Tour de France: Unchained (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Episode #1.5 - full transcript
Winning Alpe d'Huez
is a dream for any cyclist.
It's a mythical place.
Where we know we will make history.
Winning Alpe d'Huez was amazing.
When you're dominant
and you're winning all the time,
people want somebody else to win.
As Team Sky, we did so well.
It was all about the Tour.
And we were so successful.
It was seven out of eight years we won.
Then the reason INEOS came on board
to sponsor us was because
of that success in the Tour.
But we haven't won
the Tour in three years.
This year, Geraint Thomas
is holding on to fourth place,
and the British INEOS team
have yet to win a single stage.
A team like this has to win.
Now, we have to take more risks.
We have two strategies.
One, make sure that Geraint is protected
for the general classification.
The second is to go for a stage win.
But it's a gamble.
You never know how it's going to play out.
To win a stage of the Tour,
it can change a rider's life.
But for me personally,
you've always got the yellow jersey
in the back of your mind,
and that's the big goal.
The pressure is massive.
TOUR DE FRANCE: UNCHAINED
AT BREAKNECK SPEED
END OF STAGE 11
Jonas Vingegaard takes the yellow jersey.
I have no words.
We have been witness
to a brutal, terrible, nightmarish stage.
These riders gave everything.
Geraint Thomas stays in fourth place
in the general classification
after a stage that set
all the favourites head to head.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
YELLOW JERSEY
That was
fucking mental, wasn't it?
- Good training for the Pyrenees.
- Oh, man!
One guy today, top of the Galibier...
just stood in front of me going, "Rah!"
But he didn't fucking move.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
A right knobhead. Like, at last minute...
I was just expecting him
to move last minute, like...
Do you not remember that?
It's intense.
- Right, I'll see you later, butt.
- Ciao, butt.
My role has changed
this year in the team.
I'm a bit more of like, uh...
a squad captain, so to speak,
um, rather than the out-and-out leader.
We've got a lot of strong young guys,
and the focus has turned
more towards them.
You all right, Tom?
How was your day?
I just feel like
Jumbo took control of the race.
Yeah.
TEAM MEMBER / INEOS GRENADIERS
And we, well, didn't.
We came in saying we were
going to keep pressuring Jumbo, but...
we didn't do anything
to do that, you know?
I'm Tom Pidcock.
I ride for the INEOS Grenadiers.
And it's my first Tour de France.
I'm an Olympic mountain bike champion.
World champion in multiple disciplines.
He is this wonder-kid of global cycling.
He can climb.
He can sprint.
On the descents,
he is completely fearless.
He's one of the few cyclists
that is genuinely exciting
when you watch him race.
He has proved his ability
to win in other disciplines.
But he's young. He's still learning
the ropes of this discipline.
EX PROFESSIONAL RIDER
I don't know what to say, to be honest.
He's taking the piss, isn't he?
He's yet to prove
his abilities on the road.
Whoo!
So, coming to the Tour de France
with Team INEOS, it's a risk.
Since turning pro,
I haven't done many stage races,
so I haven't really...
yeah, tested myself.
For me, it's difficult.
I'm in the biggest bike race in the world,
and I'm not really enjoying it that much.
My role is kind of a few things.
Learn, gain experience for the future,
and basically riding on the front.
Taking the wind for other people.
That's the job.
The support riders for the Tour,
we call them "domestiques."
It's the traditional name
for a rider who supports a leader.
"Domestique" literally means servant,
and that is the role
that those riders are here to serve.
You're the person
who's going to the side of the road
to pick up the bags of food
and the multiple bottles
and stuffing them down your jersey.
Does anyone else want anything?
- You got Hydro in there?
- Yeah.
Tom has two bottles of water,
if anybody needs water.
Yeah, I'll have one, mate.
G would like some water.
It's not very fun,
but if you understand the purpose of it,
it's an important job.
For some, it's a dedicated role.
It's all they ever do in their career.
They perhaps never win a stage.
I'm 100% down
for helping my teammates
whenever they need me to.
But when the day is better suited to me,
then yeah, I want to be able to race.
How do you think we
should use the team best for you tomorrow?
- Think we should continue...
- As we have been.
If we were
to send Tom up the road tomorrow...
Send him up the road for what?
Well, yeah, to win the stage.
I don't know
why you'd risk that, like, now.
We have to take a risk.
If we're not prepared to take a risk,
we're not going to win a stage.
He can try if he gets in the break.
But, ideally, I'd say
Tom stay with us tomorrow.
That's obviously
because I'm thinking of myself.
Sometimes strategy
for general classification,
you've got to stay
consistent every single day.
It's all about the end game,
not the actual individual stages.
So, for Geraint this year,
it's all about the end game.
Make sure that
the general classification is protected
every step of the way,
all the way to Paris.
We've got to look after Geraint,
but also look to give somebody
the opportunity to go for the stage win.
What do you think's
possible for you tomorrow?
I don't know,
but how is the break gonna get away?
'Cause it's uphill
from the start, basically.
It's quite violent.
How do you even play this day, I mean?
Up down, up down...
Hundred and sixty-five K.
Just my opinion...
I think you should look
at tomorrow as an opportunity.
With your characteristics,
you can pretty much win that stage.
Gonna be hard, isn't it?
I might be wrong,
doesn't really matter what I believe.
It's more important what you believe.
With Tom, it's exciting when
you get a new rider as talented as he is
to explore, like, his potential.
But at the same time,
with that comes a certain pressure.
He has to perform,
and performing in this team is winning.
STAGE 12
Welcome to stage 12.
Today is Bastille Day.
The crowd is going completely crazy.
One hundred and sixty-five kilometres
in store today,
finishing on Alpe d'Huez, the most
iconic climb of the Tour de France.
It's a legend
written by champions,
after epic battles, of course.
