TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 – STAGE 19
MOIRANS-EN-MONTAGNE – POLIGNY

0.004: THE TIGHEST WIN
172.8 kilometres of all-out battle… And a minimal gap on the line captured by Tissot’s photofinish. Only 6 centimetres separated Matej Mohoric from Kasper Asgreen in Poligny. At a speed of 58.6 km/h as they crossed the line, that represents only 0.004 seconds!

3: HAT-TRICK FOR MOHORIC
Third win at the Tour for Matej Mohoric after Le Creusot and Libourne 2021 (both from the break and the latter being stage 19 like today). The Slovenian has won also at the Vuelta (Cuenca 2017) and at the Giro (Gualdo Tadino 2018).
This year Mohoric had won only on his home land so far: the Novo Mesto stage of the Tour of Slovenia.

40: A ROUND NUMBER FOR SLOVENIA
This was the 40th Slovenian stage win in a Grand Tour: 16 at the Tour, 15 at the Vuelta, 9 at the Giro.
The country is independent since 1991, and opened its account in the Grand Tours with Borut Bozic, winning the Xativa stage at the 2009 Vuelta.

2: QUALITY WINNERS
Just like Kasper Asgreen yesterday, whose last two World Tour wins were a Monument and a Tour stage (Ronde Van Vlaanderen 2021, Bourg-en-Bresse at the Tour), the same applies to Matej Mohoric. His last two World Tour wins are the Milano-Sanremo of 2022 and today’s stage.

49.130: 5TH FASTEST STAGE IN HISTORY
The profile of the stage has inspired the attackers, with a great fight for the break, and this resulted in an impressing average speed over the 172.8 kms between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny. After two hours of battle, a group of eight had a slight margin despite a 48.1 kph effort. The intensity never dropped and a lead trio raced the last 30 kms in 52.0 kph, while the group took it easier at 41.3 kph. At the finish, the first recorded a speed of 49.130 kph, the 5th fastest stage in history, just behind the 49.376 kph of last year between Binche and Longwy.

16: NOT JUST PHILIPSEN
Despite Jasper Philipsen winning 4 stages this year, we had no less than 16 different stage winners so far, the highest value since 2019.

3: BAHRAIN CAN ONLY GET BETTER
Third win at this Tour for Bahrain Victorious after Pello Bilbao in Issoire and Wout Poels in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc: they equalled their best edition (2021).

2X3: THAT SENSE OF DEJA-VU
Kasper Asgreen is at his 4th stage podium: his only win came yesterday, the others are all 2nd places (Gap 2019, Saint-Emilion TT 2021, Poligny 2023).
…a similar pattern for Ben O’Connor: winner in Tignes in 2021, and two more podiums, always in third: Issoire and Poligny this year.

25: A VIRTUAL TIE
25th Maillot Jaune for Jonas Vingegaard: he equals “virtually” François Faber, who was leader 25 times from 1909 to 1911, but without the jersey, which was introduced in 1919.

1985: TO PARTY OR NOT TO PARTY?
In recent times, the Belgian National Day doesn’t bring luck to Belgian riders. Their last win on this day came in 1985, Rudy Matthijs in Paris.
Since then, 38 stages have been run on this day, and none of them was won by a Belgian.
Today, the best Belgian at the finish was Jasper Philipsen, 4th.