Home Cycling Tour de France 2023: Jonas Vingegaard Nears Repeat Victory After Increasing Advantage on Stage 17

Tour de France 2023: Jonas Vingegaard Nears Repeat Victory After Increasing Advantage on Stage 17

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Tour de France 2023

Vingegaard marks his triumph by kissing his hand as he crosses the Courchevel finish line.

Jonas Vingegaard stands on the verge of reclaiming his Tour de France crown, having extended his lead beyond seven minutes during the gruelling 17th stage.

Displaying impressive strength, the Danish cyclist conquered the final ascent of the Tour’s queen stage, leaving main adversary Tadej Pogacar in his wake.

Two-time champion Pogacar fell behind with 15km remaining, expressing his exhaustion via team radio, “I’m gone, I’m dead.”

Felix Gall surged ahead to seize the stage victory, 34 seconds before Britain’s Simon Yates, and with Vingegaard finishing fourth.

Following a blistering performance in Tuesday’s individual time trial on stage 16, Vingegaard had already widened his lead over Pogacar from a mere 10 seconds to nearly two minutes. However, his latest accomplishment on stage 17 has provided what could be the definitive blow in this captivating contest.

Upon reaching the Courchevel finish line, the 26-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider celebrated by kissing his hand. He now leads Pogacar by seven minutes and 35 seconds with only three more competitive stages remaining before Sunday’s ceremonial Parisian finale.

“We’re not yet in Paris, and there are still some tricky stages left,” Vingegaard cautioned. “However, I’m relieved to have a lead of more than seven minutes.”

His team’s sports director, Griescha Niermann, further commented, “When the route was announced, we marked this day as ours. We planned to turn the Tour on its head and make it really hard. While we didn’t envision things unfolding as they did, I think, barring bad luck, Jonas has won the Tour today.”

Pogacar, who has kept pace with Vingegaard throughout much of the Tour, faltered 8km from the Col de la Loze summit, the highest climb of this year’s race at 2,034m. The Slovenian instructed his UAE team to shift their focus to maintaining Adam Yates’ podium position.

Clearly pained, Pogacar eventually crossed the finish line, jersey unzipped, six minutes after Vingegaard, also sporting a scraped knee from a minor crash earlier in the day.

Vingegaard encountered a mishap of his own, delayed by a stalled motorbike that halted an organisers’ car and blocked the road in the closing kilometres. However, he managed to weave his way through and maintain his strong performance.

Adam Yates maintains his third place in the overall standings, while his twin brother Simon’s performance has elevated him from eighth to fifth overall.

Both Simon Yates and Gall were part of a 33-rider breakaway that formed over 100km from the finish, with the Austrian cyclist Gall launching a solo effort up the Col de la Loze that he maintained until the end.

(Stage 17 results and general classification after stage 17 data followed)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Tour de France 2023

Who is on the brink of winning the Tour de France 2023?

Jonas Vingegaard is on the verge of reclaiming his Tour de France crown after extending his lead beyond seven minutes during the gruelling 17th stage.

Who was the main rival of Jonas Vingegaard in Tour de France 2023?

The main adversary of Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France 2023 was Tadej Pogacar, who had been at Vingegaard’s side for most of the Tour.

Who won Stage 17 of Tour de France 2023?

Felix Gall surged ahead to seize the stage 17 victory, finishing 34 seconds before Britain’s Simon Yates, with Jonas Vingegaard coming in fourth.

What was the decisive moment for Pogacar during Stage 17?

Pogacar faltered 8km from the Col de la Loze summit, the highest climb of this year’s race at 2,034m. He instructed his UAE team to shift their focus to maintaining Adam Yates’ podium position.

Where does Jonas Vingegaard stand in the general classification after stage 17?

Jonas Vingegaard leads the general classification after stage 17 of the Tour de France 2023, with a lead of seven minutes and 35 seconds over second-placed Tadej Pogacar.

More about Tour de France 2023

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5 comments

RaceWatcher21 July 19, 2023 - 11:43 pm

This Tour de France has been a rollercoaster. Jumbo-Visma really got their strategy right this year, hats off to them.

Reply
TourdeFan July 20, 2023 - 9:26 am

I felt for Pogacar, but Vingegaard was unstoppable this year, what a rider!

Reply
PogacarFan July 20, 2023 - 1:48 pm

Tough luck for Pogacar… But he’s still a champ in my eyes. he’ll bounce back

Reply
CyclingFan123 July 20, 2023 - 3:04 pm

Wow, Jonas is killin it this year! Can’t wait to see him in Paris!

Reply
MountainMan July 20, 2023 - 4:20 pm

That Col de la Loze climb…brutal, props to all the riders for giving it their all

Reply

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