Facts and Statistics for the 2021 Tour de France Mountain Classification (map: Stage 1)

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Below the individual leaderboard tables for each stage is our summary, history and interesting facts regarding the Tour de France Mountains Classification.  

STAGE 1

Official summary for the day’s racing (June 26):

“Julian Alaphilippe powered to victory up the climb of La Fosse aux Loups (the wolfpit) with the help of his Wolfpack from Deceuninck-Quick Step. He became the first Frenchman to win the opening stage of the Tour de France since Christophe Moreau twenty years ago and only the third reigning world champion to exchange the rainbow jersey for the yellow jersey at the end of stage 1 after Georges Speicher (1934) and Bernard Hinault (1981).”  

Six riders in the lead

184 riders took the start of stage 1 in Brest at 12.33. Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka-Nexthash) was first to get a bit of gap for himself. It enabled him to collect the first KOM point up for grabs at côte de Trébéolin (cat. 4, km 8.6). Five riders managed to go clear at km 12 at the initiative of Franck Bonnamour (B&B), quickly rejoined by Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Cristian Rodriguez (TotalEnergies), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) and later by Conor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) to make a front group of six at km 19.5 Eight kilometres further, their maximum advantage of 3’55’’ was recorded. Tim Declercq and Petr Vakoc seized the reins of the peloton for Deceuninck-Quick Step and Alpecin-Fenix respectively.

Ide Schelling soloes to KOM glory

Following a strong attack by Schelling, Perez won the KOM at Locronan (km 61.5). Schelling attacked at the bottom of the côte de Stang Ar Garront in Châteaulin (km 111) to take one KOM point but he forged on and his former breakaway companions were reeled in by the peloton with 68km to go. A massive crash occurred at km 152 as Tony Martin hit a spectator. It led to the first withdrawal of the 2021 Tour de France as Jasha Sütterlin (DSM) was injured. It took a while for Wout van Aert, Miguel Angel Lopez, Sonny Colbrelli and Bryan Coquard to make it back to the pack.

Alaphilippe soloes in La Fosse aux Loups

Schelling was brought back with 28km to go. The peloton rode all together at a moderated speed towards Landerneau. Another massive crash split the peloton 7.5km before the end. Deceuninck-Quick Step strongly led the peloton before the 3-km long ascent of La Fosse aux Loups. Alaphilippe attacked in the steepest section before the 2km to go mark. He made a gap for himself. Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and the Slovenian duo formed of Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar chased him down but he fended off their return. Michael Matthews sprinted to second place with Roglic taking some interesting time bonus in third position. Chris Froome has been badly affected by the crash. Last year’s podium contenders Richie Porte and Miguel Angel Lopez also lost some significant time at the end of stage 1. letour.fr - Stage 1

STAGE 2

Pre-Race Official TdF Summary:  “Following his absolute domination of La Fosse aux Loups at the end of stage 1, Julian Alaphilippe downplayed his chances to do the same again at Mûr-de-Bretagne, saying that the iconic climb in the centre of Brittany isn’t his favourite, even though he came fourth up there in 2018 [behind Dan Martin, Pierre Latour and Alejandro Valverde who are in contention again]. Mûr-de-Bretagne is also the place that revealed his exceptional skills as a punchy rider as he came fifth at the 2012 Tour de Bretagne with no international racing experience yet. There’ll be two ascents of the climb with time bonus awarded the first time. This is the fourth stage finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne in ten years. Cadel Evans in 2011, Alexis Vuillermoz in 2015 and Martin await their successor.”  letour.fr - Stage 2 pre-race summary

Post-Race Official TdF Summary: 

“Mathieu van der Poel came up with a masterpiece at the top of Mûr-de-Bretagne. He rode for the time bonus at the first passage before winning stage 2 solo to take the yellow jersey that his grand-father Raymond Poulidor never had in his prestigious career.

Six riders in the lead

180 riders took the start of stage 2 in Perros-Guirec at 13.22. One non-starter: Marc Soler (Movistar). Loïc Vliegen (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) was the first attacker but after the reaction of the peloton, Anthony Perez (Cofidis) entered in action for the second straight day. Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Simon Clarke (Qhubeka-Nexthash) and Jonas Koch (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) came in help and a six-man front group was formed at km 18 with polka dot jersey holder Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) who counter-attacked three times and Jérémy Cabot (TotalEnergies). They got a maximum lead of 4’ at km 40.5. Tim Declercq set the pace of the peloton for Deceuninck-Quick Step. The fight was on for the King of the Mountains competition. Perez bettered Schelling at côte de Sainte-Barbe (km 72) to take the virtual lead of the KOM once again. The Dutchman took his revenge in the côte de Pordic (km 103).

Theuns the most combative of the day

Perez and Schelling neutralised each other before the hill of Saint-Brieuc where Theuns attacked by himself. The Belgian crested in first place before Cabot came across to him in the middle of the huge crowd in the prefecture of the Côtes d’Armor department. Koch remained in between while Perez, Schelling and Clarke – who slipped in a downhill – were brought back by the pack. Cabot and Theuns approached the last 30km with an advantage of 1’30’’. Theuns went solo 21km before the finish as the peloton was only 25’’ behind. He took the 1 KOM point up for grabs at the côte du village de Mûr-de-Bretagne and it was all together with 18km to go.

Two finishes for MVDP

Van der Poel attacked at the foot of the first ascent to Mûr-de-Bretagne 17km before the end. It enabled him to take 8’’ bonus on the first passage while Tadej Pogacar (5’’), Primoz Roglic (2’’) and Julian Alaphilippe crossed the line in that order. Approximately 80 riders were reunited for the last lap, led by Ineos Grenadiers. Richie Porte was still at the helm of the reduced group with 1.2km to go when Nairo Quintana sped up for a little while. Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli attacked 900 metres before the line and was soon countered by van der Poel. No one managed to catch the Dutchman who won with an advantage of 6’’ over the Slovenian duo formed of Pogacar and Roglic, again in that order. Fifth at 8’’, Alaphilippe lost the Maillot Jaune to van der Poel.” letour.fr - Stage 2 Summary

STAGE 3

Pre-race summary:  “Pontivy is actually just a fifteen minutes drive away from Mûr-de-Bretagne where Mathieu van der Poel took his first Maillot Jaune in the name of his grand-father Raymond Poulidor but stage 3 is very different from the first two of the 108th Tour de France. It’s a long visit of the Morbihan department soon to be headed by the president of the Union Cycliste Internationale David Lappartient, starting from Lorient, the town of the Jean-Yves Le Drian French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It’s a land of politicians who love cycling. The course makes a little detour through Radenac, the village of Jean Robic who won the 1947 Tour de France. Moreover, it’s the first stage that definitely suits the sprinters. Caleb Ewan, Arnaud Démare, Mark Cavendish, Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Wout van Aert, Peter Sagan, Mads Pedersen, André Greipel, Nacer Bouhanni and Bryan Coquard have ambitions to win in Pontivy where a technical run-in awaits them.”  letour.fr - Stage 3

STAGES 4-5

There are no categorized climbs on stages 4 and 5 of the 2021 Tour de France.

