Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) raced in his first Tour de France last summer, scoring an impressive runner-up finish behind Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). But this year, Vingegaard stood on the top step on the final podium in Paris as the newly coronated Tour de France champion who prevented Pogacar from winning a third-straight yellow jersey.

The 2022 Tour de France had the Grand Depart in Copenhagen with the first three stages set in Denmark. It’s only fitting then that a Danish rider would be the one to secure the prestigious “maillot juene.”

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 79:33:20
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:43
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +7:22
4. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +13:39
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) +15:46

Slovenia’s Pogacar — who won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021 — finished in second place this year. He was the betting favorite, but he lost the lead in the Alps and never recovered.

Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion, secured a podium finish in third place for Ineos Grenadiers.

💛🇩�?Jonas Vingegaard wins the #TDF2022!

💛🇩�?Jonas Vingegaard remporte le #TDF2022 ! pic.twitter.com/QTd4ipsxNH

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 24, 2022

Jumbo-Visma’s domination

Jumbo-Visma entered the 2022 Tour de France on a mission to win the yellow jersey. In 2020, Primoz Roglic blew the first-place lead against Pogacar on the penultimate stage during an individual time trial. It was a devastating loss, and both Roglic and Jumbo-Visma sought revenge last summer. However, two gnarly crashes in the first week of the 2021 tour prematurely ended Roglic’s shot at redemption. Vingegaard stepped up as Jumbo-Visma’s primary GC contender and the rookie put on a sensational performance with a second-place finish.

Heading into 2022, Jumbo-Visma had two potential GC contenders with Roglic and Vingegaard. However, an unfortunate Roglic crashed on the dreaded cobblestones in Stage 5, forcing him to drop out due to injuries. Once again, Vingegaard took over as Jumbo-Visma’s main rider.

Teammate Wout van Aet won Stage 4 after a trio of second-place finishes in the first three stages. Van Aert held on to the yellow jersey for four stages before Pogacar seized it with a victory in Stage 6. Pogacar only defended the yellow jersey through Stage 10 before Vingegaard seized it in the Alps. Pogacar cracked on Col du Granon and Vingegaard won his first-ever stage, snagging the yellow jersey in Stage 11. Vingegaard successfully defended it for the final 10 stages.

Everyone anticipated Pogacar would make a move in the Pyrenees to regain the lead and the yellow jersey, but the big attack never happened. Jumbo-Visma was a superior team compared to UAE Team Emirates, and Vingegaard never let Pogacar make any significant gains on his lead. Pogacar crashed in Stage 18 and then cracked on the final ascent at Hautacam, which sealed his fate.

2022 Tour de France Stage Results

Wout van Aert won three stages this year and locked up the green jersey as the top sprinter in the peloton. Pogacar also added three stage wins for the most this year.

It took 19 stages before a Frenchman won a stage on the 2022 tour when Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) won a sprint at Cahors.

Jumbo-Visma led all teams with six stage wins from three different riders.

Hugo Houle won the first stage for Canada in 34 years, which he dedicated his brother who passed away a decade earlier in a hit-and-run accident on his bike.

Check out all of OG’s 2022 Tour de France coverage.

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The next-to-last stage featured a 40.7 km individual time trial starting in Castelnau-Magnoac and ending in the medieval town of Cahors. It was the second of two ITTs this year, and the longest time trial in eight years.

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) finished second in the time trial and got one more stage closer to an official victory in Paris on Sunday. Vingegaard â€�?who had been in the yellow jersey since Stage 11 â€�?had one goal in Stage 20: stay in the saddle and avoid a crash. He had a close shave, but didn’t back down with a second-place finish.

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 47:59
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:19
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:27

Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) took third in the time trial, but finished 27 seconds behind van Aert and eight seconds behind Vingegaard.

With a victory in Stage 20, van Aert won three total stages this year including a bunch sprint in Stage 4 at Calais and a solo victory in Stage 8.

An incredible day for @JumboVismaRoad and an emotional one for �?@woutvanaert

Une journée incroyable pour la @JumboVismaRoad et beaucoup d'émotions pour �?@WoutvanAert !#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/1x7TUywjq8

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 23, 2022

Stage 20: Castelnau-Magnoac > Cahors

With the Tour de France essentially determined, Stage 20 gave teams that were shut out a chance to win their first stage of Le Tour. Filippo Ganna (Ineos) is the world champion time trial specialist and he was one of the betting favorites to win Stage 20, but no one could match another insane effort from van Aert. He saved a little extra juice for the final two climbs and navigate the ITT course in 47:59.

