Pau (AFP)

Julian Alaphilippe did better than keep the yellow jersey, he won Friday against the time trial of Pau, 13th stage of the Tour de France who wondered about his chances of victory.

Alaphilippe beat the outgoing winner of the Tour, Welshman Geraint Thomas, by 14 seconds. On the anniversary of the appearance of the yellow jersey one hundred years ago, Alaphilippe shone a thousand lights over the 27.2 kilometers of the course.

The 27-year-old Frenchman made a splash to win his second stage since leaving Brussels, the world's number-one.

"Super", "impressive", the former champions (Merckx, Thévenet, Hinault) present at the finish have unfolded the carpet of praise to salute the performance of Alaphilippe, boosted in his defense of the yellow jersey.

How far will Alaphilippe go? "When we see that he beats the winner of last year in a time trial, we can ask questions," said the great Merckx, somewhat puzzled by the final pest of the winner of the stage . Even if the heavy mountain program, in the Pyrenees and especially the Alps, has not yet begun.

"If he continues like that, he will win," said Thomas, the first of the favorites of this Tour. The Welsh, the first of the favorites, will tackle the first arrival at altitude, Saturday, at the top of the mythical Tourmalet, with a delay of 1 min 26 seconds on the French.

Sign of a tightening of values ​​in this Tour, Thomas took just 12 seconds to Colombian Rigoberto Uran, 4th of the stage in the same second as the Belgian Thomas De Gendt. Twelve riders, including Dutchman Sgeven Kruijswijk and Australian Richie Porte (31 sec), were less than a minute behind the Welsh.

- Thomas in front of Bernal -

Thibaut Pinot, author of an excellent course, was at this level. The Frenchman, who gave up just 35 seconds to the winner of the 2018 Tour, has risen from 10th to 7th overall.

Among the losers of the day, Colombian climber Egan Bernal lost 1 minute 22 seconds to Thomas, his teammate. He fell two notches in 5th place to almost a minute and a half of Welsh.

The hierarchy is therefore likely to be fixed within the Ineos team, the best armed in the Tour. Even if the team Deceuninck Alaphilippe now has two runners at the top of the table. The Spanish Enric Mas (new best young white jersey), his leader announced for the overall classification, is in 4th place.

In this time trial, the only one on the Tour this year, the British Adam Yates and the Colombian Nairo Quintana have lost time. And, even more, the Frenchman Romain Bardet, in a bad light and relegated to nearly two and a half minutes from Alaphilippus, transcended.

- "I was transported" -

"I was transported by the yellow jersey," acknowledged the winner, the first French winner of a lap time since ... 1987 and the double success of Jean-François Bernard at Mont Ventoux and Dijon.

"I made the first game and I tried to limit as much as possible in the final, I surpassed myself and, finally, I take time," said the yellow jersey.

"I knew I could do something good, but I did not think I won, I was surprised, I was ultra-motivated, I had the path in my head, I wanted to do well," added " alaf ".

The following ? "I know that France dreams that I keep the jersey as long as possible." Tomorrow (Saturday), it is an arrival at the top, it will be completely different, "replied Alaphilippe who holds the same speech:" I continue to take day in and day out, it's a good start, but on a non-category climb, it's nothing at all. "

In contrast, Belgium's Wout Van Aert, winner of the Albi stage on Monday, crashed into a bend on the last kilometer and gave up. Two other specialists, Switzerland's Stefan Küng and Germany's Maximilian Schachmann, also fell in this time.

Saturday, the Tour exceeds for the first time this year the 2000 meters of altitude. The 14th stage, limited to 117.5 kilometers from Tarbes, climbs the Soulor and ends at the top of the Col du Tourmalet, the "giant" of the Pyrenees.

© 2019 AFP