By John Eustice
It is only fair, after my critique of his racing style, to laud the performance of the American Champion, Quinn Simmons, who almost single handedly kept his Green Jersey clad teammate, Jonathon Milan, in contention for his win yesterday. L’Equipe called Simmons “phenomenal” for his selfless efforts, his ability to stay on front of the bunch as long and often as he did. To see the joy of his Lidl – Trek teammates pointing out and applauding the Coloradan on the finish line was a sure sign that the Champ had pulled off a great number.
Today and tomorrow are the last chances for Vingegaard to try and somehow dislodge Tadej Pogačar, and time for any GC contenders to make their moves. The Alps are here, the beauty of the Tour continues, and the stories never end. Watch for the drama of the time delay and big Jonathon Milan, who had real difficulty even on the somewhat benign Col du Pertus yesterday, and who will be riding the races of his life today and tomorrow, racing to simply finish. It would be tragic for him to be eliminated this close to Paris, but it could happen.