Sometimes, the exuberance
of the crowd can be scary.
It's a place like no other
in the history of the Tour de France.
GENERAL DIRECTOR
THE TOUR DE FRANCE
Today it's Alpe d'Huez.
You can put on a real show.
CEO / GROUPAMA FDJ
The riders roll into town.
We are in for some fireworks today.
So, yesterday was
one of those days, right?
We've all had them.
And it probably
isn't going to be the last one.
You're maybe going to suffer a bit today.
If you look on the profile, it looks like
something from Lord of the Rings. Right?
EF Education First is definitely a team
that is polar opposite to Team INEOS.
They are a team of misfits.
They are relatively a small budget team.
But for some of those riders,
the younger riders,
this is the opportunity
you've got to grasp.
- Francesca!
- Francesca.
This year, they face relegation,
so they're coming into the Tour
with a lot of pressure.
It's so important
that they perform in the Tour de France.
Because if they don't,
they're gonna lose their sponsors.
The revenues that keep the teams alive
are derived almost entirely from sponsors.
If we're not commercially successful,
our team is not going
to be around very long.
For us to survive,
it's imperative that our team
gets noticed in this Tour de France.
A lot of that comes down to our leader.
My name is Rigoberto Urán.
My role in the team is to...
bring joy. To make the guys happy.
My first Tour de France was in 2009.
You needed to be 27, 29, 30 years old
to complete the Tour.
Nowadays, at the age of 21, they win it.
Rigo, he's a natural leader.
He's finished on the podium
of the Tour de France.
He's an Olympic medallist.
The guys, they all look at him
just sort of...
in awe.
He's their hero.
In the Tour de France, most teams are
there to support one... one person.
So, for our team,
we would support Rigoberto Urán.
So there's seven riders there for Rigo.
Unfortunately, Rigo's had quite the run
of bad luck in this Tour de France.
STAGE 2
Oh, he's down!
Rigo down! Rigo down!
Oh, fuck!
And Urán is in trouble.
Rigoberto Urán is having
a problem with his chain.
STAGE 8
A big crash
with lots of riders on the deck.
Rigoberto Urán is back at the medical car,
and now you can see
the injuries to his right arm.
Rigo has scars
from head to toe.
I mean, he's got one shoulder that sort
of leans down more than the other one.
He's a pretty beat up old warrior.
The team has to find a new path forward.
STAGE 10
They're gunning for the finish line.
And Magnus Cort goes full throttle.
He's over the line!
Even though we have been able
to pull off a stage win, it's not enough.
We need to be in the running
each and every day
to get the points just to survive.
Who is the rider most suited
to winning this stage?
Neilson Powless stands on his pedals.
Every day he tries to make
the right choice and go all the way.
Oof!
- Come on! Come on Neilson! Go!
- Come on!
Look at Neilson Powless.
He's giving it everything he's got!
Right now, he's physically
at the best point that he's ever been at.
I came to
the Tour de France riding for Rigo.
But it seems like the crashes
started to catch up with him.
So now I have to step up for the team.
To train for the Tour de France,
you have to live like a monk
and just be at altitude
for three months a year.
All these crazy diets to go on
to make yourself skinny
so that you can show up at race weight.
I had to leave my home.
I had to leave my family.
Relocate to a different part of the world.
Frances and I moved to France last year.
It was a big step. But, you know,
it's a job I have to make the most of,
because I'm sacrificing a lot
to make it happen, make it work.
A work in progress, but this is home.
The Tour de France is
the biggest race on the calendar all year.
Winning a stage would make
all the sacrifices I've made be worth it.
There's loads of people who lost yesterday
who are gonna want to get into the break.
Right? So, it's gonna be a huge battle.
Neilson, I think you can try and get in.
- You feel happy with that?
- Yeah.
JV?
American winning on top
of Alpe d'Huez, man, that's, uh,
that's primetime, baby.
Primetime!
Are we good, guys?
Yep.
Um, yeah, I'm pretty motivated
to get there first.
Neilson looked good
this morning at breakfast.
Today, they're gonna have
to look for their early break.
Even getting into the breakaway
is gonna be an enormous effort.
If he gets in there,
and it's the right group of riders,
and he plays his cards right,
I think he's got a reasonable shot
at winning on top Alpe d'Huez.
He will go deep today.
That's for sure,
but I've said this before, I...
sometimes I worry about
when he gets a little over-motivated.
Today, Alpe d'Huez... 165 K.
Arguably, the hardest stage of the Tour.
But maybe one of
the most beautiful finishes.
The same as yesterday, G.,
I think you did really well.
Tom, let's try and win this stage. Okay?
Just be ready for anything,
it's a bit mental.
Today is an absolutely crucial day.
With a strategy like this,
worst case scenario is that
Tom makes the break,
but doesn't win the stage,
and Geraint loses time
because you've got one guy less
supporting a lead rider.
But that's the gamble for us.
How you feeling about today?
Today is a big day.
But...
we finish with Alpe d'Huez.
That's gonna be spectacular.
I've raced up mountains before,
but not in the pros.
Bastille Day, Alpe d'Huez...
I think it's going to be insane, yeah.
Every domestique,
at some points in their career,
will be given the chance
to prove themselves.
And it can be
a poison chalice or a golden opportunity.
And that's why it's about
who can switch roles
from being a loyal teammate,
a loyal lieutenant, a loyal domestique,
to being a natural-born winner.
Here comes Geraint Thomas,
who has won the Tour before.
He's currently fourth
in general classification,
and looks in very good shape.
We're talking about Team INEOS.
It's one of
the biggest teams in pro cycling.
They care about one thing only, winning.
This stage leads us
over three massive climbs,
le Galibier, la Croix de Fer,
and l'Alpe d'Huez.
Three, two, one...
And they're off!
The 12th stage
of the Tour de France has begun.
