On stage 19 of the Tour de France, Thymen Arensman of Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team secured 12th place following a determined performance that concluded on the challenging ascent of Alpe d’Huez. The race saw intense action from its early moments, with the peloton splitting on the initial climb of the day.
Arensman was positioned in the front group alongside his teammates Tobias Foss and Josh Tarling. The trio worked together effectively as the stage progressed. Tarling played a crucial role, setting a strong pace at the front of the group for a significant period, driving the effort with 50 kilometres remaining before eventually falling back after a series of powerful turns with 43km to go. Subsequently, Foss took over the responsibility, continuing to support Arensman as the race approached the decisive final climb.
Stage 19 Action on Alpe d’Huez
As the riders reached the base of Alpe d’Huez, with 12 kilometres left in the stage, Arensman initiated an attack in an attempt to break up the leading group. However, his move was quickly neutralised when Richard Carapaz of EF Education – EasyPost launched a counter-attack from the front. Arensman found himself unable to respond to the subsequent attacks that followed. Meanwhile, from behind, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates XRG accelerated, working to close a three-minute gap to the leaders.
Pogacar ultimately claimed the victory at the summit of Alpe d’Huez. Arensman, despite the challenges, pushed through to the finish, crossing the line solo in 12th position after another resilient display in the high mountains. The stage was marked by a massive breakaway that formed in the early kilometres of the 127.9km route from Gap to l’Alpe d’Huez.
Among those in the breakaway was Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike, who aimed for a stage win. Kuss remained in contention deep into the finale before losing ground to Lenny Martinez of Bahrain Victorious and Richard Carapaz. He eventually finished fourth, 1:14 behind stage winner Pogacar. Kuss described the day as hard but enjoyable, noting that the breakaway did not have a sufficient gap at the bottom of the climb to hold off Pogacar.
Kuss also commented on the dynamics within the breakaway at the foot of the final climb, stating that while they needed to work together, no one was willing to commit to setting a high pace, which he considered normal given the strategic nature of the race. He acknowledged the strength of his competitors and their explosive attacks, which forced him to maintain his own rhythm. Despite not securing the win, Kuss expressed satisfaction with his effort.
Overall Standings and Future Prospects
The Tour de France has seen teams like Visma-Lease a Bike focusing on stage wins after their team leader, Jonas Vingegaard, was involved in a crash on stage 15. Kuss is already looking ahead to the next stage, which he believes will be more suited to his strengths. He anticipates that the upcoming queen stage, from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez via the Col de Sarenne, will be more of an endurance test with several large, difficult climbs, describing the Col de Sarenne as a tough, true alpine road.
In the overall rankings after stage 19, Tadej Pogacar holds the lead for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is in second place, trailing by 07:11, while Isaac del Toro, also from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is third, 09:42 behind. For Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, Egan Bernal is placed 16th overall, 01:17:35 behind the leader. Thymen Arensman is 26th overall, 01:51:45 behind Pogacar.
Other riders from Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team in the overall standings include Kévin Vauquelin in 36th place, Tobias Foss in 46th, Michal Kwiatkowski in 110th, Joshua Tarling in 120th, Filippo Ganna in 124th, and Dorian Godon in 134th. The stage results for Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team on stage 19 saw Tobias Foss finish 44th, Kévin Vauquelin 52nd, Michal Kwiatkowski 97th, Egan Bernal 98th, Joshua Tarling 100th, Filippo Ganna 106th, and Dorian Godon 157th.
Source: netcompanyineos.com
