Well, I said in my previous post that Michael Woods might be free to go seeking stage wins after dropping out of contention for the overall lead.
In Sunday's Stage 9, he did that and how.
The run to the Puy de Dome in south-central France involves a long and relatively level run to the Puy, a volcanic peak, and then a horrific climb up a very steep five kilometers to its top, most of it on a 12% or greater slope - "real Mike Woods country," one of the other riders said. It is one of the Tour's great peaks, but with a road too narrow to provide space for fans, and there are ecological issues too. So it has not been included since the 1980s.
Woods got away with a breakaway group of 14 at the start, including some strong riders but no one who posed a threat to the yellow jacket leaders. The peleton let them run with it, given that everyone was now nine days in without a break and the temperature was 35 C all day.
About 45 k from the end, the breakaway riders began to dispute who among them would win this stage. An American named Matteo Jorgenson took off on a heroic solo effort. Chased by a few contenders, he built up a lead of nearly two minutes. No sign of a response from Woods.
Woods hit the slopes of the Puy a couple of minutes behind, with barely 5 k to go and about 5 riders far ahead, and began to accelerate. This isn't motorsport. Facing an endless slope of 12% or so, the greatest bike riders in the world may hit 15 kph. Any normal human would be pushing the bike, not riding it. So began a really thrilling pursuit of the slo-mo mountain-stage kind, as Woods moved gradually up and past each of those ahead as their legs began to give out. Poor Jorgenson, after 45 k out on his own, never even saw him coming. With 500 meters to go, Woods seemed to rocket past him, and he went solo to the finish. Suddenly he's a legend of the Tour de France.
The leaders came in about 6 minutes later, with Pogacar and Vingegaard in their own tense battle for the overall lead, but it was Mike Woods's day. It is becoming a terrific Tour.
Update, July 12: Given that Woods was given the freedom to break away only because his poor showing on the earlier day climbing the Tourmalet had put him out of contention for the overall leadership, I wondered if he had chosen to fall back that day because being out of contention for a high standing overall would greatly enhance his chances of being allowed to run away from those still contention and seek wins on stages like the Puy de Dome.
But this discussion -- way above my paygrade as a Tour analysis! -- makes a strong case why Woods would not have tried that-- and proposes technical sources of Woods' weakness on the earlier climb.
