TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 20 | NICE > COL DE LA COUILLOLE
ROUBION, France (July 20, 2024) — Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) was unstoppable again on the Col de la Couillole as he took his fifth stage win of the 2024 Tour de France with a powerful finish. Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) picked off the remainder of a depleted breakaway over the final kilometres, leaving Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) behind them on the way up the Couillole, before the man in the Yellow Jersey accelerated in the final metres to beat his Danish rival to the line by 7”. Having confirmed his triumph in the Mountain classification Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) finished the stage third at +23” in his polka dot jersey and Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) crossed the line fourth, 53” off the winner Pogačar. Going into Sunday’s final Monaco to Nice time trial stage Pogačar leads by 5’14” overall from Vingegaard, with TT specialist Evenepoel in third, now 8’04” from the leader.
A trio take the lead on the Col de Braus
The peloton gathered in Nice with 141 riders at the start line for the penultimate stage of the 2024 Tour. In the opening kilometres, as is often the case, it was the Uno-X and EF Education Easypost teams who took the initiative. However, a breakaway group which included several members of the GC top 10 formed on the approach to the first climb of the Col de Braus, provoking an immediate reaction from the top three in the general classification. A big Yellow Jersey group therefore counter attacked from the peloton and brought things back together at the front, with the polka dot jersey Richard Carapaz (EF Education Easypost) not wanting to miss out on the party. Then, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R) and Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike) escaped from the regrouped collective of leading riders, this time without provoking any reaction. They were quickly joined by Enric Mas (Movistar), with the Maillot Jaune group then following them calmly, soon 55” adrift.
Two counter attacks expand the breakaway
It was Mas who went over the Col de Braus first and on the descent a chasing group of Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike), Marc Soler (UAE Emirates), Richard Carapaz (EF Education First), Clement Champoussin (Arkea-B&B) and Romain Bardet (dsm-Firmenich) went after the trio at the front, while spirits relaxed within the group of favorites. The three leading men set off to attack the Col de Turini (Cat. 1, km 59.8) with a 35” lead over their closest pursuers and 2’00” over the peloton which had returned to a more traditional size for the start of a mountain stage. Although Champoussin was left behind, his previous companions from the cashing group caught the three in the lead 9 km from the summit. Subsequently, three more chasers Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ), Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X) and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) increased the breakaway to 10 riders in total, 1 km from top of the Col de Turini. In the KOM jersey Carapaz was the first to reach the Turini summit, almost guaranteeing his triumph in that competition.
Intermediate sprint and more climbing
Stuyven was first at the Saint-Martin-Vesubie intermediate sprint (km 87.8), followed by Johannessen, Kelderman and Bardet, with the peloton arriving 3’50” after them, before the riders took on the Col de la Colmiane climb (Cat. 1, km 95.9). 7.5 km of ascending at an average gradient of 7.1% awaited, with Carapaz once again making it to the top first, demonstrating his climbing prowess and virtually sealing his victory in the KOM ranking, provided he simply finishes Sunday’s Stage 21 time trial. The peloton topped the penultimate climb of the stage 2’45” later.
Onto the Col de la Couillole
As the breakaway riders started the final Col de la Couillole climb (Cat. 1, km 132.8) they still had that 2’45” lead, but the group was soon decimated. Mas and Carapaz attacked 11.4 km from the finish and only Bardet was able to follow them briefly, before the two went clear at the front. With just over 5km to go Vingegaard attacked from a depleted GC group and Pogačar responded by sticking tightly to his wheel, whilst Evenepoel dropped behind. Pogačar and Vingegaard caught Carapaz and Mas 2.5 kilometres from the finish line and only Carapaz could follow the GC favourites, with Mas unable to take the pace. In the final kilometre it was only Pogačar and Vingegaard left to fight for the win, with the Slovenian proving strongest once again.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “We Did Such an Incredible Job to Protect This Jersey”
“From the start of the Tour I’ve had such incredible teammates you know. All the staff, the team manager, the bosses, I want to say thank you to them, because from the start we had a great atmosphere, good team spirit. Especially the riders, they are super nice guys and we don’t have time to celebrate tomorrow on the time trial, so we said ok guys we have enough time, so let’s celebrate now, because for sure we deserve it. We did such an incredible job to protect this jersey. We gave everything we had. We have really the smallest budget of the World Tour teams, so to have three incredible victories and the green jersey, it’s just amazing. Especially for Laurenz Rex and Hugo Page it’s the first Grand Tour for them and they are just great riders and I’m happy to have them. If you see it on paper the last two days were incredibly hard days and we could not gain any points and also Sunday it’s not in Paris, so you also can’t gain any, so the only thing we needed to do was survive and reach the finish line. That’s why I didn’t want to talk about the green jersey, I just wanted to enjoy my day and survive.”