VOICE OF RADIO TOUR
Today's climbs are off the charts.
For EF, it is all or nothing.
Somebody is going to have to raise
their game and do something magical.
Neilson Powless
goes straight in with an attack.
That's a big surprise
so early in the stage.
Can he do something special today?
Neilson is solo.
Manage your effort, Neilson.
Manage your effort.
I just thought,
you know, screw it.
This is going to finally be
the stage where I can do it.
I'm not sure
this is the smartest thing to do...
We wanted Neilson to be
up there at the front of the race.
But not necessarily so early on.
On a stage like this,
it's so important to conserve
enough energy for that final climb.
I knew that if I wanted to give myself
the best opportunity of winning,
my best chance would be
to get to the bottom of that climb
with as few climbers as possible.
Twelve seconds.
Controlled effort, Neilson.
Keep a cool head, Neilson.
In my mind,
opening up the race with a fast pace
on a flat road where climbers
may not have the best advantage,
that was the best way
to keep climbers out of the breakaway.
Behind Powless,
a small group has just
detached from the peloton
in a counter-attack.
What I worry about with
Neilson is he's an incredible athlete,
but he's got to learn
how to be a competitor.
You're dealing with that last fraction
of what human beings are capable of,
in every way.
In power, in endurance, in psychology.
Five riders
chase just behind you.
It could be an idea to jump in with them
to save some energy.
You obviously have good legs.
Your mind is obviously in the right place.
But don't show those guys who are with you
that you have good legs.
Keep it cool. Play it smart.
Hold on, the front riders
are picking up speed. Another surge.
STAGE 12
The lead group has nearly reached
the summit of the day's first climb.
And here is the peloton,
led by the yellow jersey team.
And right behind,
Geraint Thomas surrounded by his team.
Crossing the Col du Galibier,
the first three riders...
with 147, 147 Powless.
It's not just
the climbs that are the challenge.
There are those famous descents that
push the limits of less technical riders.
And one minute behind,
the peloton heads to the summit.
As we were getting to the top,
I knew this descent was twisty.
My years of mountain bike
and off-road gives me skills
that I can use on the road.
I got a reputation
for dive-bombing when I was younger.
But that's how I used to win
because I wasn't the fastest or strongest.
And Tom Pidcock surges ahead.
A rider has
broken away from the peloton.
It's an INEOS rider.
He's making an extremely fast descent.
Oh-ho!
Does INEOS have a plan
to put Tom Pidcock in the breakaway?
Good job, Tom.
They're not responding behind.
I'm good at adjusting
and predicting where the road will go.
But this is the first time
I've been down this one.
I want to get to the front,
but not being stupid
to end my Tour de France
after less than two weeks.
Tom Pidcock accelerates in the descent.
He's descending like a bullet!
Jesus!
Check it out.
On the alpine descents,
you have to be incredibly skilful.
The hand-eye coordination, the balance.
If you overcook the corner,
you're going off the edge of the mountain,
dressed in a layer of Lycra this thick.
Think about driving down
the motorway at 100 km/hour
and you're sitting in your swim trunks
and you open up the door
and you jump out the car.
That's what it's like to crash.
You've got to be somebody
who is absolutely willing
to risk everything.
Thirty years ago, no one
attacked on a descent. Too dangerous.
These days, it's a key element
for a fully-rounded rider.
Look at the differences
in their trajectories. Pidcock is fluid!
It's incredible.
He makes Chris Froome
look like an amateur.
Is he on a mission or... What do you think?
I think he's...
I'd say he's just really fast downhill.
Pidcock is
descending at a crazy speed
to try and catch up to the lead group.
Pidcock makes it safe and sound.
Powless is alone at the front.
If a race is six hours,
that's a long time to be focused.
And if you're shaking with excitement
in the first hour of the race,
then all that energy
is just lost by the last two hours.
Even if you're at the front,
you just have to tell yourself that,
"My race hasn't actually started yet."
Neilson Powless still out front.
But Tom Pidcock
is catching up at full speed.
Oh God! No, no, no, no, don't...
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Powless is joined by Tom Pidcock.
Two riders at the front.
This could get interesting.
The moment Pidcock
flies up my inside, I'm totally shocked.
I couldn't believe it.
It felt like he came out of nowhere.
And I realise, "Oh my God,
he closed a minute on this descent."
If anyone's descending like that,
then they got a mission on their mind.
Made me realise, he's fit,
and he's going for a win today.
He's a real threat.
Neilson Powless
and Tom Pidcock are alone at the front.
What's so
remarkable about this is
they're both young,
they're both up-and-coming.
It's not just about the, kind of,
the yellow jersey group battling it out.
Sometimes you want those younger riders
given that opportunity.
And that's when it tests,
have they got the right stuff or not?
So, guys, the valley is 13 K long.
So, Tom, I know you dropped them all
in the downhill, but it might be better
to wait and save
some energy in the valley.
It's better to use the riders
around you if you can.
Then in the back of my head,
I was thinking that I needed a pee.
So... I needed to go do that.
- Ha-ha! Good lad. He's having a piss.
- Pissing?
- Is he?
- Yeah.
He's fucking legend.
STAGE 12
Our lead group remains intact.
Heading towards Alpe d'Huez now,
the final climb of the day.
It's the Tour de France's
most famous climb.
Thousands of people
wait for the riders to arrive.
Now it's
gonna be a battle of legs.
And see who gets to the finish line first.
You get chills when you're at the front.
You have on your mind
that you might be able to win a stage.
The classic mistake
for any young guy
riding the Tour for the first time
is they get excited by the crowd
and they go too deep too early.
So they've started the climb.
Oh mate, I hope Tom wins this stage.
In the group, you're always looking to see
how they're feeling
and trying to save more energy than them.
Even pretend that
you're tired as well sometimes.
At one point I asked them straight,
“How are you feeling?”
