Featured image courtesy of gettyimages
21 stages complete, the final Étape of the Day for the three weeks as the 2020 Tour de France drew to a close in style. While sad as it is without crowds on the streets of Paris, it remained the Holy Grail for the sprinters, always a lottery to predict who will win on the Champs-Élysées but by now we definitely know who has won the yellow jersey.
It doesn’t get much better for Irish sport than today! Sam Bennett becomes the first Irishman to win the green jersey since Sean Kelly in 1989, the first Irishman to win on the Champs-Élysées and fifth to do it with green on his shoulders and the first Irishman to win multiple stages at the Tour in 40 years – not a bad Tour de France for Sam Bennett!
He has made history for his country; he should be incredibly proud with two stage wins to go with the maillot vert – a special moment in the history of this superb bike race that continues to create stories year after year without fail. Deceuninck-Quick Step gave him the perfect leadout to beat his fellow sprinters including the man who has dominated the green jersey since 2012 – Peter Sagan who finished third. Bennett’s passion to raise his bike aloft loud and proud, we salute him!
Getting over the mountains, taking the race to his rivals, emotions running high, two glorious stage victories and now the green jersey – Sam Bennett could easily do it all again next year. Peter Sagan has a new challenger to the green jersey for years to come now, Bora-Hansgrohe didn’t give Sam Bennett an opportunity at the Tour, Quick-Step did, he thoroughly deserves to be happy as a result.
It was close but not quite close enough for the world champion Mads Pedersen. The Worlds are fast approaching, the Dane has performed at this Tour despite no stage wins. Because of the pandemic scuppering up the season you have to feel a bit for Mads Pedersen, who unless he wins the road race next Sunday, won’t wear the rainbow jersey at the upcoming Spring (now Autumn) Classics.
Alexander Kristoff, Elia Viviani, Wout Van Aert, Caleb Ewan, Hugo Hofstetter, Bryan Coquard and Max Walscheid rounded out the top ten on the Champs-Élysées.
The night belongs to Slovenia as Tadej Pogačar is crowned winner of the 107th Tour. A huge talent who let’s not forget only turned professional last year! We’ve seen him excel at last year’s Vuelta by winning three stages and finishing third overall, but this is on another level! An outside bet that nobody had even considered.
With Egan Bernal and Primož Roglič arriving with strong teams in Ineos Grenadiers and Jumbo-Visma, it just proves that the numbers of a team don’t always matter. Pogačar’s team was nowhere near the strength of Jumbo-Visma, a team that was without doubt the strongest but go home without the prize they’d hoped for.
The young man rode isolated but sensibly without losing his cool. On Stage 7 he lost over a minute to Roglič in crosswinds, responded in the Pyrénées to take time back, beating his compatriot on Stages 9 and 15 before the final time trial up La Planche des Belles Filles saw Pogačar in the form of his life! One of the most dramatic editions of the Tour, one we’ll remember for years to come. It is remarkable that he becomes the 12th rider to win yellow on his debut but most significant the youngest winner of Le Tour post-1945 – chapeau! For the next four editions of the race Tadej Pogačar will still find himself in the age range to compete for the white jersey – that’s the scale of this remarkable achievement.
Credit must go to Primož Roglič who’s been humble to his usurper, simply beaten by his younger Slovenian on the crucial stage to seal the general classification. Jumbo-Visma will go home shocked at how they did not win this year’s race but for Roglič himself let’s not forget the trajectory of his career. A ski jumper only eight years ago and in all the years previous he has become a fantastic Grand Tour contender with one under his belt already for goodness sake! Nobody can take away his Vuelta triumph last year, Primož Roglič may not say much off the bike, but on it he’s just a legend.
Legend status also belongs to Richie Porte. A Grand Tour podium for the first time in his career before he returns to Team Ineos in 2021, he didn’t win the Tour but remains one of the best climbers in the world.
At the end of three weeks this year’s Tour de France feels like a changing of the guard. For two years in a row youth has won the yellow jersey, new sprinters are winning the flat stages, the green jersey has changed shoulders and fresh talent is shining. The most combative rider was awarded to Marc Hirschi who thoroughly deserves the title after his breakthrough stage win into Sarran – Team Sunweb have had a brilliant Tour.
From Nice to Paris under the lingering threat of a pandemic – the Tour de France thankfully made it all the way round. Did it have an impact on Covid case increases in France? Too late now as the race has been and gone. Was it the right decision to hold the race? Again, too late as the race has been and gone. The organisers have done their best to keep riders and staff safe, some fans were irresponsible and for the good of the race reduced spectators at the side of the road would’ve been better.
Coronavirus has mixed up the season, a Tour de France in September that has been an unbelievable to watch. We sincerely hope that next year’s race won’t be held with a pandemic on – we hope and pray for this nightmare to be over. Tadej Pogačar is our champion in the most dramatic of circumstances – we’ll never live down what was the 107th race for the maillot jaune.
Vive le Tour!
THE CHAIN GANG 