OFFICIAL Stage 17 Results: It's A Lot!
Laurens De Jong
Hello, Tour de France Gamers!
STAGE Grade: A
I rate today’s stage an A. It
should be higher, this is the best stage of this year’s Tour de France and
the best stage of any stage race this year. Forget stage 9 of the Giro
d’Italia Women. Forget any other race this year, today proved once again
that God himself invented the bicycle so we could all enjoy our beautiful sport
of cycling.
So buckle up, this report is very long. Sporza said during the broadcast, “we can’t
summarize this race.” If the Belgians can’t do it, what chance do I have? Read
on!
Route: 4/5 GC: 1/5 Tactics: 5/5 Sprint: 5/5 Surprises: 5/5
Mathieu van der Poel won stage 17 of the 2026 Tour de France. I was right, yesterday. Well, I mean, Jasper Philipsen was first across the finish line. But cycling is a team sport, and van der Poel carried his team to victory today.
Sporza described the stage as a “juniors race,” and I can’t disagree. For the second time in a week, countless riders were under the impression they were in a bicycle race. Attacks, counters, solo efforts, we had everything today. And a bunch sprint.
Van der Poel was among the first to attack. A breakaway formed with twenty-two riders. Missing: Philipsen. Missing: Pedersen. That made sense to me. Alpecin – Premier Tech is betting on van der Poel to win the stage. Pedersen can sit up if enough riders are ahead — Philipsen won’t be gaining points on him. The two are battling for the green jersey, after all.
Pedersen panicked, however. He, or the team car, decided to chase after the group van der Poel. Fifteen seconds, ten, eight. Quinn Simmons even dropped back from the breakaway, but Pedersen cracked on that climb. Talk about burning matches. All day we saw a number of attacks by Mads Pedersen, who would be given the combativity award for the day. He wasn’t counting matches today, and he was spending them wildly. This may affect the green jersey battle later this week.
It was van der Poel who kept the breakaway out of reach for Pedersen. Was that intentional? Was van der Poel trying to make the breakaway work, or was he just trying to wear out Pedersen? Cycling is a team sport.
Regardless. Van der Poel’s pace was so high that it broke up the peloton. Forty riders, then a gap. The fact that Tadej Pogačar was among the forty tells a story. Pogačar knows how to read the race, and he wasn’t going to lose time here. Remco Evenepoel was there as well. Behind the gap were the likes of Isaac del Toro and Tom Pidcock.
The entire valley del Toro and Pidcock had to chase. Talk about burning matches. Through the valley and over the Côte de Saint-Jean d'Arvey. Talk about burning matches. It was racing. In the middle of a Tour de France stage. So hectic and fierce was the racing that there were no motards — no motorcycle coverage on TV. All we saw was helicopter shots. The motards couldn’t keep up.
After all that racing the peloton was now back where they started. The loop through the hills was complete, what followed was 100 kilometers of more or less flat. A little over 60 kilometers to the intermediate sprint. An entire new race was about to begin. The group Pedersen had been gapped by 40 seconds, but who was going to pull the lead group — and why? The answer: nobody. No reason. Van der Poel, the attacker, could sit up. If the group Pedersen rejoined, then Philipsen had another chance to win sprint points.
Some of the riders in the group of 40 had other ideas, though. I saw Joshua Tarling attack, and Jasper Stuyven followed, and Mathieu van der Poel followed them. Talk about burning matches, van der Poel wasn’t counting them, either. The 40 broke up. Fourteen leaders, then everyone else including Pogačar. They sat up, Pedersen, del Toro, Pidcock, and everyone else rejoined.
Now the situation was: the 14 ahead; the peloton with some of the sprinters left. Eventually Decathlon CMA CGM realized that a bunch sprint finish was still possible. They started organizing the chase. Sometimes with help from Uno-X Mobility. Together they brought the gap from a minute to twenty seconds.
Just as Adam Yates dropped out of the peloton (feeling ill, he’ll probably abandon tomorrow), it was Pedersen who attacked from there. Like a junior racer! He saw the breakaway in the distance and he thought: “I have to get there. I have to get there.” Forgot that he’s here to win the green jersey. Forgot that he’s burned all those matches. Forgot that all he has to do is sit in Philipsen’s wheel. In cycling, you eat the other guy’s lunch before you start on your own. Every junior knows that, Pedersen forgot.