Neilson said he had, uh,
he had a bad stomach.
I don't know whether
he was playing or what.
It's constant mind games.
Tom and I were both
just constantly looking out
at who was doing more, who was doing less,
how we felt we matched up.
You're watching body language
and trying to decide, like,
"Is what he told me actually true?"
"Is he really feeling good
or is he really feeling bad?"
We do
the first two kilometres pretty slowly.
And I want to test everyone's legs,
to see their real colours,
see how strong they are.
And Tom Pidcock
makes a huge attack.
He breaks away.
And now he's driving his advantage home.
He's left behind Powless.
He's left behind Ciccone.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!
It feels like he's trying
to drop whoever couldn't hang on.
He was just riding it like
that was the make-it-or-break-it moment.
I knew that I still had enough power
to get to the top
of that climb pretty fast.
And I just had to hope
that I could reel them back in.
Come on, go!
Come on, Neilson! Come on!
At that point,
it kind of snaps the elastic.
So, I just set into the rhythm of noise.
Pidcock is
digging in at the front.
Tom Pidcock extends his lead.
Neilson Powless
is struggling. That's a big surprise.
- Oh, fuck off!
- Come on.
Because of
the length of the climb,
as soon as you
go over your limit and blow up,
then there's really no time to recover.
Oh God. Nielson, no!
Yeah, unfortunately,
I just didn't have quite as...
quite as much left in me.
The crowd has gone completely mad.
Wow! What an atmosphere in Alpe d'Huez!
That atmosphere is just insane,
you know, with the guys, like...
They do get that close that you can
smell the beer on the breath sometimes,
which is a bit daunting.
You don't want them to affect the race
and touch riders and bring people down.
But the passion and the...
you know, the volume,
it definitely spurs you on.
A four-minute gap between
the yellow jersey team and the breakaway.
Geraint Thomas is right behind Pogačar.
Come on boys. Come on.
Around seven K to the top. Around seven K.
It's the biggest
bike race in the world.
Everyone there is in their best shape.
Everyone wants to achieve their goals.
I just have to keep going.
Come on, G, you're so strong today.
Come on, Adam. Come on.
I totally blanked out of the break.
We knew we weren't going to catch them.
So I was just focused on digging in
and trying to gain time on my GC position.
Tom Pidcock
has a 33-second lead.
It is like the sea
parting in front of you.
And it's amazing
that they don't knock any riders off.
Tom Pidcock is close
to securing his place in history!
All right, Tom! Last corner.
Victory! Victory goes to Tom Pidcock!
Yeah!
This young Brit is just 22 years old.
And now he's won the Alpe d'Huez.
It's Alpe d'Huez, man.
Good job.
Good job.
Fourth place
goes to Neilson Powless.
Remember that he was
the first to break away in this stage.
But that wasn't his destiny today.
I felt like
I had done everything right.
But as soon as I crossed the line,
I was incredibly disappointed.
And I thought that the plan was perfect.
It's not the way
I wanted the stage to turn out.
Fourth place is
a legit result on top of Alpe d'Huez.
Would I want him to win?
Of course, with all my heart.
But it's still a great result.
Where we started at the beginning
of the Tour de France this year
was not a happy place.
But what we've managed to do
is beyond everyone's expectation.
Neilson's fourth on Alpe d'Huez
and Magnussen's stage win
gets us a bit more security for the team.
And it's something I think
we can be immensely proud of.
Geraint Thomas
is in a perfect position.
If he can stay at the wheel
of these two riders
then he'll be in the top three for sure.
Come on. Let's get to that last two K.
Come on, G. Come on, mate.
The last corner before the finish line.
Geraint Thomas goes for it!
So does Tadej Pogačar
and Jonas Vingegaard.
Look at these three riders go!
Geraint Thomas moves up to
third place in the general classification.
Grandé.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
YELLOW JERSEY
We go straight to the hotel?
We go straight to the disco, maybe?
Fucking hell, mate!
- Cheers, buddy.
- Good on ya.
It was a huge gamble by INEOS,
allowing Tom Pidcock to go on the attack,
and I applaud that bravery,
because that's the kind of riding
that makes cycling fascinating
and thrilling to watch.
Tom Pidcock,
first Tour de France,
first stage on
the Alpe d'Huez, you win it.
- Can you believe it?
- It's not bad, that, is it?
Yeah, stage win, my first Tour.
Yeah, it's not bad.
It was a beautiful decision
to cut him loose on that day.
And to then deliver
with the panache with which he did.
It was perfection.
Thank you very much.
Champion...
You okay?
Some day, that.
That is something else.
Mate, you just won
the hardest stage of the Tour de France.
Yeah, I've heard
a lot of facts like that, actually.
"Hard. The Queen stage."
"Youngest ever winner of Alpe d'Huez."
Look at that bad boy. Classy.
What will you do tonight?
Well, tonight, I got...
I'm gonna have to do a speech, aren't I?
I'm not... I'm not ready for that.
Speech.
Rice and chicken.
Same as every other day.
That was a good day, wasn't it.
- Slipping up the GC quite nicely.
- Mm.
Come on!
Yeah, for Tom to win,
it's amazing for the team,
gave everyone a boost.
But, then a lot can still go wrong.
Someone could overtake me in third.
You have to stay focused
on what you're doing.
For me, just to finish on the podium,
I need to give it everything I've got.
I'm Jasper Philipsen
and my nickname is "Jasper Disaster."
I didn't win a stage
on the Tour de France so far.
If Jasper Philipsen keeps losing, his
future in the team will be in question.
There's no space for disaster.
We've reached the ultimate test
for the world's best riders.
The Pyrenees.
If you believe in it,
you have a chance of success,
but if you don't
believe in it, then it's over.
Sadistic.
Every rider dreams
about the Champs-Élysées.
