Tour de France stage 13 LIVE: Chance for breakaway success as race heads into the Vosges
The longest stage of the Tour, and the only one over 200 kilometres. The profile, across challenging terrain, favours breakaways, but it could take some time for that group to escape on the opening flat roads
The move of Kwiatkowski, Asgreen, Vervaeke, Kirsch and Zimmermann is over - they've been caught. The waves of attacks have never ceased, but now the new attackers don't have a group up the road to chase down.
180KM TO GO
The five riders up the road. They're working hard together, but the action in the peloton is making it difficult for them to build much of an advantage. Having been up the road for over 20km, they only have a lead of ten seconds.
They might have Asgreen up the road already, but EF really want Ben Healy in the break, and the Irishman keeps attacking in his trademark persistent style every opportunity he gets.
He's had a difficult Tour so far, but is now in the terrain where he can really flourish.
140KM TO GO
15 seconds is the lead for Kwiatkowski, Asgreen, Vervaeke, Kirsch and Zimmermann. This was a good move to get into, as all the attempts to gain a gap from the peloton since have so far been unsuccessful.
The five leaders still are 20 seconds ahead. The attacks keep coming behind, including one from Mads Pedersen and another from Ben Healy. A lot of big names fancy their chances today.
200KM TO GO
Five riders have a gap of 12 seconds, and it's a strong group - Michał Kwiatkowski, Kasper Asgreen, Louis Vervaeke, Alex Kirsch and Georg Zimmermann. This won't be the end of the action, and more attacks will come out of the peloton, but if those five riders keep working together and stay out the front of the road they could be a part of whatever definitive breakaway does eventually form.
OFFICIAL START
And they're off! Ballerini was the first rider to attack, and now another group including Abrahamsen are trying their luck - among the first of what will surely be many attempts.
Just 1km left before the riders leave from Dole and take on the official start. This is going to be an intense beginning, as the fight to get into the break begins.
Two potential winners today, from very different scenarios - could it be Mads Pedersen from a breakaway, digging deep to survive the final climb; or Tadej Pogačar from the peloton on a GC battle?
Although this does look like prime territory for a break to succeed, it’s by no means guaranteed. Much will depend on what kind of mood is in Tadej Pogačar, and before the start today he was non-committal about whether or not he’d put his UAE team to chase the break down.
“That depends on who is in the break.”
Tadej Pogačar, on whether or not he'll chase down the break
The riders are travelling through the neutralised section, preparing for the official start of the stage, where the fight to get into the break will commence.
This is a curious stage. The climb (and descent) of the category one Ballon d’Alsace near the finish will be decisive, but in order to get into the breakaway to contest for the stage win, riders will need a big rouleur engine, as there are no climbs inside the first 150km of the stage. So it could be that the stage is decided by the climbing prowess of a group of breakaway riders whose speciality is not climbing.
After the crash in yesterday’s finale, there are three non-starters this morning - Jenno Berckmoes, Frits Biesterbos, and, most notably, Fernando Gaviria. The Colombian endured a frustrating Tour, although had been getting closer and closer as the race went on, before reaching the top ten for the first time on stage 12. But now his race ends prematurely, and he’ll be out of action for a little while having broken his collarbone.
After a couple of sprint stages in succession, this one looks like prime territory for a breakaway to be allowed to go clear.
There is plenty of hunger in the peloton to get into the breakaway, especially among the (many) teams who remain winless, as reflected by all the efforts to do so on yesterday’s mostly flat parcours; therefore we’re anticipating a big fight to do so today, on a day that looks very well-suited to the escape artists.
Hello and welcome to stage 13 of the Tour de France!
