A quiet day for the general classification men in the Vosges.
Contrary to popular belief, Ballon d’Alsace isn’t the first ever climb that the race tackled, but it’s the first big one that featured on the course of the Grande Boucle. It happened in 1905, when France’s René Pottier was the first to go over the top of what at the time was a long and arduous unsurfaced ascent which ended up playing a big role in the outcome of the 299km stage to Besançon.
This year, Ballon d’Alsace was visited for the 22nd time in the Tour de France’s history, and it proved to be a stern test for the breakaway riders, who had to overcome this 8.9km ascent averaging 6.9% in their quest for glory in Belfort. Eventually, the large leading group was reduced to just a dozen or so men, from which Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) took the win.
The peloton, where Ilan Van Wilder got to spend a quiet day, arrived at the finish more than seven minutes later, and the 26-year-old Belgian remained Soudal Quick-Step’s best placed rider on the general classification ahead of Saturday’s draining stage to Le Markstein.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