Having a rider on the Tour de France
podium is the Holy Grail.
is a dream for any cyclist.
It's a mythical place.
Where we know we will make history.
Winning Alpe d'Huez was amazing.
When you're dominant
and you're winning all the time,
people want somebody else to win.
As Team Sky, we did so well.
It was all about the Tour.
And we were so successful.
It was seven out of eight years we won.
Then the reason INEOS came on board
to sponsor us was because
of that success in the Tour.
But we haven't won
the Tour in three years.
This year, Geraint Thomas
is holding on to fourth place,
and the British INEOS team
have yet to win a single stage.
A team like this has to win.
Now, we have to take more risks.
We have two strategies.
One, make sure that Geraint is protected
for the general classification.
The second is to go for a stage win.
But it's a gamble.
You never know how it's going to play out.
To win a stage of the Tour,
it can change a rider's life.
But for me personally,
you've always got the yellow jersey
in the back of your mind,
and that's the big goal.
The pressure is massive.
TOUR DE FRANCE: UNCHAINED
AT BREAKNECK SPEED
END OF STAGE 11
Jonas Vingegaard takes the yellow jersey.
I have no words.
We have been witness
to a brutal, terrible, nightmarish stage.
These riders gave everything.
Geraint Thomas stays in fourth place
in the general classification
after a stage that set
all the favourites head to head.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
YELLOW JERSEY
That was
fucking mental, wasn't it?
- Good training for the Pyrenees.
- Oh, man!
One guy today, top of the Galibier...
just stood in front of me going, "Rah!"
But he didn't fucking move.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
A right knobhead. Like, at last minute...
I was just expecting him
to move last minute, like...
Do you not remember that?
It's intense.
- Right, I'll see you later, butt.
- Ciao, butt.
My role has changed
this year in the team.
I'm a bit more of like, uh...
a squad captain, so to speak,
um, rather than the out-and-out leader.
We've got a lot of strong young guys,
and the focus has turned
more towards them.
You all right, Tom?
How was your day?
I just feel like
Jumbo took control of the race.
Yeah.
TEAM MEMBER / INEOS GRENADIERS
And we, well, didn't.
We came in saying we were
going to keep pressuring Jumbo, but...
we didn't do anything
to do that, you know?
I'm Tom Pidcock.
I ride for the INEOS Grenadiers.
And it's my first Tour de France.
I'm an Olympic mountain bike champion.
World champion in multiple disciplines.
He is this wonder-kid of global cycling.
He can climb.
He can sprint.
On the descents,
he is completely fearless.
He's one of the few cyclists
that is genuinely exciting
when you watch him race.
He has proved his ability
to win in other disciplines.
But he's young. He's still learning
the ropes of this discipline.
EX PROFESSIONAL RIDER
I don't know what to say, to be honest.
He's taking the piss, isn't he?
He's yet to prove
his abilities on the road.
Whoo!
So, coming to the Tour de France
with Team INEOS, it's a risk.
Since turning pro,
I haven't done many stage races,
so I haven't really...
yeah, tested myself.
For me, it's difficult.
I'm in the biggest bike race in the world,
and I'm not really enjoying it that much.
My role is kind of a few things.
Learn, gain experience for the future,
and basically riding on the front.
Taking the wind for other people.
That's the job.
The support riders for the Tour,
we call them "domestiques."
It's the traditional name
for a rider who supports a leader.
"Domestique" literally means servant,
and that is the role
that those riders are here to serve.
You're the person
who's going to the side of the road
to pick up the bags of food
and the multiple bottles
and stuffing them down your jersey.
Does anyone else want anything?
- You got Hydro in there?
- Yeah.
Tom has two bottles of water,
if anybody needs water.
Yeah, I'll have one, mate.
G would like some water.
It's not very fun,
but if you understand the purpose of it,
it's an important job.
For some, it's a dedicated role.
It's all they ever do in their career.
They perhaps never win a stage.
I'm 100% down
for helping my teammates
whenever they need me to.
But when the day is better suited to me,
then yeah, I want to be able to race.
How do you think we
should use the team best for you tomorrow?
- Think we should continue...
- As we have been.
If we were
to send Tom up the road tomorrow...
Send him up the road for what?
Well, yeah, to win the stage.
I don't know
why you'd risk that, like, now.
We have to take a risk.
If we're not prepared to take a risk,
we're not going to win a stage.
He can try if he gets in the break.
But, ideally, I'd say
Tom stay with us tomorrow.
That's obviously
because I'm thinking of myself.
Sometimes strategy
for general classification,
you've got to stay
consistent every single day.
It's all about the end game,
not the actual individual stages.
So, for Geraint this year,
it's all about the end game.
Make sure that
the general classification is protected
every step of the way,
all the way to Paris.
We've got to look after Geraint,
but also look to give somebody
the opportunity to go for the stage win.
What do you think's
possible for you tomorrow?
I don't know,
but how is the break gonna get away?
'Cause it's uphill
from the start, basically.
It's quite violent.
How do you even play this day, I mean?
Up down, up down...
Hundred and sixty-five K.
Just my opinion...
I think you should look
at tomorrow as an opportunity.
With your characteristics,
you can pretty much win that stage.
Gonna be hard, isn't it?
I might be wrong,
doesn't really matter what I believe.
It's more important what you believe.
With Tom, it's exciting when
you get a new rider as talented as he is
to explore, like, his potential.
But at the same time,
with that comes a certain pressure.
He has to perform,
and performing in this team is winning.
STAGE 12
Welcome to stage 12.
Today is Bastille Day.
The crowd is going completely crazy.
One hundred and sixty-five kilometres
in store today,
finishing on Alpe d'Huez, the most
iconic climb of the Tour de France.
It's a legend
written by champions,
after epic battles, of course.
Sometimes, the exuberance
of the crowd can be scary.