“It was a really fast time trial, but you had to keep something left for the final 6 km with two hard climbs,” said van Aert. “Based my effort really well, I could accelerate in the final. And technically I didn’t make any mistakes, and it was a special setting coming to the top of this pretty village.”

Vingegaard was actually two seconds ahead of van Aert, but he eased off the pedals after he nearly bit it on the descent of Cote de Mages.

Van Aert was at the finish line in Rocamadour waiting for his teammate in yellow. The video feed caught van Aert fighting back tears as he returned to Jumbo-Visma’s team bus.

“I’m emotional,” said van Aert. Going into this Tour de France with this team is really special. Today was like a dream scenario. Jonas is such a strong guy, but especially such a good guy. I want to thank all my teammates and the whole team for this special three weeks. It’s unbelievable.”

The Tour de France jury had an unanimous vote and awarded van Aert with the “super-combatif” award for most combative ride at Le Tour. He won a special jersey and â‚�?0,000 in cash.

Preview Stage 21: Paris Finale

The final stage heading into Paris is a festive affair and celebration. Fans will line up at the crack of dawn to catch a perfect viewing spot of the peloton barreling down the iconic Champs-Elysees. Stage 21 is a mellow 115.6 km ride through the streets of Paris with the finish line at the Champs-Elysees.

This is considered a flat stage and it’s the last chance for sprinters to secure a stage victory. For teams without a win, they’ll be eager to stage hunt. Even though van Aert won three stages, he’s a stone-cold cannibal and will attempt a fourth stage win and back-to-back victories.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the consensus betting favorites at +200 odds, along with Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) at+380, and van Aert not far behind at +400.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 76:33:57
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:34
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +8:13
4. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +13:56
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) +16:37

There was no change in the top four in the GC standings and Vingegaard will win his first-ever Tour de France while preventing Pogacar for winning three in a row. 2018 champion Geraint Thomas will finish Le Tour with a third-place finish on the third step on the final podium to cap off an impressive three weeks of racing.

Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) moved into the Top 5 in the GC with a strong performance in Stage 20, and Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) slipped to sixth overall.

Check out our coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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Jumbo-Visma continued their domination at the 2022 Tour de France after locking up the yellow jersey yesterday in Stage 18 thanks to Jonas Vingeaard. Instead of Wout van Aert winning at Cahors, it was his Jumbo-Visma teammate from France who rode to stunning victory.

Laporte became the third member of Jumbo-Visma — along with Vingegaard and van Aert — to secure a stage victory this summer.

1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) 3:52:04
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:01
3. Alberto Dainese (DSM) +0:01

“I still can’t believe I’ve won,” said Laporte. “The team really trusted me today and Wout told me that today was for me after we had a great Tour. Our first goal was to make sure Vingegaard was safe with three kilometers to go.”

�?A magnificent @LAPORTEChristop move surprised the sprinters!

🍿 Here is the last KM!

�?@LAPORTEChristop fait un numéro et surprend les sprinteurs !

🍿 Revivez le palpitant dernier KM !#TDF2022 | @continental_fr pic.twitter.com/ZCCvTycMbW

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 22, 2022

Stage 19: Castelnau-Magnoac > Cahors

After several brutal stages in the Pyrenees, the weary peloton was challenged with a 188.3 km route from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors. Le Tour this year was not very generous for sprinters, with Stage 19 as the perfect example, which is listed as a flat stage but instead of a bunch sprint, Laporte secured a solo victory. Even though there were heady crosswinds, the heat wave made it another unpleasant ride.

Jasper Stuyven (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) attempted a breakaway but had a very slim ten second lead with 10 km to the finish. With less than one kilometer to go, the peloton and was close to absorbing Stuyven and Wright. The sprint teams were jockeying for position at the front of the peloton, but Laporte saw an opening and launched a counter attack.

Laporte quickly caught Wright and Stuyven, and used them to help lead him out. With 500 meters to the finish line, Laporte dropped the hammer and went full gas to the finish line. Not even the top sprinters in the world could catch the Frenchman.

“Just before entering the last kilometer, I saw that there was a gap and I made the jump to the front group,” added Laporte. “I can’t believe I could finish it off. The fact that it is also the first French victory makes it extra beautiful. I’m very happy, also for my family and the French public, who I hope are happy too.”

Laporte held off Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who finished in second place. Philipsen won a bunch sprint in Stage 15, and the Belgian rider was seeking another sprint victory.

