who provided the pace for Pogačar on the final climb. McNulty had to replace the work of Rafał Majka, and he was a true yeoman, easily earning most aggressive rider.
Tomorrow's 143.2-km (88.98-mile) mountain stage begins in the Pyrenees town of Lourdes and takes riders west in a counterclockwise loop that ends at the ski resort Hautacam. Cyclists will contend with an hors catégorie climb to the 1709-m (5607-ft) peak of Col d'Aubisque. A category-1 climb will precede the hors catégorie climb to the finish. Our prediction is given below.
- Stage 18: 3h 50' 19" (prediction)
Tomorrow is Pogačar's last big opportunity to grab yellow from Vingegaard. I'm not sure it can happen because Pogačar doesn't have enough firepower left in his team to help him with attacks. Our prediction is a fast one. I hope Pogačar goes all out to overtake Vingegaard!
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