Stage 4:  “Mark Cavendish claimed his 31st stage victory at the Tour de France, three down fromrecord holder Eddy Merckx, five years after the last one and six years after he already imposed himself at Fougères. Nacer Bouhanni and Jasper Philipsen rounded out the podium in this bunch sprint finish. Mathieu van der Poel completes the four days of the race in Brittany with the Maillot Jaune ahead of the first individual time trial.” letour.fr - Stage 4

Stage 5:  

Pre-race:  “The Tour de France is no longer in Brittany but holds its first stage in the Mayenne department of the Madiot brothers since 1999. It’s a 27km individual time trial from Changé to Laval on the same distance that enabled Julian Alaphilippe to win around Pau two years ago. Current race leader Mathieu van der Poel doesn’t sound very optimistic in retaining the yellow jersey. He sees his arch-rival Wout van Aert as the main candidate for the overall lead. The Belgian is 31’’ down on him on GC while Alaphilippe is at 8’’. European time trial champion Stefan Küng is another favourite for the stage victory. It’s a course for specialists, especially on the way back to Laval with wide roads and a possible head wind.”  letour.fr - Stage 5

Official post-race summary for Stage 5 (June 30):

“Tadej Pogačar routed his rivals in the 27.2 km individual time trial from Changé to Laval on Wednesday to reaffirm his status as the odds-on favourite to win the Tour de France. The Slovenian rider followed up his momentous victory in the final time trial of the previous edition on La Planche des Belles Filles with another flash of brilliance and sent a clear message to his opponents, while Mathieu van der Poel went deep into the red in the finale to keep hold of his yellow jersey by just eight seconds over Pogačar. Swiss rider Stefan Küng, the European champion against his clock, produced a rock-solid performance but still finished 19 seconds behind the UAE Team Emirates leader, who blasted through the course at an average speed of over 50 km/h.

Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo–Visma) came in third ahead of his leaders Wout van Aert in fourth and Primož Roglič in seventh, whereas other favourites such as Julian Alaphilippe, fourteenth at 1′11″, and Geraint Thomas, sixteenth at 1′18″, were left reeling after the first major test of this edition.” letour.com - Stage 5.

STAGE 6

Official pre-race summary for Stage 6 (July 1):

“T’S CAVENDISH’S TERRITORY… Following the individual time trial of Laval, Mathieu van der Poel is still in the yellow jersey. It pleases Tadej Pogacar who didn’t want to handle the responsibilities in the race so early. From Tours to Châteauroux, it’s another short stage dedicated to sprinters like stage 4 surprisingly won by Mark Cavendish in the absence of Caleb Ewan. As he unexpectedly made his way back to the Tour de France, the Manxman noted that Fougères and Châteauroux, two places where he won before, were again on the course. So is Nîmes, but later on. Cav’ is actually unbeaten in Châteauroux. That’s where he took his first ever Tour de France stage victory in 2008. He made it again at the exact same place on the avenue de La Châtre in front of the Gaston-Petit football stadium in 2011. The Tour hasn’t returned to Châteauroux since. It’s all about Cav’ as he loves things to be, but he’s not the only sprinter left…”  letour.com - Stage 6.

Official post-race summary for Stage 6 (July 1):

“Mark Cavendish won the bunch gallop in Châteauroux for the third time after 2008 and 2011, beating Jasper Philipsen and Nacer Bouhanni on the line just like in Fougères on stage 4. It’s his 32nd stage win at the Tour de France. Mathieu van der Poel retained the Maillot Jaune.

An impressive flying start

177 riders took the start of stage 6 in Tours at 14.04. Olivier Naesen (AG2R-Citroën) was the first attacker but the second offensive by the Belgian group of the French outfit worked better as a front group of eight riders was formed at km 3, comprising Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R-Citroën), Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Fenix), Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Soren Kragh Andersen (DSM), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert). Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) went in between but was brought back by the pack. Sprinters’ teams Groupama-FDJ, Arkea-Samsic and Qhubeka-Nexthash pulled out to bring the breakaway back but Van Avermaet forged on at km 31 to remain alone in the lead.

Van Avermaet and Kluge in the lead

Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) came across to him at km 41. Their advantage was 2’15’’ at that point and remained the maximum of the day. After having covered almost 50km in the first hour of racing, the leading duo was kept on a leash all the way by the Alpecin-Fenix team followed by Deceuninck-Quick Step. Greg Van Avermaet won the only KOM prize of the day at St-Aignan (km 72) and the intermediate sprint at Luçay-le-Mâle (km 104) where the peloton was just thirty seconds adrift. The bunch waited as much as they could before they bridged the gap.

Cav does it again

Van Avermaet and Kluge got reeled in 2.5km before the end. Julian Alaphilippe seized the reins of the peloton to prepare the sprint for Cavendish. The Manxman positioned himself behind Philipsen and Merlier to overhaul them in the last 100 metres. With 32 stage wins in the Tour de France, he’s only two successes shy on Eddy Merckx’ record.” letour.fr - Stage 6

STAGE 7

Official pre-race summary for Stage 7 (July 2):

“The Tour de France hadn’t featured such a long stage since 21 years ago. 249.1km are on the menu of stage 7 from Vierzon to Le Creusot. The first 100km to Nevers, a famous town for the French bicycle industry with Look and Time, are pretty flat but the remaining of the race is a permanent up and down, notably in the Morvan national park. It’s very suitable for a breakaway from far out. It’ll also be interesting to see if GC contenders, particularly those who have already lost a significant amount of time to Tadej Pogacar in the Breton stages and the time trial (Ineos Grenadiers?) will try and use the climbs at the end to make it up. The unprecedented Signal d’Uchon is very much anticipated. It’s a 5.7km long climb with an average of 5.7% and gradients up to 18% with only 18km to go. It’s possibly the last chance for Wout van Aert to dethrone his arch-rival Mathieu van der Poel who expects a very difficult task on his way to Le Creusot.”  letour.fr - Stage 7

Official post-race summary for Stage 7 (July 2):

“The day after Slovenia took the presidency of the council of the European Union, Matej Mohoric claimed his first stage win of the Tour de France at Le Creusot while Tadej Pogacar saved his day after being put in difficulty early in the race by a big breakaway group comprising Mathieu van der Poel who defended his yellow jersey with a brave heart. On the other hand, Primoz Roglic lost contact with the top guns. It’s a Grand Tour trilogy completed by Matej Mohoric after he won in Cuenca at La Vuelta 2017 and Gualdo Tadino at the 2018 Giro d’Italia.