Preview Stage 20: Individual Time Trial

The final individual time trial is set for Stage 20. Everyone in the peloton is tired, but it’s the penultimate stage before the final stage in Paris on Sunday. The individual time trial is a 40 km route from Lacapelle-Marival to the medieval town of Rocamadour. Rocamadour has never hosted the Tour de France before, so cycling fans will catch a glimpse of the historic town nestled into a rocky hillside.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) is the betting favorite at -120 odds to win Stage 20, which would mark a third stage victory this year. Filippo Ganna (Ineos) is a time-trial specialist and he’s +275 odds as the second favorite on the board.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 75:45:39
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:26
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +8:00
4. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +11:05
5. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) +13:35

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) sits in second place in the overall GC standings. He’s +700 odds to win this meaningless stage because it’s nearly impossible to make up over three minutes on Jonas Vingegaard in first place. The defending champion is a time trial beast and he’s ultra competitive, so he might want to secure a third stage victory before Paris.

Jumbo-Visma will want Vingegaard to take it easy and not force the action and risk a crash, but he’s +700 odds to win a third stage since securing the yellow jersey in Stage 11.

Check out more of OG’s coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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After his Stage 18 victory at Hautacam, Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) now leads Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) by 3:26.  A jubilant Wout van Aert celebrated as he crossed the finish line in third place. He was pumped for his Jumbo-Visma teammate, Vingegaard, who just needs to avoid a serious crash in the final three stages to win his first Tour de France.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 3:59:50
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +1:05
3. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) +2:10

Van Aert went full gas from the start of Stage 18, and the fearless Belgian enticed a breakaway group of about 27 riders. The lead group was decimated and cut in half on the HC category ascent of Col d’Aubisque. Thibout Pinot was among the dozen survivors in the initial breakaway. He was trying to become the first French rider to win a stage on Le Tour, but he’d crack on the final ascent of Hautacam, finishing 10th overall.

Stage 18: Vingegaard’s near-crash, Pogacar’s crash

Stage 18 included a pair of beyond-categorized ascents, including a steep climb to the summit of Hautacam. However, it was the descent of Col de Spandelles that ultimately determined the entire fate of the Tour de France. Race organizers have never used the Col de Spandelles before because it was too difficult and somewhat dangerous. They repaved segments of the descent, but the poor condition ended up determining the outcome of the stage, and the entire race.

With Vingegaard on his wheel, Pogacar forced the action on the windy descent in hopes that Vingegaard would make an error or outright crash. It nearly happened with 31 km to go on a sharp turn, Vingegaard caught a single pebble of loose gravel and nearly ate asphalt. The Dane �?with his patented stone-cold poker face the entire race �?never panicked, and it was a near miracle he stayed on his bike with a magnificent acrobatic balancing act. Vingegaard avoided a crash that could have cost him the yellow jersey.

😱 What a scare for Jonas Vingegaard !

😱 Quelle frayeur pour Jonas Vingegaard !#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/2dA1Seb00k

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 21, 2022

The loose gravel on the twisty turns was an embarrassment to organizers. The road was the worst maintained descent on the Tour de France route this year. It cost Pogacar a chance to win the stage and trim his deficit. Less than two kilometers after Vingegaard’s close shave, Pogacar went wide and loose gravel ended his pursuit of a three-peat. Pogacar skidded into the grass and suffered a crash with 28.7 km to go. He quickly hopped back into the saddle, but TV cameras captured the huge rip in his bike shorts with a visible road rash on his left lower butt cheek.

“I was quick back on the bike with a few bruises, but a hit on my ass,” said Pogacar.

Vingeggard offered a surprising, yet admirable bit of sportsmanship: he didn’t push the action and waited for Pogacar to catch up after his crash. At that point, they were still behind the lead group and van Aert by 1:27.

😱 @TamauPogi crashed! But Jonas Vingegaard waits for him.

😱 @TamauPogi est tombé ! Mais Jonas Vingegaard l'attend.#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/bmGV0358cx

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 21, 2022

Liggett declares Pogacar dunzo

Van Aert made a move with 9 km to go, and only Dani Martinez stayed on his wheel. They both dropped fan favorite Pinot.

American Sepp Kuss was in the initial breakaway and a part of the front group with van Aert, but the Jumbo-Visma domestique slowed down to help pull for his teammate Vingegaard. They were 25 seconds behind van Aert with less than 6 km to the finish line, but they easily wiped out that deficit over the next kilometer.

The trio of Kuss, Vingegaard, and Pogacar caught and then dropped Martinez. They chased down van Aert with 5.2 km to go. A gassed Kuss begged off, and van Aert took over for his teammate, pulling for Vingegaard for the final 5 km. Even though Jumbo-Visma was shorthanded heading into the Pyrenees, Vingegaard was damn lucky to have two teammates at the front of the race to help him on the final ascent of Hautacam. Pogacar, by contrast, didn’t have any UAE Team Emirates teammates anywhere in sight to offer assistance or water.

