Stage 17

The road

At the start

Four climbs in 130 kilometres

Tadej Pogačar attacked Jonas Vingegaard three times on the Port de Lers, threw his gloves onto the road doing it, and took nothing: still 2:22 down, with Geraint Thomas at 2:43 and Romain Bardet collapsed to ninth. Rafał Majka does not start today, which leaves the Slovenian thinner again. Four climbs in 130 kilometres, the Aspin through to the Val Louron-Azet, and the runway at Peyragudes.

How it was won

1. 165 km to go

   Pinot first over the Aspin

   Geschke in polka dots and Ciccone are both up the road hunting points, but it is Pinot who crests the Aspin first, with Lutsenko for company.

2. 249 km to go

   UAE turn up the heat

   Pinot and Lutsenko hold 1:15 as UAE Team Emirates mass on the front and push the pace over the second-category Hourquette d'Ancizan. Adam Yates, sixth overall, is already fading out the back.

3. 324 km to go

   Thomas cannot hold the wheel

   McNulty is motoring up the 10.7km Val Louron-Azet with Pogačar, Vingegaard and Thomas glued to him. The climb barely dips below 7.1%, and with three kilometres of it left Geraint Thomas comes off the back and starts rolling backwards.

4. 421 km to go

   Pogačar jumps at the summit

   The trio sweep up Leknessund, the last man out front, and Pogačar leaps from behind McNulty's wheel to hit the front across the top. Vingegaard clings on and they regroup on the descent, McNulty back in the lead with under eighteen kilometres left.

5. 57 km to go

   Bardet counter-attacks on the altiport climb

   With seven kilometres to go Bardet accelerates out of the chase and Thomas matches him, the two agreeing on the road to work together. Ahead, McNulty is still driving the front for the white jersey with the maillot jaune in tow.

6. 6At the line

   Pogačar saves it for the last 100 metres

   The finishing ramp at Peyragudes tips towards double figures and Pogačar holds his effort until the runway. He lets it go inside the final hundred metres and Vingegaard cannot answer, taking second on his wheel. Three stages for the Slovenian, and the Tour still slipping away from him.

The result