It's a place like no other
in the history of the Tour de France.
GENERAL DIRECTOR
THE TOUR DE FRANCE
Today it's Alpe d'Huez.
You can put on a real show.
CEO / GROUPAMA FDJ
The riders roll into town.
We are in for some fireworks today.
So, yesterday was
one of those days, right?
We've all had them.
And it probably
isn't going to be the last one.
You're maybe going to suffer a bit today.
If you look on the profile, it looks like
something from Lord of the Rings. Right?
EF Education First is definitely a team
that is polar opposite to Team INEOS.
They are a team of misfits.
They are relatively a small budget team.
But for some of those riders,
the younger riders,
this is the opportunity
you've got to grasp.
- Francesca!
- Francesca.
This year, they face relegation,
so they're coming into the Tour
with a lot of pressure.
It's so important
that they perform in the Tour de France.
Because if they don't,
they're gonna lose their sponsors.
The revenues that keep the teams alive
are derived almost entirely from sponsors.
If we're not commercially successful,
our team is not going
to be around very long.
For us to survive,
it's imperative that our team
gets noticed in this Tour de France.
A lot of that comes down to our leader.
My name is Rigoberto Urán.
My role in the team is to...
bring joy. To make the guys happy.
My first Tour de France was in 2009.
You needed to be 27, 29, 30 years old
to complete the Tour.
Nowadays, at the age of 21, they win it.
Rigo, he's a natural leader.
He's finished on the podium
of the Tour de France.
He's an Olympic medallist.
The guys, they all look at him
just sort of...
in awe.
He's their hero.
In the Tour de France, most teams are
there to support one... one person.
So, for our team,
we would support Rigoberto Urán.
So there's seven riders there for Rigo.
Unfortunately, Rigo's had quite the run
of bad luck in this Tour de France.
STAGE 2
Oh, he's down!
Rigo down! Rigo down!
Oh, fuck!
And Urán is in trouble.
Rigoberto Urán is having
a problem with his chain.
STAGE 8
A big crash
with lots of riders on the deck.
Rigoberto Urán is back at the medical car,
and now you can see
the injuries to his right arm.
Rigo has scars
from head to toe.
I mean, he's got one shoulder that sort
of leans down more than the other one.
He's a pretty beat up old warrior.
The team has to find a new path forward.
STAGE 10
They're gunning for the finish line.
And Magnus Cort goes full throttle.
He's over the line!
Even though we have been able
to pull off a stage win, it's not enough.
We need to be in the running
each and every day
to get the points just to survive.
Who is the rider most suited
to winning this stage?
Neilson Powless stands on his pedals.
Every day he tries to make
the right choice and go all the way.
Oof!
- Come on! Come on Neilson! Go!
- Come on!
Look at Neilson Powless.
He's giving it everything he's got!
Right now, he's physically
at the best point that he's ever been at.
I came to
the Tour de France riding for Rigo.
But it seems like the crashes
started to catch up with him.
So now I have to step up for the team.
To train for the Tour de France,
you have to live like a monk
and just be at altitude
for three months a year.
All these crazy diets to go on
to make yourself skinny
so that you can show up at race weight.
I had to leave my home.
I had to leave my family.
Relocate to a different part of the world.
Frances and I moved to France last year.
It was a big step. But, you know,
it's a job I have to make the most of,
because I'm sacrificing a lot
to make it happen, make it work.
A work in progress, but this is home.
The Tour de France is
the biggest race on the calendar all year.
Winning a stage would make
all the sacrifices I've made be worth it.
There's loads of people who lost yesterday
who are gonna want to get into the break.
Right? So, it's gonna be a huge battle.
Neilson, I think you can try and get in.
- You feel happy with that?
- Yeah.
JV?
American winning on top
of Alpe d'Huez, man, that's, uh,
that's primetime, baby.
Primetime!
Are we good, guys?
Yep.
Um, yeah, I'm pretty motivated
to get there first.
Neilson looked good
this morning at breakfast.
Today, they're gonna have
to look for their early break.
Even getting into the breakaway
is gonna be an enormous effort.
If he gets in there,
and it's the right group of riders,
and he plays his cards right,
I think he's got a reasonable shot
at winning on top Alpe d'Huez.
He will go deep today.
That's for sure,
but I've said this before, I...
sometimes I worry about
when he gets a little over-motivated.
Today, Alpe d'Huez... 165 K.
Arguably, the hardest stage of the Tour.
But maybe one of
the most beautiful finishes.
The same as yesterday, G.,
I think you did really well.
Tom, let's try and win this stage. Okay?
Just be ready for anything,
it's a bit mental.
Today is an absolutely crucial day.
With a strategy like this,
worst case scenario is that
Tom makes the break,
but doesn't win the stage,
and Geraint loses time
because you've got one guy less
supporting a lead rider.
But that's the gamble for us.
How you feeling about today?
Today is a big day.
But...
we finish with Alpe d'Huez.
That's gonna be spectacular.
I've raced up mountains before,
but not in the pros.
Bastille Day, Alpe d'Huez...
I think it's going to be insane, yeah.
Every domestique,
at some points in their career,
will be given the chance
to prove themselves.
And it can be
a poison chalice or a golden opportunity.
And that's why it's about
who can switch roles
from being a loyal teammate,
a loyal lieutenant, a loyal domestique,
to being a natural-born winner.
Here comes Geraint Thomas,
who has won the Tour before.
He's currently fourth
in general classification,
and looks in very good shape.
We're talking about Team INEOS.
It's one of
the biggest teams in pro cycling.
They care about one thing only, winning.
This stage leads us
over three massive climbs,
le Galibier, la Croix de Fer,
and l'Alpe d'Huez.
Three, two, one...
And they're off!
The 12th stage
of the Tour de France has begun.
VOICE OF RADIO TOUR
Today's climbs are off the charts.