With 4.5 km to go to the summit, van Aert and Vingegaard attacked, but Pogacar cracked and didn’t pursue. Both van Aert and Vingegaard looked over their shoulders multiple times in disbelief after dropping the defending champ.

“The Tour de France might be over,” declared announcer Phil Liggett.

Liggett, the legendary British sportscaster, covered the Tour de France for the last 50 years. When Liggett says it’s over �?it’s over.

With 3.6 km to go, van Aert backed off and let Vingegaard attack solo. Vingegaard gapped Pogacar by 30 seconds and won by over a minute.

“After the crash, I lost a bit of motivation on the final climb, but still pushed my limits,” said Pogacar. “Today, the best man won.”

“It was a masterpiece, the whole team was strong today with two guys in the break,” said Vingegaard. “Wout was incredible. Sepp was incredible. I have to thank my team today. This victory today is not possible without them.”

😱 @TamauPogi can't follow @WoutvanAert and Jonas Vingegaard!

😱 @TamauPogi ne peut pas suivre le tempo imposé par @WoutvanAert
et Jonas Vingegaard !#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/iQRANQaBRc

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 21, 2022

Preview Stage 19: Castelnau-Magnoac > Cahors

With a flat stage on deck, expect sprinters — if they have any legs left — to have a bunch sprint finish after a somewhat long 188.3 km ride from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors. There are two baby Category 4 climbs in the middle of Stage 19, so expect the teams that have yet to win a stage to do everything possible to control the race and put their sprinters in an optimal position to win.

Expect previous sprint winners — van Aert, Jasper Philipsen, Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen — to be installed as the betting favorites in Stage 19, with each sprinter attempting to win another stage. Van Aert has already locked up the green jersey for the best sprinter in the peloton, but is seeking a third stage victory this year.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 71:53:34
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:26
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +8:00
4. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +11:05
5. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) +13:35

Pogacar is unable to make up his 3:26 deficit. He planned to trim the lead to around 20 seconds before heading into the time trial on Saturday for a shot at regaining the yellow jersey. However, it’s impossible to make up three minutes without any more mountain stages.

“The Tour is more or less decided,” admitted Pogacar. “I congratulated Jonas on today and on the Tour. I think he’s won it.”

Vingegaard is now -5000 odds to win the Tour de France, while Pogacar is +1800 odds. At this point, if you’re betting on Pogacar, you don’t understand how cycling betting works or you’re hoping that Vingegaard tests positive for COVID and has to drop out of the race. Rest assured, Jumbo-Visma will keep him in a bubble through Paris to make sure he takes the top step on the final podium on Sunday.

Check out more coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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Vingegaard defended his yellow jersey, and still holds a 2:18 lead over Pogacar despite the time bonus awarded to the Stage 17 winner. Everyone expected fireworks in the stage, but Pogacar could not shake Vingegaard.

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 3:25:21
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:00
3. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) +0:32

Pogacar began the day with a bit of bad news because UAE Team Emirates lost another rider when Rafa Majka dropped out of Le Tour due to injuries. They’re down to four, which is troubling because they were unable to take advantage of Jumbo-Visma losing two strong climbers on Sunday in Stage 15.

The last time a winning team finished with only four in the saddle in Paris was during the 1989 Tour de France when Greg LeMond won the yellow jersey for AD Renting–W-Cup–Bottecchia.

🥵 A summit battle between �?and �?saw Slovenian 🇸�?@TamauPogi come out on top!

🍿 Watch the final KM!

🥵 Un duel au sommet pour la victoire d'étape entre le maillot blanc et le Maillot Jaune qui tourne à l'avantage de 🇸�?@TamauPogi !

🍿Revivez le dernier KM !#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/uvrqP87SIY

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 20, 2022

Stage 17:  Saint-Gaudens > Peyragudes

Brandon McNulty, an American teammate of Pogacar on UAE Team Emirates, had a sensational performance as a super domestique in Stage 17. McNulty helped the pack chase down the breakaway before dropping the other GC contenders with a torrid pace on the ascent on the penultimate climb at Val Louron. McNulty dropped everyone on the mountain except for Pogacar and Vingegaard.

“Brandon did an amazing job, he was so good today,” said Pogacar. “He’s been good all Tour, but a special mention goes to him.”

As soon as the leading trio reached the summit of Val Louron, Pogacar attacked with 20 km to go. He looked to gain separation from Vingegaard on the downhill. However, Vingegaard stayed on his wheel.

