Without fanfare, Quebecer Hugo Houle (Israel – Premier Tech) continues his good week of work at the Tour of Poland. On Saturday, he was the 20e to cross the finish line, which allowed him to climb to 19e provisional general classification rank with only one stage to complete.
The victory was contested in a sprint at the end of the day and it was the Belgian Thibau Nys (Lidl – Trek) who got the better of the Italian Diego Ulissi (UAE Emirates), second for a second time since the start of the Tour.
Houle stayed in the peloton for most of the day, working for teammate Jakob Fuglsang, who ultimately was unable to get to the front of the group for the final sprint. The Dane finished 15the rank.
The form is going really well, it’s really fun to find myself in the group of favorites like today. I think these are my best moments in at least a year and a half. It bodes well for the end of the season, I want to keep this level and be opportunistic when the opportunities arise.
Hugo Houle in an interview with Sportcom
Houle crossed the finish line a few moments later, in 19e place (+17 seconds).
“There were two good climbs on the circuit, it was quite demanding, but I managed to hang on to the limit to stay with the leading group. The goal was to support Jakob and I was able to stay with him until the very end. I gave it everything I had,” added the athlete from Sainte-Perpétue.
For his part, Guillaume Boivin, also a member of the Israel – Premier Tech team, ranked 71st.e (+12 minutes 47 seconds).
With his second place of the day, Ulissi is 13 seconds behind the Danish Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), leader of the provisional general classification. The Dutchman Wilco Kelderman, Vingegaard’s teammate, is in third place (+20 seconds).
The seventh and final stage of the Tour de Pologne will be 142.1 kilometres long on Sunday between the cities of Wieliczka and Krakow.
Intense climbs at the Tour de France
The Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the Montée du Chinaillon were fatal for the majority of the riders present in the breakaway at the very end of the seventh and penultimate stage of the Tour de France on Saturday. The only survivor of the breakaway was the Belgian Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal).
The holder of the polka dot jersey attacked in the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt in order to add valuable points to the ranking of the best climbers.
PHOTO JULIEN DE ROSA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Wearing the polka dot jersey, Ghekiere launched a decisive attack on the steep slopes of the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, distancing her rivals, including Marianne Vos, to cross the finish line solo.
As no one had followed her, she continued her effort until the finish line, which she crossed with a 1 minute 15 second lead over her closest pursuer, the Frenchwoman Maëva Squiban (Arkéa – B & B Hotels).
Dutchwoman Mareille Meijering, teammate of Quebecer Olivia Baril with Movistar, was the best representative of her team, ranking 12th.e (+1 minute 28 seconds). As for her, Baril took the 48e echelon, 9 minutes 23 seconds behind the winner. Simone Boilard (Uno-X Mobility) finished one rank ahead of Baril.
Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) remains at the top of the general classification with a 27-second lead over the Netherlands’ Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck). The eighth and final stage of the Tour will be held on Sunday over 149.9 kilometres with a finish in Alpe d’Huez.