We're coming to the end of three weeks of riding.
This is where the Tour de France is decided.
You've got the sprinters fighting to survive the mountains,
with the dream of winning in Paris.
And then you've got the GC riders fighting for the yellow jersey.
We have to prove that we have the strongest team.
But, still, a lot can happen in the race.
I have to keep the focus.
If something happens, I could lose the Tour.
The riders must absolutely not lose their focus
if they want to get to Paris.
TOUR DE FRANCE: UNCHAINED
ON THE ROAD TO PARIS
STAGE 17
We're in the Pyrenees.
The scene of the ultimate battle for the yellow jersey.
Jonas Vingegaard, the boss of the Tour so far.
He's two minutes and 22 seconds ahead of Tadej Pogačar.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION YELLOW JERSEY
But the Slovenian will hound him all the way to the end.
The battle for the yellow jersey is far from over.
And we have Coach Kevin here with us today
in the vehicle behind the parade.
Today, we'll hit the long climbs.
The terrain, where it's possible to make it difficult for Pogačar.
This gives me a lot of confidence.
Jonas has the yellow jersey.
But it's not a day of thinking,
trying to survive the day and getting one day closer to Paris.
It's like, there's an opportunity to take time, to win the stage,
and to get an even bigger lead on the yellow jersey.
The last five K of that climb is actually quite hard: 7.7% average.
Wout and Seth, always stay with Jonas. We stay with them as long as possible.
If I'm there, I do a final pull on the first part? Or…
-Yes. -What do you want?
-Just set a really hard pace. -Yeah.
I would also like it that I still have something left for the last 300 metres,
so I'm not really on the limit there already.
-I can't put you on the limit. -No. But, you know.
Well, don't take too much confidence that we lean back today.
Because, uh, it's still two really, really hard days,
and I think three and a half hours, four hours of racing
with 100% concentration.
It's a tough day. Only 129.7 km,
but 3,300 metres of altitude
all packed into the second part of the day.
It's absolutely brutal.
Today is not really perfect for us.
Once we hit the climb, we stick together,
and we just set the pace that Fabio can handle, which you guys already know.
As a sprinter, I have a bigger body type.
If you're the fastest on 250 metres flat,
you're not going to be the fastest up one-hour climbs.
Every sprinter wants to win one time on the Champs-Élysées.
But first you have to get over the mountains.
Because if you don't finish that stage, you're out of the Tour.
I think we really have to fight to keep Fabio in the race.
It's tough, but everybody is focused.
They only have one goal, to bring Fabio home.
Come on, guys. We're going to Paris.
-Yes. -Yes. Let's go.
This is the Tour de France. You wanna stay in the race, of course.
And I want Paris.
I have to get there.
Will Vingegaard increase his lead?
Or will Pogačar reduce the gap?
Three, two, one.
And they're off on the 17th stage between Saint-Gaudens and Peyragudes.
The final stages in the mountains are no fun at all.
Tadej Pogačar is going to take advantage of this to gain time on Jonas Vingegaard.
The pace is fast. The peloton is in single file.
Here comes Jonas Vingegaard, the yellow jersey,
well-supported by his teammates.
I expect that Pogačar will keep attacking me,
and, um, we'll just have to try to do our best to follow him.
Pogačar has sent a teammate up front
to up the pace and put pressure on the Jumbo-Visma team.
At the back, the riders are struggling. The sprinters are in survival mode today.
Go! Go! Go!
Of course, the mountains, they're not my terrain.
There's only so much I can take.
It's a difficult stage with an unusual finish.
And it's going to make a mark.
Over halfway, guys. Doing super well. Super good.
Wout van Aert has dropped behind!
Fucking hell!
The green jersey, Wout van Aert has dropped behind.
Van Aert has fallen behind the yellow jersey group.
He can't keep up this pace.
Seppy, Jonas needs you now.
Wout has dropped. Seppy, Jonas needs you now.
Wout needs to fight.
-No. -He's too fucked.
Yeah.
On a final climb like this, it's just suffering.
Pogačar has managed to isolate Vingegaard.
What will happen next?
And there's the attack. Tadej Pogačar attacks!
They can see the finish line, the wall right in front of them.
Pogačar attacks on the right-hand side.
Tadej Pogačar gets the better of Jonas Vingegaard
and wins the 17th stage at Peyragudes!
Jonas was on the limit.
A day to forget.
Chaos right to the end
for this group of sprinters who are finishing.
Jasper Philipsen doing the old zig-zags to try and lower the gradient.
We have an allotted time of 37 minutes today.
The riders don't have all day to finish the stage.