“Pogacar came with some good attacks today,” said Vingegaard. “I had to be ready and had to fight. I’m happy I could stay with him. He’s explosive on the uphill, but I’m satisfied with how it went.”

Once they reached the airport perimeter, the road took on an insane 16% gradient. Vingegaard attacked in the final kilometer, but Pogacar stayed with him. Vingegaard surged ahead on the uphill runway, but he ran out of gas when Pogacar accelerated and he couldn’t counter. Pogacar won Stage 17, yet only shaved off four seconds.

“Tomorrow is a harder day, and we can try again tomorrow,” said Pogacar.

On the final ascent, everyone wondered when Pogacar would make his move, but it never happened. Legendary broadcaster Phil Liggett was baffled after Pogacar failed to launch a devastating attack in the Pyrenees. After 17 stages, Pogacar lacked the legs to make a big move, and he’ll have to try again tomorrow.

Preview Stage 18: Lourdes > Hautacam

It’s do or die for Pogacar at Hautacam in the Pyrenees. Stage 18  from Lourdes to Hautacam is his last chance to cut significant time off his deficit before the individual time trial on Saturday in Stage 20. At the same time, if Vingegaard can stick with Pogacar and minimize any damage, he’ll put himself in an excellent position to win the 2022 Tour de France and deny Pogacar a three-peat.

This year’s tour will be won or lost during two punishing and challenging HC (beyond categorized) ascents at Col d’Aubisque and Hautacam. There’s also a grueling Category 1 climb to the summit of Col de Spandelles sandwiched between the HC ascents.

Pogacar is the betting favorite at +240 odds in Stage 18, with Vingegaard not far behind him at +275. Pogacar has now won 37% of all mountain stages on Le Tour over the last three years.

“We will see tomorrow if he has any weaknesses,” said Pogacar.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 67:53:54
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:18
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +4:56
4. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) +7:53
5. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +7:57

There was no change in the top five in the overall GC standings, but Vingegaard and Pogacar gained two-plus minutes on their closest competitors. Geraint Thomas finished in fourth place in Stage 17, but lost over two minutes. Thomas is 4:56 back in third place. At this juncture, Thomas and Ineos will focus on making sure he maintains his lock on third place.

Vingegaard is now -700 odds to win the Tour de France, so it’s his to lose. The bookies lost faith in Pogacar after a lackluster Stage 17, and he’s now +500 odds to pull off a three-peat.

Check out OG’s coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Foix â€�?considered “hilly” as a prelude to the Pyrenees â€�?is a technical 178.5 km route with a pair of Category 1 climbs with the Port de Lers and Mur de Peguere.

Houle attacked with 27 km to go and held off the chase pack to finish 70 seconds ahead of teammate Michael Woods and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) to secure his first-ever stage victory in any major event on the Grand Tour. American Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) was a part of the chase group, but crashed on the descent. Even so, he still finished in fourth place.

1. Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) 4:23:47
2. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) +1:10
3. Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) +1:10

Houle dedicated the Tour de France stage win to his brother Perrick, who died in a tragic accident over a decade ago in Canada.

“I had one dream: to win the stage for my brother who died when I turned professional,” said Houle. “I won this for him. Waited for 12 years for this.”

The victory marked a second stage win for Israel-Premier Tech, including Simon Clarke’s impressive victory when he conquered the cobblestones in Stage 5.

An emotional win for 🇨ðŸ‡�?@HugoHoule today…

Une victoire remplie d'émotions pour 🇨ðŸ‡�?@HugoHoule aujourd'hui…

Congratulations �?a href="//twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/Eyd2tlCePg

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 19, 2022

Preview Stage 17: Saint-Gaudens > Peyragudes

The heat wave in Europe continues and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) struggles in high temperatures. The defending champion is running out of stages in which to regain the yellow jersey. Pogacar didn’t make a move in Stage 16 despite a rest day on Monday. Either he didn’t have legs, or he’s waiting until Peyragudes to make a move on Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

Stage 17 is only 129.7 km, but it features four categorized climbs, including a trio of awful Category 1 ascents at Col d’Aspin, Col de Val Louron-Azet, and the infamous Peyragudes, which has an average gradient of 7.8%. With two ascents in the final 20 km, expect fireworks on Stage 17. Should be a fun game of cat and mouse in the Pyrenees on Wednesday.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 64:28:09
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:43
4. Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) +4:15
5. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +4:24

In the overall general classification standings, there was no change among the top three contenders. Vingegaard, Pogacar, and Geraint Thomas (Ineos) finished clustered together in a group 5:54 behind Houle. They still remain 1-2-3 in the GC standings. Once again, Vingegaard successfully defended the yellow jersey, and Pogacar failed to trim any time off his 2:22 deficit.

