Soler 4th as Pogačar goes on the offensive

It was 4th place for Marc Soler in Mende at the finish line of the 14th stage of the Tour de France.

It was a stage for the breakaway of no less than 23, who went away after 49 km of the race and reached an advantage of almost 15 ‘.

The breakaway , among which Marc Soler was also present, worked their way through the two 3rd category GPMs placed in the second half of the route and the demanding final steep climb of 3 km which saw Michael Matthews (BikeExchange- Jayco) to take the win from Alberto Bettiol (Ef Education-EasyPost), with Soler 4th at 50″.

On the ascent towards Mende, Pogačar’s launched his attack which only the yellow jersey Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) able to stay with the Slovenian of UAE Team Emirates and the duo reached the finish line with a gap of 12’34” from the winner.

In the overall standings, Pogačar follows Vingegaard at 2’22”, while the lead over Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) has widened by 17″ and is now 21 “.

Soler: “The day was challenging, also due to the intense heat. I tackled the last ascent at my own pace, to avoid going over the top immediately, and I found a good pace. I tried to get back to the leading duo, but I didn’t succeed and in the end Pinot overtook me.”

Pogačar: “Today’s stage has was a positive one: my legs were good and my teammates worked hard, these factors give me confidence to be proactive for the rest of the Tour”.

The 15th stage will start from Rodez and will end after 202.5 km in Carcassonne.

Order of arrival 14th stage
1. Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) 4h30’53 ”
2. Alberto Bettiol (Ef Education-EasyPost) +15 ”
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +34 ”
4. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +50 “

General classification after the 14th stage
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 55h31’01 ”
2. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) + 2’22 “
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) + 2’43 “