Some won't meet the allotted time and won't make the start line tomorrow.
BACK OF THE RACE 35 MINUTES BEHIND
Fabio Jakobsen is fighting at the back of the race,
fighting for survival.
Cycling is a tough sport and also tough decisions.
When you come into the last climb, and you know it's difficult,
it's a hard one, because in your heart you'd let the whole team wait.
But you don't want to lose the whole team.
And at a certain point, you say to the other ones, "Yeah, just go. Go."
Florian, Mikkel, Lampy, you guys can go.
The team have decided to leave Fabio Jakobsen.
I remember, Florian, he did not want to leave me.
The last thing he said, when he looked at me, he said,
"Come on, you're going to Paris."
And I nodded at him, and I thought, "It's gonna be close, but…"
There's only one rider out on the course now.
You'll make it, Fabio, don't worry. Just focus on the number series.
Push. You're going to make it. Come on.
If we give up, the next day it's over. You have to go home.
Jakobsen trying to make it to Paris.
About 300 metres to go.
This is a race against time for the sprinter.
This is a horrible finish. And the broom wagon just behind him.
17TH STAGE OVER TIME LIMIT
In the moment, you're so tired and empty.
The legs start to block. My lungs struggled breathing.
You can't hear anything at all.
Come on!
Can Fabio Jakobsen make it inside the time limit?
Go! Fabio!
The clock is against him. 150 to go.
Look at his soigneur shouting at him.
Fabio! Go!
Yeah! Let's go!
After Poland, I see him with his face destroyed.
And today… Congratulations.
-He never gives up. -Yeah.
He… he has my respect. And…
Yeah. He's my friend.
It must have felt like a victory in some ways.
No, it didn't.
No.
Pogačar wins at Peyragudes.
It's his third stage victory on the Tour this year.
That was, uh, kind of a wake-up call.
Pogačar attacking, he will never give up and settle for second.
Jumbo's plan today was to increase their lead over Pogačar.
Not only did they fail in their mission,
but also lost four seconds against the Slovenian.
Are you still optimistic that you can win the Tour de France 2022?
Yeah.
-Want a ride to the hotel? -Yes.
TEAM MEMBER / JUMBO-VISMA
You all right, Wout? That wasn't great.
Oh yeah. I didn't really have great legs.
So when I saw Bjerg riding at the front there,
I thought, "Oh no. Come on."
So, I didn't see it coming, let me put it that way.
And Wout was also in the last wheel like that.
I was in the last wheel.
Yeah, well, the two of you, then.
Yeah, Wout was always sitting second.
Yeah, but when Bjerg started pulling, also Wout drifted back.
What?
Yeah, I just watched the video.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The second time.
Wout got dropped, I think, by the American.
The third time, huh?
-Yeah. -I'm just waiting.
We were solving the world's problems.
Wounded soldier.
I was definitely supposed to look out after the leaders for this stage.
Uh, but also… yeah, I did the job way earlier on than was supposed to do
because I was just not on the level that you need to be for a hard stage like that.
I definitely have way more moments
when I doubt myself than everybody thinks. It's not…
It's not easy for anybody, and also not for me.
Welcome to the 18th stage of the Tour de France.
The day when anything could happen.
LOURDES HEART OF THE PYRENEES
After cracking on the 17th stage, everyone is asking the question,
"Will Wout van Aert be able to support his leader?"
Wout, he was dropped from the group.
Yeah. Pretty bad day for us.
It's just another hard day today again.
One more day.
We have to be, again, really, really concentrated, focused.
Jonas, you always follow Pogačar.
When Tadej Pogačar attacks, I'm always worried.
I could lose the Tour.
Ah, so, Wout you will jump.
But, also for Jonas yourself, it's important to be in position there,
in the beginning.
Of course, we need to help each other,
but also, someone has to look for Jonas in the bunch.
Yes.
Especially also, when you feel you need somebody around, also say it. Huh?
We want to have Wout in the breakaway,
so that if I would be getting in any kind of trouble, he could help me.
Yeah, I'm lying when I say I'm 110% confident.
In order to shield Jonas, Wout really has to give it all.
It's make or break.
Wout van Aert, the green jersey, accelerates immediately.
My role will be to do a really high pace
to take enough advantage before the big climb.
Then drop back and protect Jonas.
Pogačar followed closely by the yellow jersey, Jonas Vingegaard.
Guys, be ready for the Aubisque. There will be a new fight on the Aubisque.
Pogačar's first attack.
And Vingegaard appears to be telling him, "I'm not letting you go."
Come on, Jonas. Stick to his wheel! Huh?