28 escapees, including the yellow jersey

177 riders took the start of stage 7 in Vierzon at 11.13. Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka-Nexthash) was the first on the offensive right after the flag off. The first half and hour was contested at 55km/h despite a slightly head wind as attacks kept going on. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) was the most active. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) reacted to hint that he wouldn’t let his arch-rival go. The fight led to the formation of a 29-man front group at km 40: van Aert, Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma), Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers), Vincenzo Nibali, Toms Skujins, Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Kasper Asgreen, Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Imanol Erviti, Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Christophe Laporte (Cofidis), van der Poel, Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Fenix), Ruben Guerreiro, Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo), Dorian Godon, Michael Schär (Ag2r-Citröen), Soren Kragh Andersen (Team DSM), Philippe Gilbert, Harry Sweeny, Brent van Moer (Lotto-Soudal), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Simon Yates (BikeExchange), Hugo Houle (Astana-PremierTech), Campenaerts (Qhubeka-NextHash), Jan Bakelants, Boy van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) and Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels-KTM).

Mohoric and Van Moer away with 88km to go

UAE Team Emirates was prompt to take the lead of the peloton. Only TotalEnergies among the other four teams who weren’t represented in the breakaway put one rider (Jérémy Cabot) in the chase but the deficit kept growing slowly but surely. Mohoric and Van Moer sped up in the first climb of the day, the côte de Château-Chinon (km 161.5) where the peloton was timed with a deficit of 6’50’’ [maximum time gap: 7’30’’ at the 50km to go mark]. The duo forged on and got reinforced by Stuyven and Campenaerts with 46km to go. The yellow jersey group was reduced to ten riders in the côte de la Libération whereas Campenaerts let Mohoric, Van Moer and Stuyven go. Bonnamour rode in between but was brought back 23km before the end.

Mohoric wins, Pogacar saves his day, Roglic loses

Mohoric rode away on the way solo to Signal d’Uchon 19km before the end. Only Stuyven managed to not get caught by the yellow jersey group that arrived reduced at Le Creusot. Carapaz had attacked from the main peloton in the hardest climb of the day, looking at making it up for the time lost to Tadej Pogacar in the time trial but he was swallowed on the finishing line. Primoz Roglic suffered from his crash early in the Tour and lost more time (3’30’’) in this very demanding stage that is set to affect the riders on the eve of the Alpine weekend.”  letour.fr - Stage 7

STAGE 8

Official pre-race summary for Stage 8 (July 3):

Following a very demanding stage 7 to Le Creusot contested at 45.5km/h on a hilly terrain in the second half, the first mountain stage of the Tour de France will give an indication on whose legs will pay the price first. Only two stages are located in the Alps this year but it promises another great show, starting from the final 50km to Le Grand Bornand with three category 1 climbs: Mont Saxonnex, col de Romme and col de la Colombière. Mathieu van der Poel fears that it is too hard for him but he already expected to lose his yellow jersey in the time trial. Julian Alaphilippe returns where he claimed his first Tour de France stage victory in 2018. This time around, he’s not hunting for the polka dot jersey anymore but possibly for the overall triumph…  letour.fr - Stage 8

Official post-race summary for Stage 8 (July 3):

Dylan Teuns won at Le Grand Bornand at the end of a rain-soaked stage 8. Two years after his first Tour de France stage win at La Planche des belles filles, the winner of the 2017 Arctic Race of Norway proved Bahrain to be victorious for two consecutive days as he soloed to victory in the ascent to col de la Colombière. Tadej Pogacar outclassed all the other GC favourites to take over from Mathieu van der Poel in the lead of the overall classification.

A cruel start for Thomas and Roglic

177 riders took the uphill start of stage 8 under the rain in Oyonnax at 13.18. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) rode away from the bunch in the second kilometre of racing. He was brought back in a wet downhill at km 14. Many top riders lost contact early, the main ones being pre-race GC favourites Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) but also Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) who was in the top 10 overall. A front group of 67 riders was formed under the rain on a very high speed (48.4km covered in the first hour). Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) won the intermediate sprint at Frangy, km 44, before Michael Matthews (BikeExchange). It was a very eventful race with a group of 21 riders going clear after km 50. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) took part in it but not Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) nor the yellow jersey holder who remained much quieter than the day before. Before the group got reeled in, Poels went clear by himself again after 56km of racing. He remained at the front despite many counter-attacks including one by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).

18 riders in the lead

At half way into the race, of group of 18 chasers was formed by Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Woods (Israel SUN), Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo), Mattia Cattaneo (DQS), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Nans Peters (AG2R-Citroën), Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), Soren Kragh Andersen and Tiesj Benoot (DSM), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious), Chris Juul-Jensen and Simon Yates (BikeExchange), Ion Izagirre (Astana) and Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-Nexthash). Valverde sat up, probably because he was cold, and it was a front group of 18 riders once Poels got reeled in with 57km to go. Poels responded to an acceleration by Elissonde to take 10 KOM points at Mont Saxonnex (cat. 1, km 104) and the lead of the KOM classification.

Teuns alone at La Colombière

Kragh and Benoot rode away in the downhill. Kragh started climbing to col de Romme alone in the lead. Woods passed him 6.7km before the summit and continued solo while the damage was done in the main peloton. Successively, Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), van der Poel and van Aert got dropped, giving way to a change of leadership in the overall ranking. Pogacar attacked 4km before the top of col de Romme and 32.8km before the end of the stage. Carapaz went with him but couldn’t hold his pace. Pogacar crested 3’40’’ after Woods and 1’10’’ before Carapaz. Teuns caught Woods 3.3km away from the top of La Colombière, the third and last cat. 1 climb whose summit was located with 14.7km to go. Timed with a deficit of 3’ to the front of the race at the bottom, Pogacar passed the top in second position (5’’ bonus) only 20’’ behind Teuns. The Slovenian didn’t take too many risks in the downhill. Teuns increased his advantage to 44’’ on the line where Izagirre took the second place with Woods in third and Pogacar happy with fourth as he’s the new leader of the Tour de France after his exploit in the first mountain stage.  letour.fr - Stage 8

STAGE 9

Official pre-race summary for Stage  (July 4):

BACK TO TIGNES, WHERE BERNAL GOT THE YELLOW JERSEY

On the eve of the first rest day, following two crazy stages contested very competitively, some riders will suffer. The likes of Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic who have paid the price of their early crashes in the first Alpine stage might feel the consequences again as the second Alpine stage is short and nervous. It begins with the côte de Domancy as one more tribute paid to Bernard Hinault where he won the 1980 world championship. Col des Saisies is kind of a walk in the park compared to col du Pré. That’s the first HC climb of the 108th Tour de France with narrow and steep sections leading to the very scenic Cormet de Roselend whose descent to Bourg-Saint-Maurice has a long history of dramatic crashes. From the Tarentaise valley, the Tour goes back to Tignes where Egan Bernal received his first yellow jersey two years ago without completing the stage as the race was stopped because of a land slide. Only the end of the ascent to Tignes is hard, mostly because of the altitude, above 2000 metres. After he took the yellow jersey with a huge advantage in Le Grand Bornand, defending champion Tadej Pogacar has warned everyone: he’ll ride defensively now. It’s a chance for breakaway riders who still have some energy left in the tank.  Letour.fr - Stage 9

