Top Banana: Tour de France stage 10 – Luke Rowe

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 10 – Luke Rowe

Welshman takes our French fancy and lands the fruit in crosswind chaos on the road to Albi

Luke Rowe Racing Rouleur Top Banana Top Banana Top Banana 2019 Tour de France Tour de France 2019

A long, lumpy stage ten days into the Tour – breakaway territory and a De Gendt-style winner, for sure, n’est-ce pas?


Mais non! Just over 60km remaining and a right-hander subjected the peloton to a crosswind. Voila, we have a split.


Adieu, Pinot. Adios, Landa. Farewell, Fuglsang. Bye bye, Richie Porte. And see you later, the entire EF Education squad, having pushed the split in the first place…


Ineos were alert to the danger, as you’d expect, with Michal Kwiatkowski driving the pace, ably assisted by Dylan van Baarle and Luke Rowe – a man who clearly loves days like these.


“After 152km we gave it a nudge,” Rowe told Eurosport after the stage with typical understatement, having put a host of GC contenders out of the frame.


The Ineos road captain has that same calm demeanour as his fellow Welshman and co-leader Geraint Thomas. If he’s ever flapped, we haven’t seen it.


The opening ten stages have been negotiated without any undue dramas for Ineos – save for Thomas’ rather alarming get-down on Saturday. And even that incident was dealt with in a calm and logical way.


As we head for the Pyrenees following the rest day, Ineos hold all the aces. The mountains will decide who emerges as team leader. Just four seconds separate Thomas from Egan Bernal, the young pretender.

 

Either way, Rowe will be there by their sides. And you couldn’t ask for a more loyal lieutenant. A truly top Top Banana.

 

The post Top Banana: Tour de France stage 10 – Luke Rowe appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

Luke Rowe Racing Rouleur Top Banana Top Banana Top Banana 2019 Tour de France Tour de France 2019


READ MORE

‘The bike is fun, freedom and exploration’ - Ed Clancy: For the love of sport

‘The bike is fun, freedom and exploration’ - Ed Clancy: For the love of sport

Part of our series with the British Cycling Hall of Fame inductees, Clancy discusses why he believes cycling can change lives

Leggi di più
Cav's legacy: why there may never again be a sprinter like Mark Cavendish

Cav's legacy: why there may never again be a sprinter like Mark Cavendish

As he prepares to bow out of the sport at the end of the year, Cavendish's prolific record will stand the test of time

Leggi di più
Gallery: A look back at Mark Cavendish's record-breaking career

Gallery: A look back at Mark Cavendish's record-breaking career

Rouleur looks back at all the Tours Mark Cavendish has completed 

Leggi di più
Closing the gap: can Remco Evenepoel rise to the challenge of Tadej Pogačar in 2025?

Closing the gap: can Remco Evenepoel rise to the challenge of Tadej Pogačar in 2025?

The Belgian rider is not going to go down without a fight next season

Leggi di più
Max Poole on near misses, learning from the best and why Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL’s structure works

Max Poole on near misses, learning from the best and why Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL’s structure works

The British rider discusses his impressive Grand Tour debut and the work it has taken to get there

Leggi di più
'British Cycling has done everything for me' - Dani Rowe: From a talent ID programme to Olympic gold

'British Cycling has done everything for me' - Dani Rowe: From a talent ID programme to Olympic gold

Speaking after being inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame, Rowe tells Rouleur about her journey to the top of the sport

Leggi di più

MEMBERSHIP

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Independent journalism, award winning content, exclusive perks.

Banner Image