Wonderful Wellens cruises to dominant Tour stage win

Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won won a chaotic stage 15 of the Tour de France with  a 43km solo move into Carcassonne on Sunday.

In what was one of the most entertaining and engaging stages of the race so far, the Belgian champion infiltrated many of the day’s multiple breakaways, never wasting energy, following but never initiating attacks until he made the winning move. 

Wellens attacked on the final few metres of climbing, 43km from the line, and his move shattered his seven breakaway companions. They only re-formed inside the closing 20km, by which time the Belgian champion’s lead was already 1:25.

That group was caught by another another with 6km to go, with Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike) attacking late on to take second place, and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) winning the sprint for third.

There was no change at the top of the general classification, Wellens’ teammate Tadej Pogačar finishing more than six minutes behind the winner and retaining the yellow jersey with six stages to come after Monday’s rest day 

The race did not settle throughout its 169km, with attacks starting from the flag and multiple groups merging, morphing and splitting again throughout the day. Wellens was one of the ever-presents in those attacks, heading up the road in a large group after about 25km and often preserving energy while others chased.

After three tortuous days in the Pyrenees the Tour de France began to move eastwards for a 169.3km stage between Muret and Carcassone. 

With three classified climbs and almost 2,500m of vertical ascent, some had suggested it would be a day for the sprinters, while for others it would be one for the breakaway. Whatever, there was no surprise when the front of the peloton exploded with attacks the moment the flag dropped.

Despite the number of riders trying their luck, it was a solo rider who got away first. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) quickly built a lead of about 40 seconds, having told reporters he would target this stage before the Grand Depart more than two weeks ago. He was soon caught by a bunch fractured by a crash which took down second and third placed riders Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). 

With attacks still trying to get away, it took a long while for the distanced riders to reach the front again, despite yellow jersey, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) trying to calm the leading group. It was during this period of chaos, with riders all across the road, a group of 15 men got away, including Powless, but also Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike). Despite such strength in the leading group, Lidl-Trek refused to let it go, desperately chasing to get Jonathan Milan in position ahead of the intermediate sprint. However, crosswinds saw to that ambition, the Italian dropped from the peloton as it split in half.

Though he got back on, the peloton were still 50 seconds behind when Van der Poel took maximum points at the intermediate sprint, almost 60km into the stage. The peloton weren’t happy though, and on the third category Côte de Sorèze it was all change with some of the break being dropped and some of the peloton joining the leaders. 

Eventually, over the top of the climb, eight riders led an intermediate group of 23 by 35 seconds, while the peloton seemed content at 2.15, UAE taking responsibility for pace setting.

At the front Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Alexey Lutsenko (Israel PremierTech), Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) held off the chasing group well, though they were joined by Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) with 60km to go, as they reached the second category Pas du Sant.

But on stage 15 of this year’s Tour nothing stayed the same, and on the steep early slopes, Storer attacked, Wellens, Campenaerts and Simmons going with him and staying there despite a further attack from the Australian. The climb dragged on over the top, and it was here they were joined by Warren Barguil (Picnic-PostNL), Aleksandr Valsov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) and Lutsenko. 

The moment they reached the front of the race Wellens attacked, hoping to ride the remaining 43km to the line in Carcassonne alone. This move instantly shattered the remaining seven riders into ones and twos, and, with many of the remaining kilometres downhill there was hope for the newly crowned Belgian champion. Indeed, after only 10km alone, Wellens had built a lead of 45 seconds. 

Rodriguez’s presence in the breakaway caused some consternation in the peloton, with Ben Healy’s EF Education-EasyPost team riding unsuccessfully to defend the Irishman’s ninth place on GC.