Official post-race summary for Stage  (July 4):

“Ben O’Connor, 25, claimed his first win at the Tour de France in his first participation at the end of another rain soaked stage in the Alps. He got rid of his Colombian breakaway companions to become the 14th Australian stage winner for a total of 35 victories since Phil Anderson in 1982. The AG2R-Citroën rider virtually had the yellow jersey on the road but Tadej Pogacar responded to a late attack by Richard Carapaz to remain in the lead of the overall classification ahead of the first rest day.

An offensive race under the rain

175 riders took the start of stage 9 under the rain in Cluses at 13.10. Non-starters: Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix). Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citroën) was the first attacker at km 2. Harry Sweeny (Lotto-Soudal) was next at km 6, soon rejoined by Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick Step). They were overhauled at the top of côte de Domancy by Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) who continued solo before being rejoined by Dan Martin (Israel-Start Up-Nation) at km 20. At km 24, another duo was formed at the front by Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) and Anthony Perez (Cofidis), soon reinforced by Sergio Higuita (EF) and Fabien Doubey (TotalEnergies). Six riders took the lead before the intermediate sprint at Praz-sur-Arly (km 32.7) where Colbrelli preceded Michael Matthews (BikeExchange), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Chris Juul-Jensen (BikeExchange). A front group of 43 riders was formed at km 35 with an advantage of 2’ over the yellow jersey peloton.

Quintana on the hunt for the polka dot jersey

Up to the col des Saisies, Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), Michael Woods (Israel SUN) and Omar Fraile (Astana) rode away. As they got brought back, Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) went solo 6km before the summit. Quintana caught up with him right on the line of 1st category KOM and continued solo in the downhill. A group of 5 leaders was formed before the ascent to col du Pré, the first hors-category climb of the 2021 Tour de France, with 75km to go: Quintana, Woods, Higuita, Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) and Lucas Hamilton (BikeExchange). Quintana rode away solo 2km before the summit. Higuita and O’Connor successively rejoined the new leader of the KOM classification. The leading trio made the difference at Cormet de Roselend (km 93.3) where O’Connor was virtually in the lead of the overall classification.

Pogacar still the strongest of the favourites

O’Connor couldn’t hold the pace of the two Colombians in the tricky downhill of Cormet de Roselend. He came across in the valley after Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Quintana went hungerflat with 22km to go, leaving Higuita and O’Connor riding for the stage victory while UAE Team Emirates upped the tempo to defend the yellow jersey. O’Connor went solo with 17.5km to go. In the last 10km, Ineos Grenadiers set the pace of the group in which Pogacar remained without any domestique. 4km before the end, Carapaz attacked but Pogacar responded and showed once again that he’s by far the strongest of the favourites. The Colombians suffered badly in the final climb and O’Connor won was a big gap (more than 5’) over Cattaneo and Colbrelli.” letour.fr - Stage 9

STAGE 10

Official pre-race summary for Stage 10 (July 6):

“Following the rest day in the Alps, Tadej Pogacar is a comfortable race leader with two minutes advantage over Tignes’ winner Ben O’Connor and more than five minutes over everyone else. From Albertville to Valence, the riders will be able to admire the mountains but there’s almost no climbing this time around. The col de Couz, the only categorized climb, is rolling. Approaching the Rhône valley, the wind can be a factor, giving hopes to the attackers to avoid a bunch gallop. For various reasons, Caleb Ewan, Arnaud Démare, Tim Merlier and Bryan Coquard aren’t at the Tour anymore, but even though Mark Cavendish catches a lot of attention, maybe even more for having completed stage 9 in the time cut than having won twice before, there are still enough top sprinters eager to bring the breakaway back. Michael Matthews, second in the points classification, is a serious contender for a second green jersey after 2017. Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli, third at Tignes at the end of a mountain stage, is probably the most amazing of the fast men these days. Belgian champion Wout van Aert is yet to win a stage and he doesn’t have the same duties at the service of Jonas Vingegaard, fourth overall, as if Primoz Roglic was in the yellow like last year at half way into the Tour de France. Nacer Bouhanni has never been so close to a stage win at the Tour. Jasper Philipsen doesn’t have Mathieu van der Poel to lead him out anymore but he’s fast enough to win without him. Peter Sagan must have more to say than in the first and he’s the latest stage winner in Valence, back in 2018…” letour.fr - Stage 10

Official post-race summary for Stage 10 (July 6):

“Mark Cavendish claimed his third stage victory in the 108th Tour de France as he outsprinted Belgians Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen in Valence after an eventful finale. The peloton split in several occasions but it was another bunch gallop and Tadej Pogacar retained the Maillot Jaune ahead of the much anticipated double ascent of the Mont Ventoux.

Van der Sande and Houle at the front

164 riders took the start of stage 10 in Albertville. One non-starter: Jonas Koch (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert). Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto-Soudal) attacked at km 2. Hugo Houle (Astana) caught up with him. There was no reaction from the peloton. At km 17, a time gap of 6’05’’ was recorded, after which Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) tried to shake up the bunch but it was soon reorganised with Team DSM pulling at a steady tempo before Tim Declercq started to set the pace for Deceuninck-Quick Step. Houle took the only KOM point up for grabs at col de Couz, km 58.5. Van der Sande won the intermediate sprint at La Placette, km 82.3, where Mark Cavendish didn’t really try to defend his green jersey against the likes of Sonny Colbrelli, Michael Matthews and Jasper Philipsen who took the top spots behind the leading two riders.

All together with 36km to go

In the second half of the stage, the peloton kept the leading duo on a leash, at around about 1’30’’. Critérium du Dauphiné winner Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) crashed in the peloton at km 121 but made his way back to the pack after a bike exchange. As the bunch sped up, the time difference was only 28’’ with 45km to go but looking at the stormy weather ahead, the main group took it easy. Van der Sande sat up with 38km to go. 2km further, Houle got brought back as well after Team BikeExchange upped the tempo at the head of the peloton. Decuninck-Quick Step tried to create echelons within 30km to go but the conditions weren’t ideal for that despite the threat of a stormy weather. As the bunch slowed down, Colbrelli was able to come back after a flat tyre.