He was more right than wrong, though. The riders behind him were in disbelief of what they saw, and they stopped pedaling. While Pedersen bridged to the breakaway and found Simmons willing to pull that group all the way to the intermediate sprint, the peloton behind them fell apart.
Between the leaders and the peloton I counted five, six groups of riders. All desperate to bridge. No idea who they were. Where was Philipsen? Where was Olav Kooij? No idea — this was the move, though. The peloton and everyone in it had missed the boat, if you were still in that group then the race was over. Learn to read the race.
Ahead, still 33 kilometers to the intermediate sprint, it was Pedersen himself, again, who went on the attack. Van der Poel countered. Talk about burning matches. He had to: letting Pedersen escape is giving up the green jersey. Just like everyone in the peloton had lost the race, Philipsen was about to miss the boat if Pedersen wasn’t contained.
The TV finally told us that Philipsen was in one of those chase groups. Forty seconds behind, they had lost time since Pedersen had left the peloton. Philipsen, I thought, had missed the boat. The green jersey battle was over.
For thirty kilometers Philipsen, joined by Kooij, chased the group Pedersen. So committed was Pedersen that he broke up his group. Van der Poel couldn’t follow. Philipsen’s chances were evaporating in front of us. Talk about burning matches, everyone burnt all their matches.
Pedersen won the intermediate sprint, Edward Planckaert behind him either couldn’t or didn’t try to challenge. Planckaert is Philipsen’s teammate. If he couldn’t then Pedersen had more matches left than I thought. If he didn’t try then I think the logic is: let Pedersen burn another match. Maybe he’ll crack, Philipsen comes back, and we can still win the stage.
The group Philipsen was thirty seconds behind and Pedersen’s teammates Derek Gee-West and Simmons understood the assignment. They tried to outsprint Philipsen to the nine points still left at the line there. They failed, but they tried. Cycling is a team sport, and it doesn’t matter if those two burn their final matches here.
A textbook moment in a stage race. Right after the intermediate sprint, Jasper Stuyven attacked from the breakaway — the others sat up. Pedersen must have realized he had burned enough matches. The others might want to, but couldn’t chase Stuyven.
This was, in a sense, Pedersen’s nightmare scenario. No longer part of a group who were willing to work together, he was being chased by a group very willing to work together. Philipsen, even Kooij, would happily sprint for second place. While Stuyven was taking 20 seconds on the group Pedersen, the chasers gained quickly on Pedersen.
Thirty seconds for Pedersen, then suddenly ten, then the chase was over. There were now 44 riders chasing Stuyven, who was 44 seconds ahead. And 15 kilometers left. The textbook says: Stuyven has no chance. And that textbook is correct: 3,500 meters from the finish, Stuyven was caught.
In those final kilometers, van der Poel chased down attacks twice, maybe three times. Talk about burning matches, he had none left. He dropped to the middle of the pack, and saw Philipsen right behind him. Cycling is a team sport. Van der Poel had no matches left, but he had to bring Philipsen to the front. In a few hundred meters, he moved from 25th to fourth, Philipsen right behind him, and 1,400 meters to go. Perfect, for Philipsen.
At the flamme rouge, Joshua Tarling attacked. Solo. Once more van der Poel brought him back. What matches? Pedersen attacked from eight place, van der Poel didn’t let him pass. With 350 meters to go, van der Poel turned the counter to Pedersen’s move into a lead-out. With zero matches left, he gave Philipsen a lead-out so good that by the time Philipsen launched, there was nobody behind him. Nobody else is on the Lynx photo, just Philipsen.
After a second, the rest of the sprinters come across the line. Exhausted. Pedersen, zero matches, had dropped down to eight place.
Philipsen went to the podium to receive the flowers, but van der Poel had won the stage. And Philipsen gained 34 points on Pedersen in the green jersey competition; they’re almost tied. This stage was a beautiful reminder for us of what it means to be a cylicst.
Both Xander Meurisse and Brandon McNulty were hit by cars in normal road traffic on Tuesday. Both are mostly okay, although McNulty was dropped on the first climb of the day. A sad reminder for us of what it means to be a cyclist.