Enric Mas (Movistar Team): “A Different Taste in The Mouth Than Other Years”
“We could see that victory was going to be a little harder than we thought and it wasn’t to be. Richard Carapaz and I fought a bit like cat and mouse. There was no understanding between us and they caught us from behind. However, the reason why the breakaway did not make it to the end was not that moment, but rather the lack of cooperation at other moments and that some teams prevented us from gaining a bigger advantage. In any case, we were close to victory. I enjoyed this stage and this Tour, discovering a totally different cycling to what I had experienced until now. I’ve been able to help my teammates: Fernando in the sprints, others looking for a breakaway… and today they helped me. However, they pay me to fight for the general classification, so we will go for it in La Vuelta. The Combativity award is not why I want to be on the podium. However, it is nice for the Tour organization to recognize and value my way of competing these days. We are going home with a different taste in our mouths than in other years.”
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost): “My Tour de France Has Been a Success”
“This has been a very good Tour de France for me. Today we secured the Mountain classification by going into the break because there was a possibility that Tadej Pogačar would win at the finish line and get some points that would put me in trouble. I was lucky enough to go clear on a descent and was first to go through two passes. Today I knew that I had good legs, that my physical condition had improved as the days went by, and I also wanted to go after the stage victory. I tried to collaborate with Enric [Mas], but we have not understood each other. The two strongest riders in the race came from behind and I tried to hold on for the last push, but it wasn’t possible. I am super happy with my Tour de France: it has been a success. We have grown little by little to finish the race very well, and that is a great feeling to go home very happy.”
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step): “Tadej and Jonas Were Stronger Than Me”
“I wanted to put some pressure on and see if I could do something today. But Tadej and Jonas were stronger than me, it’s that simple. Once we were together I found myself on the edge again and when they attacked I couldn’t keep up with them. But I had to try, and in the end I lost a little time but it’s not that important. Tomorrow, I want to make a final effort at maximum intensity to win the final stage. I know the route, as I had a look at it after Paris-Nice and I like it. But I think Tadej knows it very well too, it’s home for him. In my opinion, the stage will be fought for between the top three in the general classification. But it’s not a pure time trial, it’s a mountain time trial. So Tadej will be the man to beat.”
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Jonas Showed Us that He is a Real Fighter.”
“I did enjoy this day a lot, although it didn’t go according to plan. I’m really happy I got another stage win. Just one more day to go – the ITT. That one, I’m going to enjoy it too. I will just try to come home safely to Nice, as it is a very hard course. I hope I can enjoy the crowds. I was really surprised with how the race exploded at Col de Braus, which is one of my favourite training climbs. Our guys did a super good job so we all got together at the bottom of the next climb. Soler going to the breakaway was fine for us. We wanted to bring as many guys as possible to the final, but Soudal wanted to try and take time on Jonas or go for the stage and that played in my favour. If you had told me this before the Tour de France, I wouldn’t have believed to. I’m lost for words. So happy… I hope I can share this victory with my teammates today, and also tomorrow. Five stage wins are more than enough. One and the yellow jersey would have been enough, really. But you never brake in cycling. Jonas has gone through some tough days, but he showed today that he is not easy to crack and that he is a real fighter. He did a really good ride and was super strong.”
TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 20 | NICE > COL DE LA COUILLOLE | DAILY STATS
6+5: POGAČAR BREAKS A NEW BARRIER
With a 5th stage win in the Tour de France, after he won 6 in the Giro d’Italia, Tadej Pogačar is the first rider ever to win at least 5 times in each of these races the same year.