Deceuninck-Quick Step paves the way

More echelons were formed with 12km to go. But no sprinter or GC rider missed out on the first part. DSM tried to set up the sprint for Cees Bol but Deceuninck-Quick Step kept the situation under control and led the pack under the flamme rouge. Successively, Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini and Michael Morkov paved the way for Cavendish who fended off van Aert on his left and Philipsen on his right hand side to take one more stage victory, only one shy off Eddy Merckx’ record of 34 wins at the Tour de France.” letour.fr - Stage 10

STAGE 11

Official pre-race summary for Stage 11 (July 7):

“THE DOUBLE DOSE OF MONT VENTOUX

Race facts will determine whether or not this is the queen stage. The double ascent of the Mont Ventoux is certainly one of the highlights of the 108th Tour de France. It’s unprecedented. Gordes is a touristic gem on the route. Col de Liguière (cat. 1) is an opportunity to fire up the race. The versant of the Giant of Provence via Sault is softer than the other one, via Malaucène. However, the fast downhills might be as crucial as the uphills. It’s the hottest venue of the whole race. Yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar said he’s looking forward to this unique experience that is likely to contribute to his legend.” letour.fr - Stage 11

Official post-race summary for Stage 11 (July 7):

Belgian champion Wout van Aert made the most of the double dose of the Mont Ventoux originally set to suit the pure climbers. He rode away solo from a breakaway group in the second ascent to fend off Kenny Elissonde and Bauke Mollema in Malaucène. Despite an attack by Jonas Vingegaard 1.2km before the summit, Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey.

Alaphilippe the most active rider in the first half of stage 11

164 riders took the start of stage 11 at Sorgues at 12.15. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) was first in action. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) tried his luck. Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Fenix) and Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick Step) stayed longer at the front. At km 25, Alaphilippe and Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) rode away while Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) crashed out. The world champion powered to the côte de Fontaine-du-Vaucluse (cat. 4, km 32) alone in the lead. He was caught by five riders at km 42 after passing first at the intermediate sprint. Alaphilippe was reinforced after the côte de Gordes (cat. 4, km 43.7) by Dan Martin (Israel-Start Up-Nation), Anthony Perez (Cofidis) and Pierre Rolland (B&B-KTM). A group of 13 chasers was formed behind them: Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates), Julian Bernard, Bauke Mollema, Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Xandro Meurisee, Kristian Sbaragli (Alpecin-Fenix), Luke Durbridge (BikeExchange), Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels-KTM), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Greg Van Avermaet, Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r-Citröen), Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis).

Ineos-Grenadiers in the lead of the yellow jersey group

Cosnefroy got dropped and swallowed by the peloton. At the bottom of the Mont Ventoux, the four leaders were reunited with the twelve remaining chasers with 99km to go while Ineos-Grenadiers kept pacing the pack five minutes behind. 12km before the summit, Alaphilippe, Durbridge, van Aert, Meurisse, Bernard, Elissonde and Perez rode away. Mollema came across to them with 1km to go to the top. Alaphilippe sprinted to take the KOM points before Perez and Mollema. With 50km to go, it was still Ineos-Grenadiers leading the peloton with the same deficit while David Gaudu was the only member of the top 10 overall to have been dropped, suffering the heat and the consequences of a very fast start.

Van Aert counters the Trek-Segafredo trio

Bernard upped the tempo as the front group headed back to the Mont Ventoux, paving the way for Elissonde to attack and go solo with 36km to go and 14km yet to climb. Van Aert came across to the Frenchman two kilometres further. While Mollema rode Alaphilippe off and tried to bridge the gap to the leading duo, van Aert went solo 11km before the summit. Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) was the first of the top 9 riders on GC to get distanced from the yellow jersey group still led by four Ineos-Grenadiers. Eventually, it wasn’t Carapaz but Vingegaard who launched an attack with 1.2km to go to the summit. While van Aert managed to retain in the descent the lead of 1’05’’ he had over Elissonde and Mollema at the Mont Ventoux, Vingegaard was brought back by Pogacar, Uran and Carapaz before the finish in Malaucène. It’s the fourth stage win for van Aert at the Tour de France after three bunch sprints in Albi, Privas and Lavaur.letour.fr - Stage 11

STAGE 12

Official pre-race summary for Stage 12 (July 8):

CAVENDISH’S ROMANCE

Every times Mark Cavendish wins, he talks about the romance of the sport. He won stage 4 in Fougères like in 2015. He won stage 6 in Châteauroux like in 2008 – where the list of 33 stage wins begun. He won stage 10 in Valence but that town was new on his shopping list. Nîmes is where he claimed his fourth stage of the Tour de France, also in 2008, two days before pulling out as he was still too young to overcome two mountainous massifs. Aged 36, he has made it through the Alps and the double ascent of the Mont Ventoux so he’s in the situation to win in Nîmes again. It’s the same finish where Caleb Ewan won a bunch sprint two years ago. Stage 12 is another scenic one with the magical Gorges de l’Ardèche to be visited entirely by the Tour for the first time, but it’s very likely gonna be another bunch gallop, so it sounds all good for Cav again. Letour.fr - Stage 12

Official post-race summary for Stage 12 (July 8):

NILS POLITT CLAIMS HIS FIRST TOUR DE FRANCE VICTORY

Nils Politt emerged from a 13-man breakaway to solo to victory in Nîmes after three convincing attacks. Imanol Erviti and Harry Sweeny rounded out the podium of stage 12. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey.

13 riders in the lead

155 riders took the start of stage 12 at Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux at 13.49. One non-starter: Peter Sagan, due to a knee pain since stage 3. After a flying start thanks to the tail wind, 13 riders went clear at km 15: André Greipel (Israel-Start Up-Nation), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo), Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic), Harry Sweeny and Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal), Luka Mezgec (BikeExchange), Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies). As soon as the breakaway was formed, the peloton slowed down and UAE Team Emirates eventually set the pace. The time difference was 10’ with 90km to go and almost 11’ at half way into the race.

Politt attacks three times

As a time gap of 12’45’’ was recorded with 50km to go, Politt attacked from the front group. Swift reacted. Mezgec caught up with them. After the regrouping, a quartet went away 40km before the end: Politt, Sweeny, Küng and Erviti. Küng was dropped 14km before the end while the remaining of the breakaway was 1’ adrift and the peloton 15’ further back. Politt soloed 12km away from the finishing line.