Max Kanter is our focus rider today. He is on Team Cameron* and nobody else. Surprising because Kanter is a good sprinter. He’s just not in the top tier sprinters like Philipsen, Kooij, Tim Merlier, Biniam Germay. Teams had to make a choice: one more sprinter, or a general classification rider? They chose the latter, only Team Cameron was brave enough to stick with Kanter.
He’s finished second, fourth, seventh, and ninth in the 2026 Tour de France. Enough to be ranked 16th among all riders in points in our game. By far the most of any rider picked by just one team. But today was not his day: he finished 154th, nearly eleven minutes down, in the final grupetto of the race if you don’t count the unfortunate Yates and the two riders who were with him. Zero points for Kanter today.
Watch the final kilometer HERE.
Watch the FloBikes highlights HERE.
Watch NBC Sports’ Extended highlights HERE.
Read the TNT Sports report HERE.
Spoiler alert: Team Josh and Team Tadej traded places again today, everyone else remained where they were.
Team Ansel won today, but it was a small points kind of day. Eight teams had four riders in the Top-25, I won’t name them all. Team Ansel is still tied with Team Tadej for most points from classifications. And they tied for most points from the stage with Team Charles and Team Josh. It was one of those days.
Team Josh did finish second today, ahead of Team Hugo and Team Charles. Fifth place was shared, Team Caleb and Team Matthew went back to their tying ways. Seventh place was for Team Tadej, just behind.
In eighth we found Team Oliver. Team Wesley were ninth, just ahead of Team Amalia in tenth. Two teams missed the boat today: Team Cameron in eleventh and Team Grace in twelfth.
Stage 18 on Thursday will be the first of three decisive mountain stages. The riders will start with a category 1 climb, then two smaller categorized climbs, and then the intermediate sprint. I have seen Pedersen do some magic on climbs of this caliber; he might still be there after three summits. Philipsen won’t be, this is too much for him.
Then one more category 3 climb, followed by a mountain top finish on the category 1 climb to Orcières-Merlette. This should be a breakaway kind of day, which is why Pedersen has a chance to still be there for sprint points. If he is, then Simmons will have helped him, and I can see the American champion go from there to winning the stage. Unless Pogačar does his Pogačar thing again, I think Simmons will finally get his Tour stage victory.
Standings after stage 17:
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Ansel* |
4010 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Josh* |
3834 |
3 |
1 |
|
3 |
Team Tadej* |
3826 |
2 |
-1 |
|
4 |
Team Hugo* |
3565 |
4 |
0 |
|
5 |
Team Charles* |
3408 |
5 |
0 |
|
6 |
Team Caleb* |
3225 |
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
Team Matthew* |
3149 |
7 |
0 |
|
8 |
Team Oliver* |
2951 |
8 |
0 |
|
9 |
Team Amalia* |
2727 |
9 |
0 |
|
10 |
Team Wesley* |
2188 |
10 |
0 |
|
11 |
Team Grace* |
1465 |
11 |
0 |
|
12 |
Team Cameron* |
1183 |
12 |
0 |
Standings after stage 17 (including dogs and adults):
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Ansel* |