Another big attack from the white jersey.
And Pogačar accelerates. Pogačar accelerates.
He tries to drop Vingegaard.
He's creating quite a gap.
And now Vingegaard is in hot pursuit.
Oh! The yellow jersey very nearly crashes!
Oh my goodness!
The yellow jersey has unclipped. The yellow jersey has had a real scare.
He recovered well, but came very close to disaster.
Pogačar is putting the yellow jersey under pressure
from all angles.
Even on the descents at 80 kilometres per hour.
At the front, Wout van Aert, glances around to see where his leader is.
Wout, they're about to come to you. They're about to come to you.
Vingegaard has reunited with his engine.
I tried to make the pace really high, so Jonas could, uh, profit.
I really went over my limit.
You're a fucking motorbike, Wout! A fucking motorbike. Come on.
The pace is extremely high. Wout van Aert is going beyond his limits.
And Tadej Pogačar drops! The yellow jersey isn't behind him!
The white jersey is no longer there!
And Pogačar is in trouble! Pogačar seems to be in trouble.
Pogačar is dropped! Pogačar is dropped! Come on. Come on.
Wout van Aert has brought Tadej Pogačar down.
Come on, Wout.
Make the difference now. Make the difference.
100%, hey, 100% now!
There's nothing more Pogačar can do.
Wout, in the end, after attacking,
every other person would have been destroyed.
He gave everything, and he pulled Jonas 20-25 seconds away.
Okay, now you do it, Jonas.
Time trial to the finish. 3.5 K to the finish.
The fans are going crazy around the yellow jersey.
Come on! So proud of you.
The yellow jersey, solo at the summit
of the last non-category climb of this year's Tour de France.
You take a very, very serious option on overall victory.
Can we talk about that? Or you don't want to talk about it yet?
I don't want to talk about it yet. Let's talk about that in two days.
Vingegaard is in a strong position after the mountain stages.
But it's only after the time trial that we'll know whether
he can take the yellow jersey to Paris.
STAGE 20
Testing times today with the time trial. Welcome to stage 20.
If Vingegaard keeps first place,
we will have a new first-time Tour de France champion.
Today is the last time trial. Uh…
Yeah, I mean, what if I have a bad day? Uh… Yeah.
Throughout this edition of the Tour, Wout has been
an incredible ally to Jonas.
But on this time trial, it's just Jonas and his bicycle.
But there's no 100% guarantee
that Jonas, uh, will keep that lead comfortably in the time trial.
We learned our lesson, of course, in 2020,
when we were beaten on the last day in the time trial.
Pogačar, Roglič,
it's tipping into the red for Primož Roglič.
What's happening to the yellow jersey is terrible.
This is tough for the Slovenian, he's been bossing the Tour for two weeks
but is now crumbling the day before the Champs-Élysées.
And there he is, the winner of the Tour de France 2020.
Unfortunately, uh, Pogačar then had a very, very good day,
and Primož had a maybe little bit below average day,
and, uh, Pogačar was able to turn it around and win the Tour.
In 2020, on the last time trial of the Tour,
Primož Roglič lost to Tadej Pogačar.
How did Jumbo-Visma manage to lose this Tour de France?
What happened two years ago is sitting in the back of my head.
I mean, uh…
I don't want that to happen today.
Good luck.
Enjoy.
Yes, you too.
Vamos, huh?
Wout van Aert on the start ramp.
The Belgian's cornering is spot on.
The green jersey takes first place, crushing the competition.
Wout van Aert, ahead in the time trial, he takes his place in the leader's chair
and waits for his opponents.
Tadej Pogačar, second in the general classification,
about to head off.
In the general classification,
he's three minutes and 26 seconds behind Vingegaard.
What will the deficit be at the finish?
The last rider to start is Jonas Vingegaard.
This is the time trial of his life.
His goal, keep the yellow jersey and make sure he takes it to Paris.
Okay, Jonas. Come on. Do a good start.
The pressure on his shoulders is immense.
For now, Pogačar is faster than van Aert.
Come on, push it downhill. There's a tiny bit of up coming.
Don't worry, Jonas. Going really well.
Pogačar is giving everything he's got. Right to the limit.
Vingegaard is riding flat out, taking all kinds of risks.
Descent coming.
It's a highly technical section.
Even van Aert seems worried for him.
Whoa!
Pogačar approaches the finish.
The Slovenian who keeps coming back,
but he won't be wearing yellow in Paris this year.
Vingegaard on the final climb.
The second-best time…
It's Wout or you winning the stage. It's Wout or you winning the stage.