A well-deserved victory

Politt remained composed until he crossed the line on the boulevard Salvador Allende in Nîmes where a bunch sprint was anticipated. The 27 year old German rider took a well-deserved victory, not only because he was the most active rider of the day but also because he previously got only one pro in his six-year tenure, a stage of the 2018 Deutschland Tour. A formidable classics rider, he finished second to Philippe Gilbert in the last edition of Paris-Roubaix up to date. He delivered Bora-Hansgrohe’s first victory at the 2021 Tour de France precisely the day Sagan abandoned the race for the first time in his career.  Letour.com - Stage 12

STAGE 13

WOUT VAN AERT AND NILS POLITT HAVE INSPIRED ATTACKERS

Carcassonne was bookmarked as by the sprinters as a possibility for them to perform their art but in the absence of Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett, Peter Sagan, Arnaud Démare, Elia Viviani and Pascal Ackermann, there aren’t so many teams eager to work all day for a bunch gallop anymore. Wout van Aert and Nils Politt have proven the attackers from far out to be right in the past two stages so they must have inspired others like Oscar Fraile who also made the break on stage 12 but was called back via the ear piece by team captain Alexey Lutsenko. Heading to Carcassonne, the Spanish national champion will hear the call of the country. He’s one many riders who remember Magnus Cort Nielsen winning there from a breakaway in 2018. Not need to be a climber like van Aert to overcome the difficulties: the pic St-Loup, also famous for its vineyards, is the only hill of the day.  Letour.com - Stage 13

Official pre-race summary for Stage 13 (July 9):

RECORD EQUALLING STAGE WIN FOR CAVENDISH

Mark Cavendish took his fourth stage win in the 108th Tour de France to total 34 since 2008, just like stage victories record holder Eddy Merckx. His team-mate Michael Morkov and Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen rounded the podium at the end of bunch gallop. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey in Carcassonne.

First Israeli breakaway rider

154 riders started stage 13 in Nîmes at 12.18. One non-starter: Michael Gogl (Qhubeka-Nexthash). Max Walscheid (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Lorenzo Rota (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) managed to go clear at km 15 with no luck. Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Omer Goldstein (Israel-Start Up-Nation) and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) attacked at km 27. Latour passed first atop the only categorized climb of the day, the côte de Pic Saint-Loup at km 51.5. A maximum advantage of 4’45’’ was recorded at km 55. Goldstein, the second cyclist from Israel to take part in the Tour de France after Guy Niv, became the first from his country to break away and win an intermediate sprint (at km 104.3).

Regrouping with 53km to go

Deceuninck-Quick Step seized the reins of the peloton with the intention to deliver another bunch sprint for Mark Cavendish. Petr Vakoc (Alpein-Fenix) gave them a hand. They brought the deficit down to 1’30’’ when attacks begun at the front 65km before the end of the race. A major crash involving 30 riders happened in the peloton while Bennett attacked at the front and lost contact when Goldstein countered. Goldstein and Latour forged on but the time gap was quickly reduced as a lot of action started in the pack after the crash. Bennett was reeled in, so were Goldstein and Latour with 53km to go as they attacked each other rather than riding together. It was bunched up 50km before the end at the exception of some injured riders. Roger Kluge, Simon Yates and Lucas Hamilton were forced to pull out.

The tightest win of Cavendish

45km before Carcassonne, Quentin Pacher (B&B-KTM) rode away solo. He got an advantage of 1’30’’ that forced Julian Alaphilippe to pull as Tim Declercq was off the back after the crash. The advance of the Frenchman was down to 20’’ with 20km to go. It was bunched up one kilometre further. GC teams like Ineos-Grenadiers seized the reins of the peloton in the final kilometres but it was another bunch gallop in Carcassonne. Ivan Garcia Cortina disturbed the plans of Deceuninck-Quick Step as he took the lead 300 metres before the line. Philipsen seemed to go for the win on the right hand side but Cavendish came out of the wheel of Morkov at the eleventh hour to power to the tightest of his four Tour de France victories up to date this year. Letour.fr - Stage 13

STAGE 14

Official pre-race summary for Stage 14 (July 10):

ATTACKERS PARADIZE

Stage 14 is an appetizer of the Pyrénées, a perfect stage for attackers who like climbing and lay quite far down on GC. It’s no surprise that Nairo Quintana purposely sat up at the 10km mark to lose more time on stage 13, which means more freedom to break away and chase KOM points… and maybe more. The stage victory is set to come from an escape from far out. A breakaway group is likely to split in the ascent to col de Saint-Louis (4.7km at 7.4%) whose summit is with 16.9km to go. The 2km in the middle of the climb are the perfect springboard to the stage win in Quillan.  Letour.fr - Stage 14

Official post-race summary for Stage 14 (July 10):

Bauke Mollema claimed his second Tour de France stage win in Quillan four years after he imposed himself solo at Le Puy-en-Velay. He did it the same way, escaping from a breakaway and finishing solo. Patrick Konrad and Sergio Higuita rounded out the podium. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey while Guillaume Martin moved to second overall.

159 riders started stage 14 in Carcassonne at 12.19. Two non-starters: Soren Kragh Andersen (DSM) and Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic). Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citroën) was the first of many attackers after the flag off. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) and Quentin Pacher (B&B-KTM) got a bit of a gap before a regrouping that preceded a solo attack at km 25 by Kristian Sbaragli (Alpecin-Fenix). The Italian was reinforced by Maxime Chevalier (B&B-KTM), Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) and Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Fenix) at km 39. They got reeled in on the line of the intermediate sprint at Lavelanet (km 76.7) even though Rickaert managed to cross first.

Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) went clear before the ascent to col de Montségur (cat. 2, km 89). Michael Woods (Israel-Start Up-Nation) caught up with them. It was a head to head sprint between Poels and Woods at the top with the Dutchman outclassing the Canadian. Cattaneo came across to the two leaders with 80km to go while Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Omar Fraile (Astana), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Esteban Chaves (BikeExchange), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) were timed 40’’ behind the yellow jersey peloton at 1’40’’. Woods took his revenge over Poels at col de la Croix des Morts. 10 riders gathered in the lead 72km before the end while Pierre Rolland and Pacher (B&B-KTM), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) and Elie Gesbert (Arkea-Samsic) were in between. It made a front group of 14 riders at the bottom of côte de Galinagues with 59km to go.

