TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 – STAGE 13
CHÂTILLON-SUR-CHALARONNE – GRAND COLOMBIER

43’51”: POGACAR FLIES ON GRAND COLOMBIER

While Michal Kwiatkowski held off his chasers with an average speed of 22.1km/h up Grand Colombier, Tadej Pogacar was stronger than anyone… even stronger than himself in 2020. According to the speeds recorded by NTT Data, the Slovenian 2-time winner of the Tour covered the 17-km ascent in 43’51’’ (23.5km/h). That’s also 1’46’’ faster than the Strava KOM he set on the climb when he powered to victory in 2020. Pogacar had an impressive kick at 36.4km/h inside the last 500 metres to distance his rivals.

1030: 7TH WIN FOR POLAND
Michal Kwiatkowski wins his second Tour stage, 1030 days after his first one: La Roche-sur-Foron, 17th of September 2020.
It’s the 7th win for Poland at the Tour: 3 by Rafal Majka, 2 for Kwiatkowski, 1 for Zenon Jaskula and Maciej Bodnar.

9: IT’S A CLOSE AFFAIR
9” between Maillot Jaune and runner-up, the 6th smallest gap in history after stage 13:
• 1” Cadel Evans – Fränk Schleck, 2008
• 3” Raphael Geminiani – Vito Favero, 1958
• 6” Rinaldo Nocentini – Alberto Contador, 2009
• 6” Fabio Aru – Chris Froome, 2017
• 7” Laurent Fignon – Greg Lemond, 1989
• 9” Jonas Vingegaard – Tadej Pogacar, 2023

5: MOUNTAIN INEOS
The last 5 wins by team Ineos (formerly Sky) at the Tour all came in high mountain or uphill finishes:
• Geraint Thomas: La Rosière and L’Alpe d’Huez 2018;
• Michal Kwiatkowski: La Roche-sur-Foron 2020 and Grand Colombier 2023;
• Tom Pidcock: L’Alpe d’Huez 2020.
And in 2019, Egan Bernal was also first at Col d’Iseran, but there was no stage winner on that day as the race had to be interrupted for safety reasons.
The British team’s previous success came in Düsseldorf (Germany), when Thomas won the opening time-trial of the Tour 2017.

1: POLAND AND HORS CATEGORIE
Winning a Hors Catégorie climb is a first for Michal Kwiatkowski, but not for a Polish rider: Rafal Majka collected 5 (Pla d’Adet 2014, Tourmalet 2015, Grand Colombier and Bisanne 2016, Aubisque 2018).

20: POGACAR IN THE TOP-3
Tadej Pogacar finished 3rd, taking his top-3 placements in Tour stages to 20 (out of 76 stages, a ratio of 26%). The breakdown is: 10 wins, 3 second places, 7 third places.

19: VINGEGAARD ADDS ANOTHER ONE
19th Maillot Jaune for Jonas Vingegaard, joining at the 25th all-time spot Fausto Coppi, André Darrigade, Rudi Altig, Roger Pingeon, Felice Gimondi, Dietrich Thurau and Vincenzo Nibali.

77: DRAMA FOR ITALY
Italy’s win drought reaches 77 individual stages, equalling the worst streak by the country (Dijon 1979-Nantes 1983). The last winner for Italy was Vincenzo Nibali, in Val-Thorens, 2019.
Italy posted its maiden win at the Grande Boucle at the 92nd stage in history (Ernesto Azzini, Paris 1910).

10: THE WAY TO THE TOP
10th green jersey for Jasper Philipsen, the same as his compatriot Roger De Vlaeminck. The Belgian record is „just“ 60 stages ahead: Freddy Maertens collected 70 green jerseys, the third all-time value behind the 130 of Peter Sagan and 86 by Erik Zabel.