Mountains, Monarchs and a Look Ahead to Sunday

Oh, those mountains! Yesterday's Le Tour stage was So Much Fun! BUT ... first let me start us out with something beautiful. This lovely butterfly flew by me as I was locking the door to the shop, preparing to get to my car and go home for the day. I have milkweed blooming in my little "garden" next to my back door, and it flew by and landed on the milkweed flowers. So pretty. I took a quick run of photos and wanted to share one with all of you because ... PRETTY! 

Just look at this gorgeous Monarch butterfly paying a
visit to one of my blooming milkweed plants at
the shop. It was such a gift to have this beauty
perch and stay long enough for photographs. 

So, today we enter Stage 19 of Le Tour de France. It's hard to believe that it's all coming to an end on Sunday, but it's really wonderful having the last days in the giants of the Alps. Today we're heading from Saint_Jean-de-Maurienne to Tignes, a total of 126.5 km. This is a much shorter stage than yesterday's giant, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Take a look at the profile. 

Today we have one giant mountain, but it's basically an uphill
run for a lot of kilometers before the peak. It might be a
short stage, but it's not a piece of cake. 

Congratulations go out to Nairo Quintana who won yesterday's first Alpen stage. I've loved Quintana since his first appearance in Le Tour, when he actually came in second place and nabbed a podium step. He's Columbian, he loves the mountains, and he's a pure climber. Give him a mountain and he's going to get up in. He's a total joy to watch. Here's the official blurb for today's stage. 

The first rider at the top of the Iseran will be awarded the Souvenir Henri-Desgrange. It’s the highest peak of the Tour de France this year and it’s very high: 2770 metres. This giant has been climbed by the riders only seven times in the past, since 1938. Its summit is only 37.5km before the stage finish in Tignes throughout a severe 7.4-km long climb. It’s a short stage too. All ingredients are there for pure climbers to express their skills. Julian Alaphilippe remains in the yellow jersey but he knows the likes of Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas and Thibaut Pinot will give him a hard time. And there is a new threat: Nairo Quintana! Stage winner in Valloire, the Colombian is back in the top 10 overall, seventh with a deficit of 3’54’’. He has two last mountain stages to turn the Tour upside down or target his fourth final podium.

So, after 18 stages, Alaphillipe is still in Yellow, Sagan is still in Green and Geraint Thomas is still behind, but he's regained some of the time he lost in the Pyrenees and now is only 001' 35" behind Alaphillipe. One rider I've been enjoying is Egan Bernal (Tean Ineos/Col) who has been getting rather consistent with his "Best Young Rider" status. It would not surprise me to see him on the top of the podium in a future year, he's an excellent rider. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale/Fra) took the polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey yesterday, while Nairo Quintana won the stage. Two riders have abandoned today - Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb) - I've probably completely ruined the Sunweb rider's name. Apologies. 

Today's stage will be fabulous, and if Alaphillipe can keep his momentum (and his ability to descend with abandon in the great mountains), he might well pull this year's TdF off and stand on the top step on Sunday. If that's the case, France will go totally crazy to have a Frenchman pull off the win in the 100th anniversary of the yellow jersey event. 

Have a great day, enjoy yourself, and try to stay cool if you're one of my many friends in a heat wave right now. I'll be back tomorrow for the final day in the Alps and a look ahead at Sunday's conclusion.