4010 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Kent |
3867 |
2 |
0 |
|
3 |
Team Kari |
3840 |
4 |
1 |
|
4 |
Team Josh* |
3834 |
5 |
1 |
|
5 |
Team Tadej* |
3826 |
3 |
-2 |
|
6 |
Team Amelia |
3801 |
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
Team Melanie |
3744 |
7 |
0 |
|
8 |
Team Rob |
3694 |
8 |
0 |
|
9 |
Team Eric |
3676 |
9 |
0 |
|
10 |
Team Jon |
3604 |
10 |
0 |
|
11 |
Team Kurt |
3586 |
11 |
0 |
|
12 |
Team Hugo* |
3565 |
12 |
0 |
|
13 |
Team Craig |
3533 |
13 |
0 |
|
14 |
Team Julie |
3479 |
15 |
1 |
|
15 |
Team Jonwaine |
3413 |
14 |
-1 |
|
16 |
Team Charles* |
3408 |
16 |
0 |
|
17 |
Team Laurens |
3358 |
17 |
0 |
|
18 |
Team Ed |
3327 |
18 |
0 |
|
19 |
Team Corsa |
3245 |
19 |
0 |
|
20 |
Team Caleb* |
3225 |
20 |
0 |
|
21 |
Team Ambrose |
3184 |
22 |
1 |
|
22 |
Team Matthew* |
3149 |
21 |
-1 |
|
23 |
Team Kate |
3024 |
23 |
0 |
|
24 |
Team Grace |
2987 |
24 |
0 |
|
25 |
Team Oliver* |
2951 |
25 |
0 |
|
26 |
Team Ellie |
2905 |
26 |
0 |
|
27 |
Team Cameron |
2887 |
29 |
2 |
|
28 |
Team Adam |
2828 |
28 |
0 |
|
29 |
Team Jonathan |
2808 |
27 |
-2 |
|
30 |
Team Charlotte |
2803 |
30 |
0 |
|
31 |
Team Amalia* |
2727 |
31 |
0 |
|
32 |
Team Suzanne |
2578 |
32 |
0 |
|
33 |
Team Erin |
2552 |
33 |
0 |
|
34 |
Team Furner |
2516 |
34 |
0 |
|
35 |
Team Lichterman |
2420 |
36 |
1 |
|
36 |
Team Allison |
2407 |
35 |
-1 |
|
37 |
Team Wesley |
2261 |
38 |
1 |
|
38 |
Team Chris |
2241 |
37 |
-1 |
|
39 |
Team Wesley* |
2188 |
39 |
0 |
|
40 |
Team Senna# |
2123 |
40 |
0 |
|
41 |
Team Izzy |
2068 |
41 |
0 |
|
42 |
Team Valerie |
1561 |
42 |
0 |
|
43 |
Team Grace* |
1465 |
43 |
0 |
|
44 |
Team Cameron* |
1183 |
44 |
0 |
|
45 |
Team Sam |
1138 |
45 |
0 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 17:
|
Name |
STAGE RESULTS |
YELLOW JERSEY |
GREEN JERSEY |
POLKA DOT JERSEY |
WHITE JERSEY |
POINTS/CLASS |
TOTAL |
PREVIOUS |
CUM. TOTAL |
|
Team Amalia* |
61 |
27 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
44 |
105 |
2622 |
2727 |
|
Team Ansel* |
94 |
48 |
13 |
8 |
12 |
83 |
177 |
3833 |
4010 |
|
Team Caleb* |
73 |
37 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
65 |
138 |
3087 |
3225 |
|
Team Cameron* |
55 |
16 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
25 |
80 |
1103 |
1183 |
|
Team Charles* |
94 |
37 |
13 |
8 |
9 |
69 |
163 |
3245 |
3408 |
|
Team Grace* |
39 |
13 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
22 |
61 |
1404 |
1465 |
|
Team Hugo* |
90 |
40 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
75 |
165 |
3400 |
3565 |
|
Team Josh* |
94 |
43 |
13 |
8 |
12 |
78 |
172 |
3662 |
3834 |
|
Team Matthew* |
73 |
37 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
65 |
138 |
3011 |
3149 |
|
Team Oliver* |
53 |
33 |
12 |
11 |
3 |
61 |
114 |
2837 |
2951 |
|
Team Tadej* |
53 |
47 |
12 |
8 |
14 |
83 |
136 |
3690 |
3826 |
|
Team Wesley* |
50 |
39 |
0 |
8 |
9 |
56 |
106 |
2082 |
2188 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 17 (including dogs and adults):
|
40 |
34 |
7 |
10 |
12 |
63 |
103 |
2725 |
2828 |
|
|
Team Allison |
33 |
24 |
8 |
6 |
9 |
49 |
82 |
2325 |
2407 |
|
Team Amalia* |
61 |
27 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
44 |
105 |
2622 |
2727 |
|
Team Ambrose |
