Le Tour 2019 – Stage 3

Binche > Épernay

Distance: 215 kilometers.

This stage actually includes some racing in France. It is classified as “hilly”. The riders spend 102 kilometers cruising the hills before hitting the intermediate sprint at Dizy-le-Gros. Then there are more hills for 73 kilometers, when it is time for the chamois in the race to get busy: 173 km cat 4 Côte de Nanteuil-la-Forêt, 185.5 km cat 3 Côte d’Hautvillers, 190 km cat 3 Côte de Champillon, and 199 km cat 3+ Côte de Mutigny (the final 900 meters are a 12.2% grade). Not a lot of Polka Dot points, but the real climbing is later in this year’s Tour, so the climbers will want all they can get.

Julian Alaphilippe is “the first Frenchman in the lead of the Tour de France since Tony Gallopin in 2014.” according to the official site. He was with Tim Wellens’s break-away and launched his individual effort when Wellens had a flat tire after cresting Côte de Mutigny

Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 021 ) [Yellow] 09h 32′ 19″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 011 ) [Green] 76 points
Tim Wellens ( Bel – LTS – 168 ) [Polka Dot] 7 points
Wout Van Aert ( Bel – TJV – 088 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 021 )
Combative: Tim Wellens ( Bel – LTS – 168 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Team Jumbo – Visma ( TJV – 081-088 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top Ten:
1 Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 021 ) –
2 Wout Van Aert ( Bel – TJV – 088 ) + 00h 00′ 20″
3 Steven Kruijswijk ( Ned – TJV – 081 ) + 00h 00′ 25″
4 George Bennett ( NZl – TJV – 082 ) + 00h 00′ 25″
5 Michael Matthews ( Aus – SUN – 141 ) + 00h 00′ 40″
6 Egan Bernal ( Col – INS – 002 ) + 00h 00′ 40″
7 Geraint Thomas ( GBr – INS – 001 ) + 00h 00′ 45″
8 Enric Mas ( Spa – DQT – 025 ) + 00h 00′ 46″
9 Greg Van Avermaet ( Bel – CCC – 111 ) + 00h 00′ 51″
10 Wilco Kelderman ( Ned – SUN – 146 ) + 00h 00′ 51″

The Rest of the Top 30:

11 Michael Woods ( Can – EF1 – 098 ) + 00h 00′ 51″
12 Thibaut Pinot ( Fra – GFC – 051 ) + 00h 00′ 52″
13 Rigoberto Uran ( Col – EF1 – 091 ) + 00h 00′ 53″
14 Tejay Van Garderen ( USA – EF1 – 097 ) + 00h 00′ 53″
15 Sonny Colbrelli ( Ita – TBM – 043 ) + 00h 00′ 56″
16 Rudy Molard ( Fra – GFC – 056 ) + 00h 00′ 57″
17 David Gaudu ( Fra – GFC – 053 ) + 00h 00′ 57″
18 Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 011 ) + 00h 01′ 00″
19 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – SUN – 148 ) + 00h 01′ 00″
20 Matteo Trentin ( Ita – MTS – 107 ) + 00h 01′ 01″
21 Vincenzo Nibali ( Ita – TBM – 041 ) + 00h 01′ 01″
22 Adam Yates ( GBr – MTS – 101 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
23 Alexey Lutsenko ( Kaz – AST – 076 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
24 Daryl Impey ( RSA – MTS – 105 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
25 Jakob Fuglsang ( Den – AST – 071 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
26 Luis León Sanchez ( Spa – AST – 078 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
27 Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia ( Spa – AST – 072 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
28 Patrick Konrad ( Aut – BOH – 014 ) + 00h 01′ 11″
29 Maximilian Schachmann ( Ger – BOH – 018 ) + 00h 01′ 11″
30 Gregor Mühlberger ( Aut – BOH – 015 ) + 00h 01′ 11″

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

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