Tour de France 2022
Laporte saves the day for France
French rider claims Stage 19 as teammate Vingegaard edges closer to overall victory
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CAHORS (France) • It was a case of better late than never, after Christophe Laporte yesterday won Stage 19 to avoid the embarrassing prospect of French riders ending the Tour de France without a stage victory for only the third time since the first edition in 1903.
Only two stages are left, including the final-day ceremonial ride to the Champs Elysees in Paris, so Laporte looked a relieved man as he won his first individual Tour stage.
He said: "I'm super happy, I can't believe it. (Teammate) Wout (van Aert) told me that, 'Today is for you'. The last time he said that was at Paris-Nice - it brings me luck."
But despite Laporte's triumph, which gave Jumbo-Visma their fifth stage victory in this edition, his teammate and co-leader Jonas Vingegaard was the biggest winner of the day.
The 25-year-old, who has held the yellow jersey since Stage 11, safely retained his lead in the general classification category. He is now just one time trial from becoming only the second Danish rider since Bjarne Riis in 1996 to win the most prestigious cycling race in the world.
Vingegaard now has a commanding 3min 26sec advantage over Slovenia's two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates.
Welshman Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers, the 2018 Tour winner, remained in third, eight minutes behind the leader.
Barring a disaster today in the 40.7km individual time trial from Lacapelle-Marival to Rocamadour, there will be a new Tour champion.
Even the third protest to hit the Tour failed to derail Vingegaard's charge from the Pyrenees to Cahors.
The race had been under way for around 30 minutes when a leading group of five escape riders encountered a protest blocking the route.
Organisers decided to stop the race, halting the main peloton when it was a couple of kilometres behind. The protesters were swiftly cleared from the road and the stage was able to continue, with the five front riders being allowed to set off 1min 20sec before the main group.
French environmental campaigners briefly halted the race in the Alps on Stage 10 in a protest that went viral after a woman chained herself by the neck to another protester, while there was another protest on Stage 15.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
TOUR DE FRANCE
Stage 20: Singtel TV Ch116, 6.45pm
