A quiet day for the bunch before the Alps.
Barcelonnette, a small town lying in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, returned at the Tour de France after almost half a century, this time as a finish for stage 18, which started from Gap and took in five classified climbs. It was another route perfect for a breakaway, and when a massive 36-man group took off it soon became clear they would fight for the win.
The action at the front began with 40 kilometers to go, as several riders tried to go clear on the up-and-down roads that were perfect for these kinds of moves. With the peloton more than 12 minutes behind, the escapees had plenty of time for a cat-and-mouse game that eventually led to three riders going clear, and from that small group, Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) took the victory.
Remco Evenepoel and Mikel Landa – together with their Soudal Quick-Step teammates – arrived home together with the bunch, and the Belgian took again to the podium to receive his 17th white jersey. Remco will sport it on Friday’s leg-sapping stage to Isola 2000, which will include a trip up the Cime de la Bonette, the third-highest paved road in Europe, at 2802 meters.
“The start was a bit intense, but overall, it was a pretty easy stage. We still had to remain focused because there were some tricky descents and the rough roads. We stayed out of trouble and can be content with our day. Now we’ll see what we can do on Friday, where the gradients won’t be as difficult as in the Pyrenees, but the altitude could lead to somefireworks”, said Evenepoel after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
