13 Jul 2022
Duo finish strongly on epic Tour stage
Related riders
Geraint Thomas
Adam Yates
Tour de France - Stage 11 » Albertville › Col du Granon, 151.7km
Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates finished a superb fourth and sixth on a memorable stage 11 at the Tour de France.
Both Grenadiers were able to overhaul the yellow jersey of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) on the final climb of an epic test that will go down as one of the most exciting stages in years.
Thomas was able to force his way into a select move as the race exploded early following the Col du Telegraphe, and despite being distanced on a couple of occasions, the Welshman finished strongly to take fourth on the stage. He now sits 1:38 back on winner and new race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Yates was able to regain contact with the lead group, including Thomas, on the descent off the subsequent Col du Galibier. The Brit dug deep to finish sixth, again passing Pogacar in the final kilometres. Thomas and Yates also occupy fourth and sixth overall, 2:26 and 3:06 back on Vingegaard respectively.
Tom Pidcock also continued to impress in his Tour debut. The youngster limited his losses and remains well placed in 11th overall, also ensuring the Grenadiers extended their lead on the Team GC.
Thomas was able to force his way into a select move as the race exploded early following the Col du Telegraphe, and despite being distanced on a couple of occasions, the Welshman finished strongly to take fourth on the stage. He now sits 1:38 back on winner and new race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Yates was able to regain contact with the lead group, including Thomas, on the descent off the subsequent Col du Galibier. The Brit dug deep to finish sixth, again passing Pogacar in the final kilometres. Thomas and Yates also occupy fourth and sixth overall, 2:26 and 3:06 back on Vingegaard respectively.
Tom Pidcock also continued to impress in his Tour debut. The youngster limited his losses and remains well placed in 11th overall, also ensuring the Grenadiers extended their lead on the Team GC.
On the final climb of the Col du Granon Thomas was forced to take off in pursuit of Romain Bardet (Team DSM). The Frenchman elevated himself to second overall, but the gap from second to Thomas in fourth is just 10 seconds.
Reaction
- Rod Ellingworth
"It was a good day for the team, I think for Geraint the way he rode, he showed he’s a smart guy. He never put himself in the red and he’s done a good ride.
"He’s dropped down to fourth on GC, but in the overall scheme of things it’s still a pretty strong position. Adam has also done well, he clawed his way back after dropping back on the Telegraphe.
"There’s a long way to go, tomorrow’s going to be a tough day for everyone to recover. The key thing now is recovery, and who will recover best - I’m sure there’s going to be some sore legs out there tomorrow. The one thing about G is that he’s a real ‘stayer’, he plays the long game, he’ll be pretty strong mentally after that. He’s been in a good place since the start of this bike race and we’re pretty happy with today, we’ll take that."
- Rod Ellingworth
"It was a good day for the team, I think for Geraint the way he rode, he showed he’s a smart guy. He never put himself in the red and he’s done a good ride.
"He’s dropped down to fourth on GC, but in the overall scheme of things it’s still a pretty strong position. Adam has also done well, he clawed his way back after dropping back on the Telegraphe.
"There’s a long way to go, tomorrow’s going to be a tough day for everyone to recover. The key thing now is recovery, and who will recover best - I’m sure there’s going to be some sore legs out there tomorrow. The one thing about G is that he’s a real ‘stayer’, he plays the long game, he’ll be pretty strong mentally after that. He’s been in a good place since the start of this bike race and we’re pretty happy with today, we’ll take that."
