This week, the Tour de France passed its halfway point, and a paradigm-shifting accident reshapes the final week to come. Read on to catch up on this week’s action, get ready to enjoy the week ahead, and read about a delicious and easy comforting dish.
Stage Recaps
Stage 10: Bastille Day
The peloton climbed nearly 4000 meters across the 166km Bastille day stage. The break was kept close and came together on the first category 1 climb of the day, Puy Mary – an extinct volcano. Richard Carapaz attacked when the group came together and built a small lead over the peloton. While UAE slowed the pacing to try to keep Isaac del Toro in the group, they couldn’t afford to slow down too much. Pogacar attacked in the final category 1 climb, quickly closed the gap to Carapaz and went on to win the stage. Jonas Vingegaard lost more time to Pogacar, and other GC podium contenders as he worked hard to mitigate his losses against Pogacar.
Stage 11: The Fastest Stage Ever
Stage 11 was a mostly flat , 161km stage from Vichy to Nevers. The stage broke the record for the fastest stage ever, averaging a sped of 50.91 km/h. The sprinters’ teams chased a break that was caught in the final 3 km. In the end, Soren Waerenskjold jumped early and won the sprint by a hair, continuing Uno-X Mobility’s success in this year’s Tour.
Stage 12: A Final Bunch Sprint?
Although stage 12 was hillier than previous flat stages, with 3 climbs across the 179 km. However, the sprinters still managed to make it to the end. The lead-in to the sprint finish was marred by a crash in the final stretch towards the finish line that brought down several riders. Tim Merlier, however, evaded the crash and continued his winning streak with his third stage win of the tour.
Stage 13: A Fuga de la Fuga Win
Stage 13 was the longest stage of this year’s tour at 205.8 km long, with 2 categorized climbs in the final 50 km of the stage. A large break of 57! riders formed, and from this large group multiple selections formed across the stage. In the end, Mauro Schmid and Harold Tejada broke away from the break and cooperated towards the finish line. In the final sprint towards the finish-line Tejada jumped first but came up short against Mauro Schmid who took his, and his team Jayco Alula’s, first stage win.
Stage 14: Will Tadej Attack?
Setting the tone for the week ahead, stage 14 marked a shift in the tour, presenting 4 categorized climbs across the 155km stage. The final climb, the Col du Haag, was an 11km climb average a 7 percent gradient. As teams worked through their domestiques, Jonas Vingegaard ended up setting a high pace that led to the attrition of several GC contenders. Everyone was waiting for Tadej to attack, and eventually, later than expected, Pogacar attcked in the final kilometer and furthered his lead in yellow, winning the stage.
Stage 15: The Surprise No One Wanted
Stage 15 had the first “Beyond Category” or HC climb. These are the steepest, longest, and hardest climbs in the Tour. It was going to be a GC fight.
But the news of the day ended up being the abandon of Jonas Vingegaard – Pogacar’s main rival and two-time Tour winner. A crash on road furniture in the descent towards the final climb of the day led to Vingegaard’s crash. He broke his collarbone and immediately abandoned the tour. This is a huge bummer for the Tour, for Vingegaard and his team, and for all of us fans of cycling. It will change the rest of the Tour in ways that remain to be seen.
The rest of the stage offered some insights into how things may play out. Remco Evenepoel had one of the best climbing performances of his career and won the stage against the UAE duo of Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro.
While Pogacar is still poised to win this tour, the fight for the podium is tight. The next 5 riders in the general classification are separated by less than 2 minutes.
The Dish: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
For the Tour’s mosey across central and eastern France I made poule au pot (which is similar to pot au feu, if you are looking for a heartier alternative.) It’s not completely regionally appropriate, but it is a very traditional chicken stew made with veggies (carrots, leeks, turnips). Both of my french cookbooks (Julia Child’s and my French Regional Cooking book) had recipes for this dish. Its history goes back to Henry IV. This is the kind of dish that reminds me why I love writing this blog.
It is a very simple dish, with very little active cooking/prep time( just chopping veggies in half.) All it requires is having some time blocked out to keep an eye on the simmering pot. Yet, it is also incredibly comforting and satisfying to eat.
The final week of the Tour is ahead of us! Be sure to tune into the stages this upcoming weekend and catch my final recap post to relive the action and read about the final dish I’ll prepare for this year’s Tour.
A la prochaine!