107 |
37 |
13 |
8 |
9 |
69 |
176 |
3008 |
3184 |
|
Team Amelia |
79 |
49 |
10 |
8 |
15 |
84 |
163 |
3638 |
3801 |
|
Team Ansel* |
94 |
48 |
13 |
8 |
12 |
83 |
177 |
3833 |
4010 |
|
Team Caleb* |
73 |
37 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
65 |
138 |
3087 |
3225 |
|
Team Cameron |
111 |
35 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
65 |
176 |
2711 |
2887 |
|
Team Cameron* |
55 |
16 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
25 |
80 |
1103 |
1183 |
|
Team Charles* |
94 |
37 |
13 |
8 |
9 |
69 |
163 |
3245 |
3408 |
|
Team Charlotte |
35 |
32 |
4 |
13 |
11 |
60 |
95 |
2708 |
2803 |
|
Team Chris |
35 |
29 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
45 |
80 |
2161 |
2241 |
|
Team Corsa |
58 |
40 |
12 |
8 |
12 |
74 |
132 |
3113 |
3245 |
|
Team Craig |
65 |
42 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
80 |
145 |
3388 |
3533 |
|
Team Ed |
70 |
37 |
12 |
8 |
9 |
68 |
138 |
3189 |
3327 |
|
Team Ellie |
73 |
33 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
65 |
138 |
2767 |
2905 |
|
Team Eric |
73 |
43 |
12 |
15 |
12 |
84 |
157 |
3519 |
3676 |
|
Team Erin |
20 |
33 |
3 |
11 |
6 |
53 |
73 |
2479 |
2552 |
|
Team Furner |
48 |
34 |
4 |
9 |
13 |
60 |
108 |
2408 |
2516 |
|
Team Grace |
68 |
36 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
68 |
136 |
2851 |
2987 |
|
Team Grace* |
39 |
13 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
22 |
61 |
1404 |
1465 |
|
Team Hugo* |
90 |
40 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
75 |
165 |
3400 |
3565 |
|
Team Izzy |
68 |
18 |
9 |
8 |
5 |
42 |
110 |
1958 |
2068 |
|
Team Jon |
68 |
44 |
12 |
8 |
14 |
80 |
148 |
3456 |
3604 |
|
Team Jonathan |
20 |
41 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
56 |
76 |
2732 |
2808 |
|
Team Jonwaine |
4 |
52 |
0 |
11 |
14 |
77 |
81 |
3332 |
3413 |
|
Team Josh* |
94 |
43 |
13 |
8 |
12 |
78 |
172 |
3662 |
3834 |
|
Team Julie |
68 |
43 |
12 |
11 |
12 |
80 |
148 |
3331 |
3479 |
|
Team Kari |
73 |
47 |
12 |
11 |
14 |
86 |
159 |
3681 |
3840 |
|
Team Kate |
90 |
28 |
12 |
10 |
3 |
55 |
145 |
2879 |
3024 |
|
Team Kent |
68 |
47 |
12 |
11 |
14 |
86 |
154 |
3713 |
3867 |
|
Team Kurt |
99 |
43 |
13 |
15 |
11 |
84 |
183 |
3403 |
3586 |
|
Team Laurens |
76 |
45 |
5 |
11 |
12 |
73 |
149 |
3209 |
3358 |
|
Team Lichterman |
58 |
26 |
12 |
6 |
6 |
52 |
110 |
2310 |
2420 |
|
Team Matthew* |
73 |
37 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
65 |
138 |
3011 |
3149 |
|
Team Melanie |
111 |
40 |
13 |
11 |
12 |
78 |
189 |
3555 |
3744 |
|
Team Oliver* |
53 |
33 |
12 |
11 |
3 |
61 |
114 |
2837 |
2951 |
|
Team Rob |
68 |
48 |
12 |
8 |
12 |
82 |
150 |
3544 |
3694 |
|
Team Sam |
14 |
17 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
27 |
41 |
1097 |
1138 |
|
Team Senna# |
98 |
22 |
9 |
7 |
0 |
40 |
138 |
1985 |
2123 |
|
Team Suzanne |
19 |
37 |
3 |
8 |
9 |
57 |
76 |
2502 |
2578 |
|
Team Tadej* |
53 |
47 |
12 |
8 |
14 |
83 |
136 |
3690 |
3826 |
|
Team Valerie |
62 |
10 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
26 |
88 |
1473 |
1561 |
|
Team Wesley |
73 |
24 |
9 |
7 |
0 |
42 |
115 |
2146 |
2261 |
|
Team Wesley* |
50 |
39 |
0 |
8 |
9 |
56 |
106 |
2082 |
2188 |
Allez le Tour!
-Laurens.