Romain Bardet (DSM) and Adam Yates (Ineos) fell out of the top five. Yates slipped to sixth place, and Bardet dropped to ninth. Nario Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) moved into fourth place and is 4:15 back, while France’s David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) is only 4:24 back in fifth place.

Pogacar saw his overall betting odds to win the 2022 Tour de France dip from +175 yesterday to +250 after Stage 16. Vingegaard’s odds moved from -225 before Stage 16 to -300 afterward.

Check out more of OG’s coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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Vingegaard won his first-ever stage with a victory in Stage 11 when Pogacar cracked on the ascent of Col du Granon. Pogacar fell behind by 2:22, and there haven’t been any time changes in the last four stages.

Geraint Thomas — the 2018 champion from Ineos Grenadiers — has been lurking in third place, but he’s 2:43 back. It looks like Thomas is going to let Vingegaard and Pogacar slug it out in the Pyrenees while trying to preserve his third-place spot on the final podium in Paris next Sunday. Thomas saw his odds move from +2000 to +1600 to win the 2022 Tour de France.

Bloody Sunday in Carcassonne

Vingegaard successfully defended the yellow jersey over the weekend during transition stages from the Alps to the Pyrenees, but Jumbo-Visma suffered a terrible turn of events when they lost two vital climbers — Primoz Roglic and Steve Kruijswijk — on Sunday.

Roglic dropped out of Le Tour shortly before the start of Stage 15 on Sunday.

“To allow my injuries to heal properly, we have decided that I won’t start today,” tweeted Roglic.

The tweet baffled everyone in the peloton, especially with a day off on Monday and an easy sprint stage slated for Stage 15. The injuries caught up to him after he crashed in the first week on the dreaded cobblestones in Stage 5.

Kruijswijk suffered a nasty crash in the middle of Stage 15. He was spotted clutching his shoulder and arm, and Jumbo-Visma’s medics quickly called for an ambulance. He dropped out with a separated shoulder.

Without two strong climbers to protect him in the Pyrenees for the final mountain stages, Vingegaard is susceptible to attacks from his GC rivals. After losing two veterans, the betting momentum swung from Vingegaard to Pogacar, which is reflected in the latest odds update.

“It’s not good losing super strong helpers,” said Vingegaard. “We’ll continue to fight and do our best.”

Jumbo-Visma will rely on American Sepp Kuss and Belgian superstar Wout van Aert to provide Vingegaard with support in the Pyrenees. You can expect Kuss to help Jumbo-Visma control the mountain stages with a breakaway while van Aert will provide super domestique duties, fetching water and food for Vingegaard.

Pogacar pounce in Pyrenees?

UAE Team Emirates sees an opportunity to make back as much time as possible before the individual time trial in Stage 20. Two years ago, Roglic was in the yellow jersey heading into Stage 20 when Pogacar smoked him in the ITT to win the stage and seize the coveted maillot jaune. Pogacar hopes the time trial will provide him with the final opportunity to retake the yellow jersey, but he’s down 2:22 and needs to cut into at least two minutes in the Pyrenees.

The next couple of stages are crucial for UAE Team Emirates versus a short-handed Jumbo Visma. Expect Pogacar to launch long-range attacks against Vingegaard, which is why the champ’s Tour de France odds bumped.

Vingegaard is well aware of what’s coming. In the last couple of stages, he stuck on Pogacar’s wheel whenever the Slovenian Wunderkind tried to pull away from the stoic Dane.

“I need to grab every chance,” said Pogacar. “Every climb there is, I need to try to attack, and try to gain some time. Each day now is very hard and it’s possible.”

Stage 16 on Tuesday has a steep 3 km climb to the ascent of Mur de Peguere before a downhill finish in Foix. Pogacar will look to drop Vingegaard on that climb and try to trim a few seconds off the lead.

On Wednesday, Stage 17 has three Category 1 climbs in the heart of the Pyrenees, including a mile-high, summit finish at Peyragaudes.

The tour could be decided on Thursday during Stage 18 from Lourdes to Hautacam. There are two vicious HC ascents (beyond categorized) and a hellacious Category 1 climb at Col de Spandelles. Stage 18 concludes with a punishing summit finish at the picturesque ski resort of Hautacam.

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Stage 15 featured the last 200-plus km stage during a flat route from Rodez to the walled city of Carcassonne, which would be the penultimate stage for sprinters before the final stage in Paris next Sunday.