I'll tell you that you finish second. You wanted that.
I said before the stage, to Grischa, that
if the stage was to be decided between Wout and me,
he should say it to me. And then I would slow down.
Art, our PR manager, uh, he said, like, "Yeah, maybe he's giving it to you."
I was like, "What are you saying?"
So actually, I was emotional from that moment
because I never thought about… about this.
Jonas Vingegaard takes his foot off the gas for the finish.
And Wout van Aert is going to win this stage.
Final corner for the yellow jersey who can start to enjoy things.
Jonas Vingegaard will be the Tour de France winner
in Paris tomorrow.
You don't often see Wout van Aert cry.
I won it for my family. For my girlfriend and for my daughter.
A Danish winner
for a Tour de France that set off in Denmark three weeks ago.
So proud of you, Jonas.
So proud. You won the Tour now, huh. You've really won the Tour.
What's it mean to win the Tour de France?
I'm… I'm just so happy and proud.
I want to win races and, uh…
today I hoped to take this stage.
Apparently, he has such a big heart that he, uh,
that he… that he thought the same.
Everyone is so happy for each other. And I'm…
I'm also really, really happy for Wout to win today.
The most beautiful moment for me in the Tour,
and a moment I will never forget.
Yeah, these guys are really my friends.
They, uh… Yeah.
-Brothers. -Yeah, brothers, I'd say.
STAGE 21
The general classification is set. It won't change.
But for the sprinters, the Tour isn't over.
The Champs-Élysées is their Holy Grail.
SPRINTER / QUICK-STEP ALPHA VINYL
In the end, what Jakobsen has done this year is close to a miracle.
It's hard to come back from a serious injury. He was close to death.
He came back.
To me, Jakobsen is a real hero.
After the crash in Poland, and fighting for my life…
I want to do what I like to do. And that's race.
We have to stop speaking about the traumatic crash.
We have to look forwards.
And we take it with us, as a bad memory. But I think it made him stronger.
First time Champs-Élysées.
And, yeah, I wanted to sprint for the win.
Okay, boys.
We are in Paris, this is the last one. And it's a very important one.
It always goes fast and it's really tough.
And the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées,
especially when it comes down, you really get hit.
Whatever scenario there is,
Fabio has to be here in a position that he can win in.
And Fabio, it's a sprint.
Usually a long sprint, a tough sprint. Because you only have one acceleration.
And it's not like on a flat sprint. You can directly take two bikes.
But once you have the spot, you just go.
-Yeah. -Okay.
But once we get to the Champs-Élysées, it's full on. Full gas.
Your legs are gonna swell.
You're not going to feel really good. Everybody's gonna laugh and smile.
But we stay just focused on the race.
I knew I had a good shot.
It's been in the back of my head for the last 4-5 days of the…
of the Tour.
So, I really wanted to get a result there.
SPRINTER / ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK
I have good motivation for today. It's one last sprint and the Tour's over.
I can start drinking beer and eating pizza after.
Today is probably one of the most important as a sprinter.
Because everybody wants to win and raise their arms
on the iconic Champs-Élysées.
It's just something I really look forward to now. And, uh…
Do my fucking best the last 200 metres.
Okay, guys. The last one.
-The hardest one. -Champs-Élysées.
Le ultimate Grande Ar.
Eh?
Jasper, you do the sprint today? You think it's time?
We discussed a bit and Edward will be the last man for you today.
Question. Why we do this?
Why do we want to suddenly change this?
It's not really changing.
But we've spoken it through also with Alexander,
and we think that is the right composition seeing…
the strength he has also for the moment left at the end of these three weeks.
For me, it's, uh… I agree, also. But, uh--
So it's good then?
But it's just, um, to change the habits for the last stages,
I don't know if that's the right…
So our goal is to perform every time as good as possible.
We try to set a standard.
I see something in my head, and the result has to be like that.
Otherwise, uh, for me, there is no point.
I think we all know what we do, but it's just habits that, uh…
Yeah, of course, I understand, Jasper, but…
I think we have to think about optimizing our full potential.
Christoph, our sports director, he puts on a bit, uh, a bit more pressure.
I really don't care. Uh…
to retry or to restart, or…
It has to be like I think in my mind it can be.
Having survived the mountains,
this is a much anticipated moment for the sprinters.
And the 21st and final stage of the Tour de France is off.
It goes from Défense Arena de Paris to the Champs-Élysées.
STAGE 21
The first part of the stage is a procession, a party. A real parade.
Jumbo-Visma savour their victory, a hundred kilometres from the finish line.
This year, they guided us through the Louvre. Where we just kind of raced.
