Georg Zimmermann is in the breakaway group on the 18th stage of the Tour de France and is dominating the race. Then comes a brief moment of powerlessness.
Georg Zimmermann was angry with himself after repeatedly missing out on a stage win. “I’m a bit too old to still be learning. The time has slowly come to achieve success and not to pay the price for my mistakes,” said the disappointed Augsburger on ARD. The 18th stage of the Tour de France to Barcelonnette should have been the 26-year-old’s big day. But when Belgian Victor Campenaerts won, Zimmermann was exhausted during the decisive attack and ended up in 23rd place.
“I’m a little bit unhappy with today’s race. I was in a really good mood. One or two kilometers before the top of the last hill I put in a little too much. That was the decisive moment,” said Zimmermann. “At some point you’re just exhausted. That happened one or two kilometers too early today.”
A powerless moment
The Bavarian stressed that he could not blame himself. However, his dream of winning a stage was shattered, just like last year, when he was even closer. On the tenth stage he was only beaten by the Spaniard Pello Bilbao.
The contenders for the overall victory refrained from attacking each other. Tadej Pogacar successfully defended his yellow jersey and is 3:11 minutes ahead of the Danish defending champion Jonas Vingegaard. The Belgian time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel is in third place, 5:09 minutes behind.
A group of almost 40 riders had formed a good hour after the start in Gap. With five smaller mountain classifications, the stage was perfect for a great escape. Zimmermann was always in the know and was one of the most active riders. Around 60 kilometers from the finish, the Bavarian launched an attack himself, and when the group broke up due to strong crosswinds, the 26-year-old was in the best position. But then came that one powerless moment around 40 kilometers from the finish.
Geschke’s good memories
It was already clear before the start that it would be a day for breakaways before the two difficult Alpine tests. However, it took almost the entire first hour of the race before a group was formed. There were repeated attacks and counterattacks.
Simon Geschke was also in one of the groups that formed. The Berliner has fond memories of the area around the finish town of Barcelonnette. Practically within sight – up in the Pra-Loup ski area – the experienced rider won a mountain finish on the Tour as a soloist in 2015. To this day, it is the highlight of the climbing specialist, who is ending his career at the end of the year.
However, Geschke’s group did not manage to pull away decisively. When the day’s breakaway riders formed up for the next attack, Geschke was no longer there. Instead, Georg Zimmermann from Augsburg was there, and of the seven remaining German riders, he was predicted to have the best chances.
The roof of the tour is waiting
Friday will be a challenge, especially for the sprinters, to stay within the time limit at the end. The route leads over the 2802 meter high Cime de la Bonnette, the highest point ever reached in the Tour. It is the second highest paved road in the Alps after the Ötztal Glacier Road in Austria. The almost 23-kilometer climb is the second of three difficult mountains, all of which are more than 2000 meters high.
If Vingegaard really still has hopes of winning the overall classification, he will have to attack Pogacar on the Cime de la Bonnette. The Dane will not be able to make up the three-minute deficit on the final climb to Isola 2000 alone.
Source: Stern
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