Pogačar’s tally of 11 wins across the Giro and the Tour 2024 matches that of Eddy Merckx in 1970, when he won 8 stages in the Tour and 3 in the Giro.
129: POGAČAR’S HUGE COLLECTION OF JERSEYS
With his 39th Maillot Jaune – matching Antonin Magne at the 7th spot in the all-time ranking – to go along with his 15 polka-dot jerseys and 75 white jerseys, Tadej Pogačar has now claimed 129 distinctive jerseys in the Tour (out of 104 stages he’s raced). That’s one less than Bernard Hinault (79 Maillot Jaune, 28 green jerseys, 23 polka-dot jerseys), who’s currently the rider with the 3rd highest number of distinctive jerseys in the Tour. Only Eddy Merckx and Peter Sagan are ahead of them.
1979: 4 WINS WITH THE MAILLOT JAUNE
With a 4th win with the Maillot Jaune on his shoulders in a single edition, Tadej Pogačar is now up to Bernard Hinault’s achievements from the Tour de France 1979.
The French icon won 7 stages that year, but “only” 4 of them as the leader of the overall standings, in Pau (stage 3), Dijon (stage 21), Nogent-sur-Marne (stage 23) and Paris (stage 24). Pogačar’s yellow successes in the Tour 2024 were claimed at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet (stage 14), Plateau de Beille (stage 15), Isola 2000 (stage 19) and Col de la Couillole (stage 20), after he claimed the Maillot Jaune in Valloire (stage 4).
50/96: SLOVENIA’S RULE IN THE TOUR
Slovenia waited until stage 9 of the Tour 2020 to lead the overall standings of the Tour de France for the first time ever, with Primoz Roglic rising to power in Laruns. Since then, Roglic and his countryman Pogačar collected 52% (50/96) of the Maillot Jaune:
- 50 for Slovenia
- 27 for Denmark
- 6 for the Netherlands
- 5 for Belgium
- 4 for Great Britain
- 2 for France
- 1 for Australia and Ecuador
12: CARAPAZ ALL BUT SEALS THE POLKA DOTS FOR ECUADOR
With a tally up to 127 points, Richard Carapaz has all but sealed victory in the KOM standings, as there are only 5 points up for grabs on Sunday, at La Turbie, and Tadej Pogačar trails by 30 points. After he brought his nation a first Maillot Jaune (stage 3) and a first stage win (stage 17), he is set to be the first Ecuadorian rider to bring home a distinctive jersey. 11 nations had won the KOM standings so far in the history of the race. French climbers lead the way with 20 victories, while Slovenia was the latest edition, with Tadej Pogačar’s successes in 2020 and 2021.
19: POGAČAR’S BEST YEAR
With his 19th win of the season, Tadej Pogačar matches the scores of Jasper Philipsen in 2023 and Mark Cavendish in 2013. With the overall triumph on the line in Nice, a 20th victory would be a first since Alexander Kristoff did it in 2015. What makes it even more impressive is that Pogačar took all his successes in UCI WorldTour races.
16: HARDER, FASTER, YOUNGER
With a 16th Tour stage win, Tadej Pogačar enters the all-time top-10, matching Jacques Anquetil, René Le Grevès and Charles Pélissier at the 9th spot. Jean Alavoine is just ahead of them with 17 victories. But no rider had ever won that many stages before turning 26 years old. Mark Cavendish and François Faber had 15 wins, Eddy Merckx followed with 14 and Bernard Hinault had taken 13.
38: POGAČAR’S UNPRECEDENTED LEADER’S JERSEYS TALLY
With a 38th leader’s jersey in Grand Tours in 2024 (18 in the Tour, 20 in the Giro), Tadej Pogačar moves past Eddy Merckx (37 in 1970) as the rider with the biggest tally in a single season. Chris Froome follows with the 34 leader’s jerseys he claimed in the Tour and La Vuelta in 2017.
1-2-3: BACK IN 2021
As they took the first 3 spots at Col de la Couillole, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and Richard Carapaz revived their battles from the Tour 2021. That year, Pogačar had won the last 2 mountain stages, at Saint-Lary-Soulan col du Portet (stage 17) and Luz-Ardiden (stage 18), with Vingegaard in 2nd position and Carapaz in 3rd.