For EF, it is all or nothing.
Somebody is going to have to raise
their game and do something magical.
Neilson Powless
goes straight in with an attack.
That's a big surprise
so early in the stage.
Can he do something special today?
Neilson is solo.
Manage your effort, Neilson.
Manage your effort.
I just thought,
you know, screw it.
This is going to finally be
the stage where I can do it.
I'm not sure
this is the smartest thing to do...
We wanted Neilson to be
up there at the front of the race.
But not necessarily so early on.
On a stage like this,
it's so important to conserve
enough energy for that final climb.
I knew that if I wanted to give myself
the best opportunity of winning,
my best chance would be
to get to the bottom of that climb
with as few climbers as possible.
Twelve seconds.
Controlled effort, Neilson.
Keep a cool head, Neilson.
In my mind,
opening up the race with a fast pace
on a flat road where climbers
may not have the best advantage,
that was the best way
to keep climbers out of the breakaway.
Behind Powless,
a small group has just
detached from the peloton
in a counter-attack.
What I worry about with
Neilson is he's an incredible athlete,
but he's got to learn
how to be a competitor.
You're dealing with that last fraction
of what human beings are capable of,
in every way.
In power, in endurance, in psychology.
Five riders
chase just behind you.
It could be an idea to jump in with them
to save some energy.
You obviously have good legs.
Your mind is obviously in the right place.
But don't show those guys who are with you
that you have good legs.
Keep it cool. Play it smart.
Hold on, the front riders
are picking up speed. Another surge.
STAGE 12
The lead group has nearly reached
the summit of the day's first climb.
And here is the peloton,
led by the yellow jersey team.
And right behind,
Geraint Thomas surrounded by his team.
Crossing the Col du Galibier,
the first three riders...
with 147, 147 Powless.
It's not just
the climbs that are the challenge.
There are those famous descents that
push the limits of less technical riders.
And one minute behind,
the peloton heads to the summit.
As we were getting to the top,
I knew this descent was twisty.
My years of mountain bike
and off-road gives me skills
that I can use on the road.
I got a reputation
for dive-bombing when I was younger.
But that's how I used to win
because I wasn't the fastest or strongest.
And Tom Pidcock surges ahead.
A rider has
broken away from the peloton.
It's an INEOS rider.
He's making an extremely fast descent.
Oh-ho!
Does INEOS have a plan
to put Tom Pidcock in the breakaway?
Good job, Tom.
They're not responding behind.
I'm good at adjusting
and predicting where the road will go.
But this is the first time
I've been down this one.
I want to get to the front,
but not being stupid
to end my Tour de France
after less than two weeks.
Tom Pidcock accelerates in the descent.
He's descending like a bullet!
Jesus!
Check it out.
On the alpine descents,
you have to be incredibly skilful.
The hand-eye coordination, the balance.
If you overcook the corner,
you're going off the edge of the mountain,
dressed in a layer of Lycra this thick.
Think about driving down
the motorway at 100 km/hour
and you're sitting in your swim trunks
and you open up the door
and you jump out the car.
That's what it's like to crash.
You've got to be somebody
who is absolutely willing
to risk everything.
Thirty years ago, no one
attacked on a descent. Too dangerous.
These days, it's a key element
for a fully-rounded rider.
Look at the differences
in their trajectories. Pidcock is fluid!
It's incredible.
He makes Chris Froome
look like an amateur.
Is he on a mission or... What do you think?
I think he's...
I'd say he's just really fast downhill.
Pidcock is
descending at a crazy speed
to try and catch up to the lead group.
Pidcock makes it safe and sound.
Powless is alone at the front.
If a race is six hours,
that's a long time to be focused.
And if you're shaking with excitement
in the first hour of the race,
then all that energy
is just lost by the last two hours.
Even if you're at the front,
you just have to tell yourself that,
"My race hasn't actually started yet."
Neilson Powless still out front.
But Tom Pidcock
is catching up at full speed.
Oh God! No, no, no, no, don't...
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Powless is joined by Tom Pidcock.
Two riders at the front.
This could get interesting.
The moment Pidcock
flies up my inside, I'm totally shocked.
I couldn't believe it.
It felt like he came out of nowhere.
And I realise, "Oh my God,
he closed a minute on this descent."
If anyone's descending like that,
then they got a mission on their mind.
Made me realise, he's fit,
and he's going for a win today.
He's a real threat.
Neilson Powless
and Tom Pidcock are alone at the front.
What's so
remarkable about this is
they're both young,
they're both up-and-coming.
It's not just about the, kind of,
the yellow jersey group battling it out.
Sometimes you want those younger riders
given that opportunity.
And that's when it tests,
have they got the right stuff or not?
So, guys, the valley is 13 K long.
So, Tom, I know you dropped them all
in the downhill, but it might be better
to wait and save
some energy in the valley.
It's better to use the riders
around you if you can.
Then in the back of my head,
I was thinking that I needed a pee.
So... I needed to go do that.
- Ha-ha! Good lad. He's having a piss.
- Pissing?
- Is he?
- Yeah.
He's fucking legend.
STAGE 12
Our lead group remains intact.
Heading towards Alpe d'Huez now,
the final climb of the day.
It's the Tour de France's
most famous climb.
Thousands of people
wait for the riders to arrive.
Now it's
gonna be a battle of legs.
And see who gets to the finish line first.
You get chills when you're at the front.
You have on your mind
that you might be able to win a stage.
The classic mistake
for any young guy
riding the Tour for the first time
is they get excited by the crowd
and they go too deep too early.
So they've started the climb.
Oh mate, I hope Tom wins this stage.
In the group, you're always looking to see
how they're feeling
and trying to save more energy than them.
Even pretend that
you're tired as well sometimes.
At one point I asked them straight,
“How are you feeling?”
Neilson said he had, uh,
he had a bad stomach.