The sprinters get ready, another 60 km to the finish line.
You know it's the last stage, so you just can go full for the win.
A change of atmosphere. We're approaching the Champs-Élysées.
We enter the finalé.
The pace is picking up.
Everybody knows his task.
We ain't going to lose this one. Come on!
As a sport director, you just want to get the best out of the riders.
It's a bit like your own children. You just want that it doesn't go wrong.
And you just want to be there to support them the whole way.
Fabio Jakobsen, fully focused.
Yeah okay, but you stay with Fabio. Bagi, you pull.
The peloton around the Arc de Triomphe.
Riding the Champs-Élysées is not a walk in the park. It's tough.
The surface of the road is bad.
Because you have some cobbles that are loose on the tarmac.
Look at those vibrations.
You realise just how much the chains move when you ride over cobbles at 60 km/h.
TEAM AREA ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK
You're all right in the peloton, waiting for each other.
All good, you guys. Perfect.
All right! Come on, guys! Keep going! Keep going!
The speed is incredible. They seem to fly when they pass by.
Two laps from the finish, the teams reform.
You can see the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team in front of Fabio Jakobsen.
Two laps to go. Come on.
-There is Fabio, in the middle. -Oh yeah, right there.
-Sénéchal is in front of him. -Good.
They are suffering on a bike. I am suffering in the seat.
And, of course, you hope
that all the sacrifice of the kids of three weeks,
to bring him to the finish, that it will be rewarded with a win.
And after this corner,
this will be the last lap of the Tour de France.
The sprint teams try to find each other again.
If we don't pull now, ten guys in front will never come back.
Okay, guys. Now we pull full. Bagio.
All the way. Come on, boys. Now we pull full.
Quick-Step is trying to regain control, but it's tough.
They're all over the place!
Yves and Florian, you stay with Fabio.
Tom, surely we're not alone.
I know. I know.
We're not going to tell those guys.
Yeah, but they shouldn't panic either.
They're the ones in the race.
I saw him riding just now and he was sprinting already.
You can’t keep riding that fast.
And Philipsen is brought back up by his team.
If you are in 10th position, you can still get close.
It's going to be a sprint pure on the power.
Boys, we have the fastest on board.
You fight for position.
Groupama-FDJ attacks.
Fabio Jakobsen in pursuit.
Jasper, last final.
He has to be in front now. It's the last K.
Philipsen takes matters in hand
and takes advantage of another team's work.
That's not a good position to be in.
This is the most important turn.
Last right-hand turn.
They can see the Arc de Triomphe, the finish line is close.
All the sprinters are there.
Fabio Jakobsen, ready to start his sprint.
Oh, there's a problem!
Fuck.
Fabio has a mechanical, uh, problem.
I was gonna start my sprint.
And I just pedalled into thin air.
So, I lost the chain, probably on a small dip.
The Champs-Élysées is not flat.
That's why it's such an iconic finish.
So, probably, I was just unlucky.
We're 300 metres from the finish.
It's time for the sprinters to hit full speed.
Pedersen is there.
Here comes Dylan Groenewegen!
Dylan Groenewegen, launching his sprint from a long way out.
Groenewegen is in the lead.
And Jasper Philipsen is gunning for it on the right.
Jasper Philipsen wins on the Champs-Élysées!
Whoo-hoo!
Yeah!
I did finish the Tour.
It's something that usually makes you stronger,
so I try to look at the positive.
But, uh…
losing is not one of my best abilities.
He still had a lead out and I got speed.
I still rode on a bit but I had problems.
Three weeks, three weeks, and then…
Oh, that sucks, man, a real bummer.
I always learnt, even if you lose, and I hate losing, the world turns.
There will be an evening, there will be a next morning.
With us, without us. Whatever. The world goes on.
It's something you will keep on remembering for the rest of your life,
and will always be proud of. That was just beautiful.
Not everybody's like I am.
When you win one time, you want to win twice.
And when you win twice, you want to win three times.
And that's how it goes.
If you have a good Tour, everyone is happy and drunk.
If it doesn't go well then, they get drunk anyway.
-Hip, hip. -Hooray!
We have to keep moving forward, keep working.
I'm trying to find other ways to win the Tour. Maybe I'll get there.
Maybe I won't ever get there.
But mentally and in terms of determination…
yes, yes, and yes.
The Tour is just the biggest within cycling.
I would like to come back to the Tour de France.
I think we have a good chance of winning it again.
What I hope that people have learned from this series about our sport
is that it's really a team sport.
If people are going to see that, I will be happy.
Whoa!
Eh!