Despite a sloppy lead out and discombobulated organization from teams in the final kilometer, a final surge from Philipsen put him ahead of van Aert and Mads Pedersen. Pedersen, Stage 13 winner from Denmark, finished in third place and missed a chance to lock up a second stage victory for Trek-Segafredo since Friday.

1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4:27:27
2. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) +0:00
3. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) +0:00

Van Aert won two stages already on Le Tour, and he was the betting favorite at +500 odds coming into Stage 15, but he finished in second place once again. Philipsen was +550 odds as the second favorite to win Stage 15 on the betting board at DraftKings.

�?A first Tour stage win and what a way to do it!

The slow-motion look at 🇧�?Jasper Philipsen's win

�?Une première victoire sur le Tour avec la manière !

Admirez au ralenti le sprint victorieux de 🇧�?Jasper Philipsen !#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/SWuxIHEU5u

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 17, 2022

Stage 15: Rodez > Carcassonne

On a sizzling Sunday, temperatures reached 100 degrees. But the race must go on, despite the grueling heat. Even the ridiculous and sweltering weather did not deter protestors from trying to impede the progress of the peloton. Local gendarmes quickly removed the human obstacles.

With 200 meters to the finish line, Philipsen led out the sprint with van Aert on his wheel. Pedersen drifted right to prevent van Aert making move along the guard rail. Philipsen snuck behind Pedersen’s left and smoked both van Aert and Pedersen.

“I felt Wout was coming close but I also knew the finish line from last year,” said Philipsen. “We got boxed in a little bit before the final corner and I knew it was not long anymore after the last corner. I knew I had to make up some positions. It was good that I could pass Mads.”

Belgium’s Philipsen came close to winning a sprint stage multiple times but either finished in second or third on the the podium a total of eight times.

“It makes it super unbelievable,” noted Philipsen. “I know what losing is like in the Tour de France. I was close many many times. That it worked out today is incredible. I can’t believe it.”

Thanks to Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck also secured their first stage win this year.

“It’s been massive search for this victory,” added Philipsen. “We’ve worked really hard for it. I’m super proud we can finally finish it off after a tough Tour. We had to wait til stage 15 with the team but everyone still believed it was possible. I’m super happy.”

Preview Stage 16: Carcassonne > Foix

Monday is the final rest day of the 2022 Tour de France as the peloton makes their way to the Pyrenees for the last mountains stages this week. On Tuesday, Stage 16 features a hilly 178.5 km route from Carcassonne to Foix with four categorized climbs. There’s a pair of Category 1 climbs in the final third of Stage 15 including ascents of Port de Lers and Mur de Peguere.

In the final week of Le Tour, expect teams without any wins to try to stage hunt via a breakaway. At the same time, it’s crunch time for Tadej Pogacar. The defending champ is expected to make a move in Stage 15 to try to shave time off Jonas Vingegaard’s lead.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 59:58:28
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:43
4. Romain Bardet (DSM) +3:01
5. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) +4:06

Pogacar continues to trail Vingegaard by 2:22 and Geraint Thomas (Ineos) is 2:43 off the lead in third place.

Jumbo-Visma took a huge blow on Sunday when they lost two riders and Vingegaard crashed. It was only a minor crash for the overall leader, and Vingegaard shook it off, but it capped off an unlucky day for Jumbo-Visma. Primoz Roglic was a late scratch before the start in Stage 15 and he withdrew from the Tour de France due to injuries. They also lost Steven Kruijswijk — a top climbers assigned to protect Vingegaard in the mountains â€�?who was whisked away in an ambulance after a mid-stage crash. Kruijswijk’s Tour de France is also over.

Oddmakers adjusted the betting lines to reflect Jumbo-Visma’s distress. Vingegaard is now only -225 odds to win the 2022 Tour de France, while Pogacar bumped from +300 to +175.

Check out OG’s extensive coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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Matthews dusted Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) on the final ascent and denied stage wins for either rider, while securing his first stage victory in five years.

Matthews locked up a second stage win for BikeExchange-Jayco on Le Tour this year, which was clutch because the team was facing relegation. Teammate Dylan Groenewegen won a sprint in the first week during the start of the Tour de France in Denmark.

1. Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) 4:30:53
2. Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) +0:15
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +0:34

There was no chance in the overall GC standings. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) once again successfully defended the yellow jersey. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) has yet to trim the deficit since he lost the yellow jersey earlier in the week in Stage 11.

Stage 14: Saint-Etienne > Mende

It was another transition stage, but Stage 14 was a hilly and technical route of 193 km from Saint-Etienne to Mende. There were five categorized climbs including a difficult summit finish at the Cote de la Croix Neuve Montee Jalabert.

