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Easy to forget, but there was a GC battle going on even beyond the heavyweight blows landed between Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel at this year’s Tour de France.
Other riders were fighting for high placings on the general classification, locked in a struggle that ultimately produced career-best finishes among 50% of the top 10.
In terms of team performances, many won’t be surprised to find that it was UAE Team Emirates who emerged on top, with three riders in the top-10.
There is Pogačar, of course, and then, almost 10 minutes down on Evenepoel, is the Slovenian’s fourth-placed team-mate, Joāo Almeida. Quite an achievement for the Portuguese Tour debutant. He has finished third and fourth overall in the Giro d’Italia already, but he may choose to count this ride as his best Grand Tour finish.
The third and last UAE rider in the top-10 is Adam Yates, who produced the third-best of eight Tour de France appearances to finish sixth. Not quite up there with last year’s podium but a major achievement.
Sandwiched between the Yates and Almeida is Evenepoel’s Soudal-Quick Step team-mate Mikel Landa, quietly adding to a string of top-10 Tour de France finishes over the years. He has now finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh at the race, and will take satisfaction from what is his best result since finishing fourth place in 2020.
Next up in seventh place is Carlos Rodríguez of Ineos Grenadiers, slightly down on last year’s fifth but it’s the best result for the team in this year’s race and another solid performance from the 23-year-old Spaniard.
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Visma-Lease a Bike’s second rider in the top placings is Matteo Jorgensen in eighth, who will be well satisfied with what is by far his best Grand Tour finish. He had his best stage result too, taking second place after his solo break was overhauled by Pogačar on Isola 2000.
Ninth place went to Derek Gee (Israel-PremierTech), who won so many fans with his dogged riding at the 2022 Giro d’Italia. Ninth place in his first Tour de France (and only his second Grand Tour), as well an impressive ride to sixth place in the final time trial will give him confidence for the future and introduces the 26-year-old Canadian as a bone fide GC rider.
Finally, 10th place went to Bahrain Victorious rider Santiago Buitrago. He had dropped out of the top-10 after stage 19, but found his way back into the top-10 at the last moment thanks to a strong time trial on stage 21. The 24-year-old finished 10th at the Vuelta España last year and in his first Tour continued the trend of ever-improving results.
That’s an impressive five career-best Tour de France finishes in 10 rides – worth celebrating, we think, alongside the rides of Pogačar and co.
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