Woods became the provisional KOM leader at côte de Galinagues. He slipped in the downhill as he was leading the front group with 50km remaining. He made it back eight kilometres further. 41km before the end, Mollema rode away solo in the downhill of the non-categorized col du Castel. The Dutchman had 1’30’’ lead over his former breakaway companions at the foot of unprecedented col de Saint-Louis with 21km to go while the peloton was timed 5’40’’ adrift. EF Education-Nippo sped up at the head of the pack to defend Rigoberto Uran’s second place due to the presence of Guillaume Martin at the front. Mollema crested with an advantage of 1’ over Woods who secured his first ever polka dot jersey. Mollema maintained his lead in the downhill. Konrad outsprinted Higuita for the second place. G. Martin crossed the line with a deficit of 1’28’’ but an advance over the peloton that enabled him to move up to second overall behind Tadej Pogacar. Letour.fr - Stage 14

STAGE 15

Official pre-race summary for Stage 15 (July 11):

AT THE PEAK OF THE TOUR

Stage 13 was a pre-Pyrenean stage, in the Pyrenees but not in the big mountains. Stage 14 is more serious. The course features non categorized climbs like the col de Fourtou (km 18) and the col du Calvaire coming after the unprecedented Montée de Mont-Louis (cat. 1, km 86.3), the day after the col de Saint-Louis that propelled Bauke Mollema to a well-deserved stage victory, but also the highest point of the highest peak of the 108th Tour de France, the Port d’Envalira at 2408m of altitude, thus renamed souvenir Henri Desgrange. The last climb is col de Beixalis in Andorra with 14.8km to go to the downhill finish to Andorra-la-Vella. Andorra is where Tadej Pogacar won his first Grand Tour stage at La Vuelta in 2019, it’s also where he’s likely to seal his second overall victory at the Tour de France.  Letour.fr - Stage 15

Official post-race summary for Stage 15 (July 11):

FIRST KISS FOR SEPP KUSS

Sepp Kuss put an end to a ten years drought as Tyler Farrar was the last American stage winner at the Tour de France in Redon in 2011. The climber from Jumbo-Visma outclassed Alejandro Valverde and the rest of the leading riders up to col de Beixalis to claim a solo victory at Andorra-la-Vella ahead of the Spanish veteran while Wout Poels, the new King of the Mountains, rounded out the podium. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey.

32 riders in the lead

149 riders took the start of stage 15 at 12.29. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) was first to go clear off the peloton at km 3.5 in the non-categorized climb to col de Llauro. Seven riders caught up with as well as a bigger group of chasers. 32 riders gathered in the lead at km 35: Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Jonathan Castroviejo, Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers), Dan Martin, Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), Vincenzo Nibali, Julien Bernard, Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo), Julian Alaphilippe, Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), David Gaudu, Bruno Armirail, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Rubén Fernández (Cofidis), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Ag2r-Citröen), Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), Ruben Guerreiro, Neilson Powless (EF Education-Nippo), Mark Donovan (DSM), Matej Mohoric, Wout Poels, Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious), Michael Matthews (BikeExchange), Ion Izagirre (Astana), Sergio Henao (Qhubeka-NextHash), Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies), Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels-KTM) and De Gendt. UAE Team Emirates got organised at the head of the peloton with Norway’s Vegard Stake Laengen pulling tirelessly.

Great battle for the polka dot jersey

A time gap of 8’45’’ was recorded at the intermediate sprint at Olette (km 66) where Nacer Bouhanni, suffering alone in front of the broom wagon, called it a race twenty minutes after Matthews crossed the line first. Following splits in the breakaway, Armirail decided to impose a steady pace at the head of the leading group with his team-mates Madouas and Gaudu on his wheel. A maximum difference of 10’10’’ was noted with 72km to go. Poels won the KOM at Montée de Saint-Louis (km 86) before van Aert and Woods. At col de Puymorens, the same top 3 was in a different order: van Aert, Poels, Woods. Quintana waited for Port d’Envalira, the highest peak of the 108th Tour de France, to go solo 1.5km before the summit and take the maximum of 10 KOM points 15’’ before van Aert, Poels and Woods. 17 riders formed the front group in the downhill with an advantage of 5’ over the yellow jersey group from which runner up Guillaume Martin was ejected in the descent.

Kuss betters Valverde

Quintana attacked again at the beginning of the ascent to col de Beixalis but he was quickly brought back. Gaudu tried his luck briefly. Valverde wanted to follow Kuss but it was the American from Jumbo-Visma who rode away solo 5km before the summit. They were separated by 25’’ at the top and the downhill didn’t modify the race scenario. In the yellow jersey group, mimicking two attempts by Ben O’Connor, Jonas Vingegaard strongly attacked twice but Pogacar reacted with no fret. Rigoberto Uran, Vingegaard and Carapaz remained with the race leader to regain their positions on GC over Martin who dropped back to ninth where he was before stage 14.  Letour.fr - Stage 15

STAGE 16

Official pre-race summary for Stage 16 (July 13):

SECOND ACT IN THE PYRÉNÉES

Following a rest day in Andorra, stage 16 starts from Pas de la Casa, an unprecedented hosting town. It makes it a long downhill start in which a breakaway is likely to be formed by attackers who haven’t yet ridden to glory in the 108th Tour de France. The situation will certainly be settled by going up to the Col de Port (km 54) where the match between the players in the polka dot jersey is likely to continue, just like at the Col de Core (km 101.1) or at Portet- d’Aspet (km 136.5). If a large group forms, the contenders for the stage victory will certainly rush the selection there, perhaps reserving a final battle in the short 800-meter wall that will precede the finish in Saint-Gaudens. Letour.fr - Stage 16

Official post-race summary for Stage 16 (July 13):

PATRICK KONRAD TAKES HIS TURN

In a race that favours attackers, Austrian national champion Patrick Konrad mimicked his team-mate Nils Politt to claim his first Tour de France stage victory in Saint-Gaudens after 37km of a brave solo ride. Only two Austrians were stage winners at the Tour before: Max Bulla (3) in 1931 and Georg Totschnig in 2005. Sonny Colbrelli and Michael Matthews rounded out the podium. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey.

14 riders in the lead

145 riders took the start of stage 16. 2 non-starters: Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) and Amund Groendahl Jansen (BikeExchange). Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) was the first man on the move after the flag off. Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck-Quick Step) caught up with him 3.5km before the col de Port. The leading trio was brought back after 65km of racing. Jan Bakelants (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Chris Juul Jensen (BikeExchange) and Fabien Doubey (TotalEnergies) formed another leading trio at km 79. Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis), Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citroën), Sonny Colbrelli and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Michael Matthews (BikeExchange), Alex Aranburu (Astana), Lorenzo Rota (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) and Franck Bonnamour (B&B-KTM) formed a chasing group before the col de la Core. Konrad joined the three escapees at km 97, 4km before the summit, and crested in first position.

Konrad alone at Portet-d’Aspet

As Juul-Jensen had dropped down, Konrad distanced Doubey and Bakelants at km 132 with 4km left to climb up to Portet d’Aspet. Konrad crested first with an advantage of 20’’ over Gaudu and Colbrelli but increased it in the downhill. He enjoyed 40’’ lead 25km before the end. 9 riders gathered in chase of the Austrian 15km before the end.