Matthews was a part of a 22-rider breakaway that put a 10-mnute gap on the peloton. With 50 km, Matthews attacked and broke away from the breakaway group. He said the move was inspired by a chat with his wife last night.

“She just said to me if you want to win, you’ve got to gamble, you’ve got to throw it all out there, try something different, something they won’t expect from you,” said. “That was my goal for today to try something different and surprise people. It worked well.”

Matthews held off a chase group that included Stage 14 favorite and fan favorite Pinot.

“The final climb was the longest 2 km of this Tour de France,” said Matthews. “The fans were screaming so loud that I actually couldn’t feel my legs. The emotions, being first in the Tour de France, on a climb, I knew I couldn’t give up.”

Matthews last won a stage back in 2017, but he’s skills as a sprinter had began to decline. Yet he credits his family for sticking with him even during the darkest times.

“My wife and daughter were going through my mind the whole day,” Matthews said. “I just wanted to make them proud of me. They sacrifice so much for me, we don’t get to spend enough time together, because we want to make our dreams come true. Hopefully today my wife and daughter were proud of me.

�?Magnifique Matthews à Mende !#TDF2022 | @blingmatthews pic.twitter.com/cmtAKH0IWH

— Tour de Franceâ„�?(@LeTour) July 16, 2022

Preview Stage 15: Rodez > Carcassonne

The final 200-plus km stage of Le Tour is slated for Sunday with Stage 15 which is a flat, yet windy 202.5 km ride from Rodez to Carcassonne. It’s also one just two remaining stages that could be won by the sprinters. Expect Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) to compete with Wout van Aert (Jimbo-Visma) for the stage win. Groenewegen will also seek out his second stage victory and consecutive stage wins for Team BikeExchange-Jayco.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 55:31:01
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:43
4. Romain Bardet (DSM) +3:01
5. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) +4:06

Vingegaard continues to be the betting favorite to win the 2022 Tour de France at -360 odds, while Pogacar is +300 odds to pull off the comeback in the Pyrenees. It’s one more transition stage on Sunday before it’s a return to the mountains next week, but time is running out for Pogacar to make his move. He was unable to put a det into his deficit.

There was not any overall changes in the rest of the GC standings, but Geraint Thomas (Ineos) in third place lost 17 seconds on Pogacar and Vingegaard in Stage 15. Romain Bardet (DSM) is now over three minutes off the lead in fourth place.

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Pedersen �?a former world champion �?was a part of an initial seven-man breakaway, but he attacked with 10 km to the finish line, and only Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) followed. Pedersen held off Wright and Houle in an exciting sprint finish.

1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 4:13:03
2. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) +0:00
3. Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) +0:00

Once again, a couple of Americans were in the breakaway including Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar). Jorgenson finished in fifth place and 30 seconds behind Pederson. Simmons provided Trek-Segafredo an advantage by controlling the front of the race from the start, which benefited his teammate Pedersen.

“For a long time I thought it was a mistake to be in the break, because we only had two minutes, but in the end it paid off,” said Pedersen. “Today it was super hard for everyone. Everyone was really on the limit.”

Trek-Segafredo secured their first stage victory with a huge win in Stage 13 thanks to Pedersen.

“It’s incredible to finally take a win, said Pedersen. “I definitely missed out on some opportunities in the first week. We came here with riders only for stage wins and now we have one, so it’s a big relief.”

Preview Stage 14: Saint-Etienne > Mende

Stage 14 is a hilly 192.5 km ride from Saint-Etienne to Mende. It’s a highly technical stage punctuated with five categorized climbs including four Category 3 and a heck of a Category 2 ascent to end the race. There’s a summit finish at the Cote de la Croix Neuve Montee Jalabert with a punishing and steep 11% gradient at its most difficult segment. Even though it’s a short 3 km climb, it could be the spot where Pogacar makes a move on Vingegaard to cut into his lead.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 50:47:34
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:26
4. Romain Bardet (DSM) +2:35
5. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) +3:44

There was no change in the GC standings after Stage 13. Vingegaard still holds a 2:22 lead over Pogacar in second place, and 2:26 over Geraint Thomas (Ineos) in third place. Romain Bardet (DSM) held on to fourth place and he’s only nine seconds away from a podium spot. Adam Yates (Ineos) rounds out the top five.

Vingegaard continues as the betting favorite to win the 2022 Le Tour at -300 odds. Pogacar is +275 odds to come-from-behind to defend his title with a third-straight win, but he’s running out of time to shave time off Vingegaard’s lead before the Pyrenees. Thomas is +1600 odds to win his second Tour de France crown.

Check out more coverage of the 2022 Tour de France.

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