Tour de France 2021: Stage Fourteen Recap

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Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) launched a trademark, long-distance solo transfer to assert victory on the robust 14th stage of the Tour de France.

The Dutchman attacked out of a robust 14-rider breakaway with 42km to go and time trialled his approach by way of the hilly finale to land his second Tour de France victory.

“It's super nice,” Mollema mentioned after the stage. “It’s amazing to win a stage again.”

Mollema held off a four-up chase group within the last 20km as he nursed a one-minute lead over the ultimate climb of the day.

Sergio Higuita (EF Schooling Nippo), Michael Woods (Israel Begin-Up Nation), Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck-Fast-Step) and Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) couldn’t do sufficient to reel within the Trek-Segafredo captain as he prolonged his time hole into the headwind to land his third grand tour win.

Mollema has received from comparable long-rangers at Il Lombardia in 2019 and this 12 months’s Trofeo Laigueglia. As soon as he made it clear from the day’s break it appeared sure that he would convert.

“I was feeling good so I thought to go from far. I did about 40km alone so it was a hard final,” he mentioned. “I’m super happy I made it. I had the confidence that I could ride alone and then keep going a long time. Once I had over a minute I knew I could make it to the line, I can pace myself well.”

Konrad edged the dash for second to go away Higuita in third.

The GG battle went on simmer within the day’s attritional transition stage, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) and his closest rivals ending collectively within the pack.

There was one main shuffle within the GC nevertheless. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) made it into the day’s break and got here out with eleventh on the stage, vaulting up the classification within the course of. The Frenchman had began some 9 minutes again on Pogačar however has now moved as much as second total after ending within the scattered group of attackers to take round minutes on the GC pack.

Martin now heads to a bloc of phases within the Pyrénées sitting 4:04 down on the yellow jersey.

The way it Occurred

The stage took hours to cool down as assaults flew left, proper and centre and UAE Emirates didn’t attempt to management.

Vincenzo Nibali (Trek Segafredo), Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma), Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Premier Tech), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) have been amongst a who’s-who of early attackers, although none have been capable of make it stick because the race descended into chaos.

The searing tempo by way of the opening hours noticed quite a few riders dangling behind the peloton, with Mads Pedersen, Mark Cavendish and Nacer Bouhanni among the many early entrants of the grupetto.

The race solely took form after 90km of racing when Woods, Cattaneo and Wout Poels attacked on the Col de Monsegur. Mollema and Martin have been a part of a robust seven-up chase group that went off in pursuit, and an extra quartet adopted shut behind them.

In the meantime, Pogačar and co lastly took management of the peloton and the assault teams have been capable of begin pulling away up the highway.

The three assault teams lastly got here along with round 55km remaining and constructed out a stable 4:00 lead. Woods was briefly indifferent after sliding out on the lengthy descent from the Gailinagues climb. The Canadian was fast to leap again onto the bike and regain contact, however was nursing cuts and bruising to his hip and elbow.

The group of 14 had labored effectively collectively by way of to the ultimate 42km, at which level Mollema clipped off the entrance on the downhill and started his lengthy TT to the road.

Woods, Poels scrap for KoM factors

Woods and Poels have been energetic all through the day within the break, sprinting towards one another throughout a number of of the race’s categorized climbs.

With polka dot jersey-wearer Nairo Quintana again within the break, Woods’ haul of factors was sufficient to place him to the highest of the mountain classification heading into sequence of phases by way of the Pyrénées.

Imagery:ASO/Charly Lopez

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