Action in the yellow jersey group

Konrad remained composed to keep more than one minute lead with 10km to go. Gaudu sped up in the last climb, the short but steep côte d’Aspret-Sarrat but the Austrian remained composed and didn’t crack. Périchon attacked from the chasing group on the hunt for the second place but he was overhauled at the very end by Matthews and Colbrelli. Offensives at the head of the peloton involved most of the GC contenders in the last 10km of racing but it was no problem for Pogacar to control the actions of Guillaume Martin and Wout van Aert. A group of 15 riders powered strongly to the line by the Belgian champion with all the top 10 riders on his wheel.  Letour.fr - Stage 16

STAGE 17

Official pre-race summary for Stage 17 (July 14):

ON QUINTANA’S TERRITORY

After the highest start at Pas de la Casa, col du Portet offers the highest stage finish at 2215 meters above sea level. Three years ago, Nairo Quintana imposed his climbing skills on a specific format of a 65-km long stage. This time around, he’s hunting for the polka dot jersey and it’s the right day for it. However, he’s no longer with powerhouse Movistar but with the small wild-card team Arkea-Samsic, now reduced to three men after some crashes. The fight for the King of the Mountains competition is probably the fiercest to expect as the yellow jersey looks like it belongs to Tadej Pogacar who will receive the support of a huge Slovenian crowd on the slopes of the Pyrenean ski resort of Saint-Lary-Soulan. Letour.fr - Stage 17

Official post-race summary for Stage 17 (July 14):

SLOVENIAN BEAR AT HOME IN THE PYRÉNÉES

Two years after he claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory in Andorra at La Vuelta and one year after he took his first Tour de France stage victory in Laruns, Tadej Pogacar imposed himself with the yellow jersey at col du Portet, making stage 17 the queen stage of the Tour de France. The Slovenian outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard and Richard Carapaz and extended his lead overall.

Six riders in the lead

145 riders took the start of stage 17 in Muret at 12.16. After a first attempt by Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Pierre Rolland (B&B-KTM) was the first rider who managed to go clear. He stayed away for 13 kilometres. Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Dorian Godon (AG2R-Citroën) and Anthony Pérez (Cofidis) managed to get a gap at km 18. Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and Maxime Chevalier (B&B-KTM) bridged the gap at km 30. Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) rode in between for a while before he surrendered. A time difference of 8’20’’ was recorded at km 60. Van Poppel won the intermediate sprint at Bagnères-de-Luchon where Michael Matthews won the sprint of the peloton ahead of Mark Cavendish.

Perez, the enfant du pays on tour on Bastille Day

At the beginning of the ascent to col de Peyresourde, Elie Gesbert (Arkea-Samsic) sped up to launch the action of his captain Nairo Quintana. Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) went with them and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) bridged the gap. Latour was the only one to stay away until the bottom of Val Louron where the deficit of the yellow jersey group led by UAE Team Emirates was reduced to 4’. Perez rode away solo at the front 5.5km before the summit of the second climb of the day. He passed Val Louron 10’’ before Godon. The two Frenchmen formed a special Bastille Day leading duo 22km before the end with an advantage of 3’40’’ over the peloton. Perez, the enfant du pays, rode away solo again with 13.5km to go.

Pogacar with no help in the battle royale

Perez was brought back 8.5km before the finishing line. Pogacar sped up. Only Jonas Vingegaard and Richard Carapaz managed to hold his pace. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) escaped from the chasing group to try and catch the leading trio. Pogacar did all the pacing at the front until Carapaz attacked 1.5km before the summit. The Ecuadorian didn’t drop the Slovenian off. Vingegaard struggled to follow but came across to contest the stage victory but Pogacar showed h is superiority to put his mark on a prestigious win at the highest finish of the Tour de France.  Letour.fr - Stage 17 

STAGE 18

Official pre-race summary for Stage 18 (July 15):

LAST CHANCE FOR CLIMBERS

After the brilliant win of Tadej Pogacar at col du Portet, it’s hard to expect the Tour de France to be turned upside down in the last Pyrenean stage but the riders have yet to climb two giants: the Tourmalet via La Mongie and Luz Ardiden. The yellow jersey holder felt “pure joy” when he recognized his girlfriend and his parents on the road side 5km before the end yesterday but he’s more likely to let a breakaway go after that. It’s the last chance for Colombians to make it up for the frustration. Rigoberto Uran is no longer in the top 3 overall. Nairo Quintana has failed to conquer the polka dot jersey where he won three years ago. Has Miguel Angel Lopez kept all his energy for this day? Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden can hardly disappoint…  letour.fr - Stage 18

STAGE 19

STAGE 20

There are no categorized climbs on stage 20 of the 2021 Tour de France.

STAGE 21

EXPLANATION OF KING OF MOUNTAIN, KOM POINTS AND BONUS POINTS

FOR THE 2021 TOUR DE FRANCE

KOM Defined:  Climb-related points are accumulated during the race.  The rider with the most accumulated points at the beginning of the stage wears the red polka dot jersey that day, and the rider with the most points at the end of the race is crowned that year’s Tour de France King of the Mountains.

“Category”:  When the mountain classification (King of the Mountains) was introduced in 1933, there were points given to the first ten riders over the summit (ten points for first, one point for tenth).  In 1947, the Tour introduced two climb “categories” with a certain amount of points for the second category and twice as many as for the first category.  Over the years “categories” were added, in addition to an “Above” category (Hors or HC), and since 1979 there have been an HC (hardest), Category 1 (second hardest) on down to Category 4 (least difficult climb).

The category of the climb is significant for two reasons:

• The points awarded for the TdF KOM for each climb is based upon the category of climb - thus, “category” is the basis for the points that are used to determine each year’s King of the Mountains.
• Most cycling fans, particularly Grand Tour fans, are very interested in the climb “category” because that tells them how hard each climb on a stage is and where the riders will struggle more and the point in a stage where that day, or even the entire tour, will be won or lost.

KOM History:  King of the Mountains -- Mountain Classification victories (first recognized in 1933; jersey introduced 1975)

• Frederico Bahamontes (six: 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964; nine in Grand Tours)  
• Triples for a career (none ever in the same year):  Bahamontes, Louis Herrera.
• Doubles same year (TdF+Giro):  Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Lucien Van Impe, Claudio Chaippucci
• 2020 King of the Mountains:  Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia (also won the TdF and the Young Rider classification)

Points:  KOM points are awarded in two ways on the Tour de France:

•  To riders first over the summit of categorized climbs (in descending order HC, 1-4).  

• The higher the category the more riders receive points (HC points are awarded to eight riders, while CAT 4 points are awarded to only one rider).

• Bonus point (see below).

TDF Points Formula:

Wikipedia has the best summary and graph we’ve seen for TdF KOM points distribution:

The points gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:

Wikipedia: Mountains Classification - Tour de France.

Bonus Points:  These points go towards the King of the Mountain designation and are awarded to the first (8 points), second (5 points), and third (2 points) riders reaching designated summits in the race.  

This year’s bonus points are given at the top of the following climbs:

Stage 2: Mûr-de-Bretagne (first passage)

Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon

Stage 8: Col de la Colombière

Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage

Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis

Stage 15: Col de Beixalis

A rider must complete the full Tour de France to win the Mountains classification.