Stage 19 138km
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne / La Toussuire - Les Sybelles
From Podium Cafe: It's the Alps, half the places that host stage finishes are ski
stations, as is La Toussuire/Les Sybelles. It's ideally placed right
smack dab in the middle of big climbs and they've hosted the Tour twice
already in the last ten years (and the Dauphiné a few times as well).
Probably a bit of marketing budget to put the place on the map, much
like Le Alpe d'Huez did once back in the day. Last time we were here the
stage was even harder with the full Col de la Madeleine instead of
Chaussy and it was the day most known for Froome's little insurrection
when he actually attacked his captain Wiggins a bit before getting
reined in by the DS in the car.
Specialities: Mont Corbier liqueur, Savoie, reblochon, abondance, Beaufort (all cheeses, Opinel knives
Specialities: alpine lamb, matouille (fondue), rioute (pastry), Mont Corbier liqueur, beaufort cheese, crozets of Savoy (pasta)
The stage: Christian Prudhomme's comment
On a
tightened format, attacking can occur at any time. Especially when the
course offers climbs up to the Col du Chaussy, a newcomer on the Tour de
France, the Col de la Croix de Fer followed by the Col du Mollard
before the final climb up to La Toussuire - Les Sybelles! No title contender will feel relaxed on this stage.
Action! One of those, don't blink or you will miss it starts to the stage as many riders attempted to get away. And rain! This could be very interesting. With over one hundred kilometers to go, the yellow jersey group was already dramatically reduced. The Sky train had all but disappeared as the pace was continuing to shell riders out the back.
On the descent, Geraint Thomas would make it back on, along with many others including Peter Sagan.
The slower pace meant that the peloton continued to grow. The Sky train was back, in force. Ahead, Teklehaimanot caught the break. A crash for Wellens from that group in the feed zone, but he would rejoin the group.
Time for the Col de la Croix de Fer: 22 kilometers of climbing at 6.9%. Time for the grupetto to form. In front, as they climbed Rolland gained a minute over his breakaway companions. Behind, that Sky train was once again shrinking rapidly. As they climb, an attack by Valverde. He would get a small gap before being caught.
A mechanical issue for Froome, but he would catch the group, minus Nibali, who had attacked.
Riders rejoined the yellow jersey group on the descent. Meanwhile, NBCSN argued over whether or not Nibali's attack was appropriate, given the "unwritten rule about not attacking during a mechanical." Polemica!
On the road Froome and Valverde had a chat.
I think that is supposed to be a shark:
Nibali would catch Rolland. They would have 1’50” to the Froome group with 33.2 kilometers to go. Word that Geraint Thomas was more than nine minutes down. Yikes.
Sixteen kilometers to go and Niblali dropped Rolland. Nibali would hold on for the win as behind, Quintana finally attacked.
Stage:
GC:
Wine: Lupin Frangy Rousette de Savoie
From FranklyWines
From the importer:
Bruno Lupin is a winemaker with extensive experience. Before moving
back to his hometown to establish his own estate, he ran the cellar at
La Cave de Genève in Switzerland for many years.
The Lupin estate consists of five hectares of vines in Frangy
on a hillside called Les Aricoques. Bruno considers this location the
best in the region due to the full southern exposure and the relatively
low altitude that protects the vineyards from the cold northern winds.
The soils are molasses, a crumbly calcareous soil resulting from old
mountain erosion. Most of the vines are about 25 years old but there is a
single parcel of individually staked vines that are over 60 years old.
This site is the source of his old vines wine: "Cuvée du Pépé".
The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and are never
de-acidified (although it is a common practice in the area). Bruno works
his vineyards organically most of the time, only resorting to chemicals
when absolutely necessary to preserve the health of his plants.
Domaine Lupin's Frangy is the primary wine of the estate.
Vinification The wine is fermented in all
stainless steel tanks. 20% of the wine goes through malolactice
fermentation and is blended back in with the rest in order to create
great balance.
Tasting Notes Bright, white flesh fruit
(apricot, peach, pear) and blossoms on the nose, with crushed oyster
shells and spring rain. The smells are fresh. Striking minerality. It is
the mouth-filling quality and long finish that impress the most though.
Surprisingly rich, lots of material.
Pairings Trout, almonds, fondue, alpine cheeses, lemon chicken, caprese salad.
I say: Lemonade yellow again and just as bright and fresh as a homemade glass. Peaches, pears and lots of minerals. I have to agree with the "mouth-filling quality and long finish" note above. I like this one a lot.
Food: Tomme de Savoie
Tomme means smallish, roundish cheese, and is usually combined with the
region or town of origin. In this case, you're munching a raw, cows milk
wheel from France's mountainous eastern region of Savoie in the Rhone
Alpes. It has been lightly pressed for a semi-soft texture and aged from
2-4 months. It's a mountain staple made from the skimmed milk left over
from butter making and it radiates a rustic, earthy, simplicity.
