Stage win in sight on the Tour’s queen stage

July 14 is Bastille Day in the French calendar. The national holiday is also a holiday for the Tour de France every year. The queen stage was rightly scheduled for this special day. Almost 200 kilometers, almost 5,000 vertical meters – it was an epic climbing spectacle in the Pyrenees. After the team had taken a day to gather itself following Primož Roglič’s withdrawal, it was full steam ahead today. For the six remaining Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe riders, the direction was clear even before the start: go for a stage victory.Rolf Aldag“We were a bit lost in space, since our leader Primoz was no longer with us. It took us a day to find ourselves. But this morning there was a great spirit in the bus. Everyone wanted to go for this stage and hoped that it would not be a GC day.”With Bob Jungels, Jai Hindley, Nico Denz and later Matteo Sobrero, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe was represented in the leading group with multiple riders. The team set the pace and underlined its big ambitions for the stage win. The leading group had already shrunk considerably before the final climb: Jai Hindley and only four other riders went into the 15-kilometer climb to the Plateau de Beille with a two and a half minute lead on the yellow jersey. Back in that group, Vingegaard attacked early and only Pogacar was able to follow. Both caught up with the breakaway group halfway up the climb, thwarting the team’s plans for a stage win.Rolf Aldag“What a great battle it was. I think there was nothing more we could have done. At one point we had four guys up the road in a group of six. What more could you ask for. The commitment was absolutely there and really huge. They kept believing in it.” Jai Hindley“It was a super epic day. Full gas from start to finish. We had a solid plan and we did everything we could to go for the stage. Unfortunately it was more of a GC battle and we didn’t get too much of a gap. But I’m super happy with the guys and how they rode. The team in general was awesome today. We’ll keep the positives, and we’ll go again!”