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Who Among Us? TdF26-133
This title amused me. But it was what this sextet was thinking, "Who among us will win this stage?" With the chase group losing ground, and the peloton still over five minutes behind, it was clear that this is who is racing for stage honors today. Only Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step) doesn't have to win the stage to have achieved his goal of the day. If he crosses the line in third or better, he will take over the lead in the King of the Mountains competition. He did not. He finished fourth on the day. So Mauro Schmid (Jayco-Alula) was hoping to get a second stage victory. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) was hoping to win the stage to rewrite the current story of his team. The rest, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Tobias Johannessen (Uno X-Mobility) and Raul Garcia Pierna (Movistar) were hoping to win their first stage of this Tour. For Carapaz, Jorgenson, and Gacia Pierna it would also be the first stage win for their team also. Not everyone will achieve their goals. But then that is bike racing.