Published on : 07/20/2024
Although he inevitably suffered from all the effort he put in at the front, Guillaume gave it his all. Although he was distanced from the yellow jersey group on the Col du Turini, he fought hard right to the end to reduce the gap as much as possible. He finished 32nd on the stage and remains in the top 15 overall (14th and 1st Frenchman) ahead of Sunday's final stage from Monaco to Nice.
We'll have to get used to the idea that this is the last weekend of the Tour de France and we can only imagine the pinch we'll all feel when it's really over. Spectators and fans alike did their utmost to enjoy this penultimate stage, the last in the mountains. The riders rode on roads they know well, since a large part of the peloton lives in the region and the others are used to racing there.
A demonstration of stamina
Even knowing the terrain, the riders had to work hard on Saturday, with 4,600 metres of ascent between Nice and the Col de la Couillole. Cofidis team leader and first Frenchman in the overall classification, Guillaume Martin knew it was going to be tough and that he would have to hang in there. And so it proved. On the Col de Turini, the second climb of the day, he was slightly distanced by the yellow jersey group.
The show of resistance then began, sometimes in the shadow of the cameras. Right to the end, Guillaume gave it his all. He finally finished 32nd on the stage, 8 min 54 sec behind the winner Tadej Pogacar. In the overall classification, the leader retained his place in the top 15, in 14th place 39 min 20 sec behind the yellow jersey.
Crossing the line is one step closer to an achievement for everyone in the peloton. It's never trivial to complete a Tour de France and to have gone all the way, and that's what the Cofidis riders will experience tomorrow. Before that, they will have to take the time trial between Monaco and Nice (33.7km) seriously.
IMMEDIATE REACTIONS
Guillaume Martin: ‘It was a really difficult day. I suffered throughout the stage, especially as I got into the red on the first climb. From then on, I was never able to recover. I'd like to sincerely thank my team-mate Simon Geschke for helping me. My only idea was to finish the stage. It was like my Tour de France, where I hung in there right to the end.
Simon Geschke: ‘Up until yesterday, I wasn't happy with the way I felt. Today, that wasn't the case and I'm happy with this last stage. Of course, it was very symbolic as it was my last stage in the Tour de France before tomorrow's time trial. I'm proud to have helped Guillaume consolidate his fine position in the overall classification.