I don't know whether
he was playing or what.
It's constant mind games.
Tom and I were both
just constantly looking out
at who was doing more, who was doing less,
how we felt we matched up.
You're watching body language
and trying to decide, like,
"Is what he told me actually true?"
"Is he really feeling good
or is he really feeling bad?"
We do
the first two kilometres pretty slowly.
And I want to test everyone's legs,
to see their real colours,
see how strong they are.
And Tom Pidcock
makes a huge attack.
He breaks away.
And now he's driving his advantage home.
He's left behind Powless.
He's left behind Ciccone.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!
It feels like he's trying
to drop whoever couldn't hang on.
He was just riding it like
that was the make-it-or-break-it moment.
I knew that I still had enough power
to get to the top
of that climb pretty fast.
And I just had to hope
that I could reel them back in.
Come on, go!
Come on, Neilson! Come on!
At that point,
it kind of snaps the elastic.
So, I just set into the rhythm of noise.
Pidcock is
digging in at the front.
Tom Pidcock extends his lead.
Neilson Powless
is struggling. That's a big surprise.
- Oh, fuck off!
- Come on.
Because of
the length of the climb,
as soon as you
go over your limit and blow up,
then there's really no time to recover.
Oh God. Nielson, no!
Yeah, unfortunately,
I just didn't have quite as...
quite as much left in me.
The crowd has gone completely mad.
Wow! What an atmosphere in Alpe d'Huez!
That atmosphere is just insane,
you know, with the guys, like...
They do get that close that you can
smell the beer on the breath sometimes,
which is a bit daunting.
You don't want them to affect the race
and touch riders and bring people down.
But the passion and the...
you know, the volume,
it definitely spurs you on.
A four-minute gap between
the yellow jersey team and the breakaway.
Geraint Thomas is right behind Pogačar.
Come on boys. Come on.
Around seven K to the top. Around seven K.
It's the biggest
bike race in the world.
Everyone there is in their best shape.
Everyone wants to achieve their goals.
I just have to keep going.
Come on, G, you're so strong today.
Come on, Adam. Come on.
I totally blanked out of the break.
We knew we weren't going to catch them.
So I was just focused on digging in
and trying to gain time on my GC position.
Tom Pidcock
has a 33-second lead.
It is like the sea
parting in front of you.
And it's amazing
that they don't knock any riders off.
Tom Pidcock is close
to securing his place in history!
All right, Tom! Last corner.
Victory! Victory goes to Tom Pidcock!
Yeah!
This young Brit is just 22 years old.
And now he's won the Alpe d'Huez.
It's Alpe d'Huez, man.
Good job.
Good job.
Fourth place
goes to Neilson Powless.
Remember that he was
the first to break away in this stage.
But that wasn't his destiny today.
I felt like
I had done everything right.
But as soon as I crossed the line,
I was incredibly disappointed.
And I thought that the plan was perfect.
It's not the way
I wanted the stage to turn out.
Fourth place is
a legit result on top of Alpe d'Huez.
Would I want him to win?
Of course, with all my heart.
But it's still a great result.
Where we started at the beginning
of the Tour de France this year
was not a happy place.
But what we've managed to do
is beyond everyone's expectation.
Neilson's fourth on Alpe d'Huez
and Magnussen's stage win
gets us a bit more security for the team.
And it's something I think
we can be immensely proud of.
Geraint Thomas
is in a perfect position.
If he can stay at the wheel
of these two riders
then he'll be in the top three for sure.
Come on. Let's get to that last two K.
Come on, G. Come on, mate.
The last corner before the finish line.
Geraint Thomas goes for it!
So does Tadej Pogačar
and Jonas Vingegaard.
Look at these three riders go!
Geraint Thomas moves up to
third place in the general classification.
Grandé.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
YELLOW JERSEY
We go straight to the hotel?
We go straight to the disco, maybe?
Fucking hell, mate!
- Cheers, buddy.
- Good on ya.
It was a huge gamble by INEOS,
allowing Tom Pidcock to go on the attack,
and I applaud that bravery,
because that's the kind of riding
that makes cycling fascinating
and thrilling to watch.
Tom Pidcock,
first Tour de France,
first stage on
the Alpe d'Huez, you win it.
- Can you believe it?
- It's not bad, that, is it?
Yeah, stage win, my first Tour.
Yeah, it's not bad.
It was a beautiful decision
to cut him loose on that day.
And to then deliver
with the panache with which he did.
It was perfection.
Thank you very much.
Champion...
You okay?
Some day, that.
That is something else.
Mate, you just won
the hardest stage of the Tour de France.
Yeah, I've heard
a lot of facts like that, actually.
"Hard. The Queen stage."
"Youngest ever winner of Alpe d'Huez."
Look at that bad boy. Classy.
What will you do tonight?
Well, tonight, I got...
I'm gonna have to do a speech, aren't I?
I'm not... I'm not ready for that.
Speech.
Rice and chicken.
Same as every other day.
That was a good day, wasn't it.
- Slipping up the GC quite nicely.
- Mm.
Come on!
Yeah, for Tom to win,
it's amazing for the team,
gave everyone a boost.
But, then a lot can still go wrong.
Someone could overtake me in third.
You have to stay focused
on what you're doing.
For me, just to finish on the podium,
I need to give it everything I've got.
I'm Jasper Philipsen
and my nickname is "Jasper Disaster."
I didn't win a stage
on the Tour de France so far.
If Jasper Philipsen keeps losing, his
future in the team will be in question.
There's no space for disaster.
We've reached the ultimate test
for the world's best riders.
The Pyrenees.
If you believe in it,
you have a chance of success,
but if you don't
believe in it, then it's over.
Sadistic.
Every rider dreams
about the Champs-Élysées.
Having a rider on the Tour de France
podium is the Holy Grail.