Vincenzo Nibali once again showed his champion's character
and achieved a brilliant victory in the 19th stage, La Toussuire, the final stage of the Tour de France 2015 in the Alps. The 'Shark's' long-range attack also took a bite out of the general classification, jumping from seventh to fourth place, 1:19 behind Alejandro Valverde's podium. Nairo Quintana launched an attack on the final climb and took 32 seconds off Chris Froome's lead, who maintains the yellow jersey with a 2:38 advantage over the Colombian. That is the situation heading into the 20th stage in Alpe d'Huez, which will determine the final order on the Champs-Élysées.
The stage had a thrilling start
with the initial climb of Chaussy. Purito Rodríguez sought the escape with a focus on the points for the Mountains classification and reached the summit in first position. At the same time, the top contenders also wanted to fight, with attacks from Contador, always with Valverde close behind, and Nibali. The moves from the leaders neutralized the breakaway and left Froome quite isolated. But no one was able to create a gap and Team Sky regrouped afterwards.
The breakaway was formed again, this time with Purito, who this time was joined by Romain Bardet, the winner of the previous day in Saint Jean de Maurienne, ahead of his compatriot Pierre Rolland. Purito and Bardet had started the stage tied for the King of the Mountains classification, but the battle was won on Friday by the Frenchman, who now wears the polka dot jersey. While they were marking each other, Rolland wanted to make up for Thursday. The Europcar rider, who had already won in La Toussuire in 2012, attacked solo and reached the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer in first position.
The Alpine giant, which was climbed via the Glandon, also produced interesting action in the group of favorites. Nibali was particularly aggressive. At 60 km from the finish, Alejandro Valverde made a move, but what seemed like a bold move for the overall win ended up being just a few shots fired. The Murcian rider couldn't stop looking back: it was clear he didn't want to be alone in the lead and dropped back. The conservative strategies of Movistar still prevail. Nairo Quintana didn't make a move during the entire ascent.
Just at that moment, Froome suffered a mechanical problem. The 'Shark of the Strait' didn't think twice, attacked, and launched himself into a dizzying descent. The others didn't do the same. Two days ago, Contador crashed on the descent of Allos and nobody slowed down, on the contrary, Valverde increased the pace. This difference in approach once again opens up the eternal debate of when to wait and when not to. Some argue that on Contador's day, the stage was wide open. During the climb to Col de la Croix de Fer, the contenders were also fighting for the race. When in doubt, it seems most logical to never slow down.
Nibali opened a gap and caught up with Rolland at the top of the Col du Mollard. Both were leading the race before the final climb to La Toussuire, with a two-minute advantage over the group of contenders, where Movistar was seen leading with José Herrada, followed later by Valverde himself. Once again, conservative tactics were at play. Froome was rubbing his hands together on the wheel of the Movistar riders. Meanwhile, Bardet, who was sandwiched in between, had to balance himself to fix a mechanical issue in the middle of the descent.
The 'Shark' quickly left Rolland behind in La Toussuire and slightly increased his advantage. Majka took the lead of the group: either Contador had the legs to attack or Tinkoff had joined Movistar's cautious approach. Nibali posed a threat to the Spaniard's fourth place. A small prize. The Madrid-born rider later explained a different version: it was not to increase the pace of the group, but to slow it down because he wasn't feeling strong. Contador finished in fifth place, 7:56 behind the leader.
With 5 kilometers to go, Nairo Quintana finally attacked, after not making any moves during the whole stage. The behavior of Movistar until then could only be explained by that. Contador and Valverde let him go. Only the leader could follow the Colombian, at a certain distance. Froome decided not to push and climbed at his own pace, which was not a bad pace. These are two contrasting styles: the pure climber and the steady rhythm with his power meter. Nairo cut 32 seconds and is now 2:38 behind going into Alpe d'Huez. A good advantage still for the African. Nibali has gotten closer to the podium, chasing Valverde at 1:19. These are the rewards that champions sometimes reap with bravery. Shyness and speculation do not win races.