Stage 16

The road

At the start

Into the Pyrenees, with the race emptying

Twenty-four riders are already out and five more do not start this morning, Lennard Kämna and Jakob Fuglsang among them; Primož Roglič gave up before Carcassonne. COVID has taken more of this Tour than the mountains have. Jonas Vingegaard leads Tadej Pogačar by 2:22 and Geraint Thomas by 2:43. The Pyrenees begin today but do not finish uphill: the Port de Lers, the Mur de Péguère, then a long drop into Foix.

How it was won

1. 163 km to go

   Caruso lights up the Port de Lers

   Damiano Caruso attacks out of the break on the first Pyrenean climb and is joined by Michael Woods and Michael Storer. Behind, Movistar send Mas up the road and gain nearly a minute.

2. 254 km to go

   Pogačar throws down his gloves

   In the last kilometre of the Port de Lers the yellow jersey battle finally reopens. Pogačar literally discards his gloves and sprints away from Vingegaard — twice — and twice the Dane calmly closes it down. He goes a third time over the top and is parried again. The chasing group is collateral damage, Bardet among the wounded, and only twelve riders are left with the maillot jaune on the descent.

3. 339 km to go

   Houle slips away unnoticed

   While everyone watches the GC duel, a counter-attack has put Hugo Houle into the leading group — and from it he attacks with 38 kilometres to run, playing off the work of his compatriot Woods, and never looks back.

4. 428 km to go

   Over the Mur de Peguere

   Houle reaches the wall with thirty-one seconds and holds it to the summit, with only Woods and Jorgenson on his heels. Ahead of the yellow jersey group Kuss sets a brisk tempo that briefly puts Thomas in trouble, while Yates, Pidcock and Meintjes are missing entirely.

5. 5At the line

   Houle soloes into Foix

   Jorgenson slides out in a turn and Woods, riding for his teammate, lets the gap stand. Hugo Houle takes his first professional victory after twenty-seven kilometres alone, while Madouas outsprints Woods behind.

The result