Lennard Kämna is missing a tiny thing to win his first stage in this year's Tour de France: in the brutal last few meters, the exhausted German professional cyclist is caught at the first mountain finish of the tour. But instead of disappointment, there is now anticipation for more.
Lennard Kämna was 100 meters short of his second victory on a stage of the Tour de France. On the dusty, super-steep Super Planche des Belles Filles, the professional cyclist from the Bora-hansgrohe team was almost within reach of the finish line of one of the most spectacular sections of this year's Tour of France when a bitter spectacle unfolded before the eyes of the cycling fans: over 170 Kämna already had kilometers in his legs when he started to work his way up the hard climb to the first mountain finish of the 109th Tour de France, fighting the last kilometers doggedly on the solo ride towards the day's victory.
But those damn last few meters, that brutal incline of 24 percent, finally wore the German professional down: he had to watch helplessly as day winners Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic passed him on the gravel track. "You just think: Oaah, crap," said Kämna afterwards, as the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported. "But somehow I already knew that they would catch up with me."
The TV cameras caught the 25-year-old's facial expression as the Tour favorites snatched the triumph from him. You could almost guess a smile in this bitter moment. Maybe it was just resignation or - most likely - total exhaustion. In any case, it wasn't a disappointment, and Kämna didn't want to let it grow: "What should I be upset about now, that's no use," said Kämna, "the tour is still long."
Kämna missed the 2021 Tour de France because he had already ended his season in May. "After much deliberation and in close consultation with my coach and the team, I have decided not to take part in the Tour de France this year," he said at the time. "The decision was very difficult for me, and it also hurts," said Kämna, who won the 16th stage of the Tour of France in 2020. "Unfortunately, the past few weeks have blocked me more mentally than I wanted to admit at first."
So now he came back and produced a big story of that tour. Even if he didn't want to make it bigger himself: he was "completely in the bucket". "It's a great pity, but I can't blame myself for anything. I couldn't have gone a second faster," said the man from Bremen: "It's just annoying that we still have to drive this mountain of dirt at the end. I would have wished that the goal over there. That would have been great."
After the exhausting, ultimately futile ride up to La Planche des Belles Filles, the Giro stage winner has not yet given up the hunt for the second victory in a Grand Tour section this year. On the contrary, new opportunities awaited in the coming weeks, he told ARD. "For sure. Today I had really great legs and I'm really in the tour now."
In the end, defending champion Pogacar won the stage, just as the Slovenian is likely to win the Tour. The success of La Planche des Belles Filles, this dramatic fight to the last meter, was an extraordinary one even for the voracious dominator who mercilessly bites away every rebellious competitor."It was really hard, especially the last piece. Then Vingegaard attacked , he was so strong. But my team worked so hard all day. And my girlfriend finished, I couldn't disappoint her. That's why I really wanted to win. I wanted to win this a long time ago," said Pogacar , who got a kiss from his friend Urska as a reward at the finish. "In cycling you have to take every opportunity to gain time," added the Slovenian, who is now 35 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the overall standings. Pogacar had already distanced itself from the competition on Thursday and stormed into the yellow jersey after a tough climb.
Kämna's captain Alexander Wlassow, on the other hand, suffered the next setback in the fight for the desired podium place one day after his fall. The Russian is in twelfth place, 2:41 minutes behind dominator Pogacar, Kämna is 3:26 minutes behind, five places behind him in 17th place. Kämna is not convinced that he could be given the role of the weakening Vlasov in the near future. "I don't think so. Of course it's annoying for Alex. I think he noticed yesterday's fall. It doesn't leave anyone untouched. Now let's see what we'll do in the next few weeks," he said this time narrowly beaten German time trial champions.
