BAGNERES DE LUCHON: ROMAIN Bardet had promised to “blow up the race”, but it was Thibaut Pinot who set off the fireworks on the ascent to the Port de Bales on Tuesday’s 16th stage won by Australian Michael Rogers.
Pinot, who climbed to third in the overall standings, was the strongest of the general classification contenders on the 11.7-km climb as podium rivals Bardet and American Tejay van Garderen cracked.
Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, who is second overall, had his Movistar team set a fearsome tempo from the foot of the ascent and Van Garderen was the first of the top guns to drop back.
Bardet was struggling at the rear of the group and slipped back when Pinot’s FDJ.fr teammate Arnold Jeannesson upped the pace significantly.
“We showed that we are an incredible team,” Pinot, who trails yellow jersey holder Vincenzo Nibali of Italy by 5 minutes and six seconds, told reporters.
Pinot is 29 seconds behind Valverde, who was unable to hold his wheel on the Port de Bales, and moved 1:34 ahead of Bardet and 4:19 clear of Van Garderen in the overall standings.
“It was a treacherous stage for me, this morning I was not very confident,” said Pinot. “After the Port de Bales there was a descent that I don't like.”
Pinot admitted last year that he feared the descents, when riders sometimes hit 100 kph. He worked on this during the off-season and this year he has shown huge progress in this area.
After two more stages in the Pyrenees, the overall standings will be decided on Saturday with a 54-km individual time trial, before Sunday’s procession into Paris.
Van Garderen is expected to dominate Pinot in the solo effort against the clock, but he now has a huge deficit to make up.
“I took 1:30 to Bardet and I’m better than him in time trials so I now hope to keep the white jersey,” said Pinot.
The last Frenchman to finish on the podium in Paris was Richard Virenque in 1997. Reuters