Heartbroken Simon Geschke

You can be that sad.

Simon Geschke was inconsolable.

On Thursday's last mountain stage, the most difficult in the Pyrenees over three mountain giants, he lost a piece of material that he and German cycling fans had grown fond of.

The Freiburg professional wore the polka dot jersey reserved for the best climber in the Tour de France.

Or rather for the one who has collected the most points in mountain classifications.

There are also points at smaller elevations, so you need a good plan.

Geschke had that, and he also took the opportunity when his captain in the Cofidis team, the Frenchman Guillaume Martin, was no longer able to compete in the ninth stage after a positive corona test.

The switch was flipped at Cofidis.

The team was now working for Geschke to win the mountain jersey.

Anyone who wears this prestigious white jersey with its 75 red points (Geschke counted) to Paris will end up on stage in front of an audience of millions, together with the wearers of the yellow and green jerseys.

With the overall winner and the best points collector in the sprints.

Geschke didn't miss much.

His dream burst late.

Only on the last mountain stage.

He wore the jersey for nine days and successfully defended it every day with the help of his team and with a lot of heart and passion.

Then his strength left him, a chance was gone that will probably never come again.

What disappointment!

So sad you can be.

Stubborn Chris Froome

Chris Froome?

Thought some to be a joke before this tour.

Others with a little more empathy saw him as a driver of the sad figure.

Born in Kenya, the Brit won the Tour de France four times between 2013 and 2017.

In 2019, when he was preparing to win the fifth title at the Dauphiné Tour, he drove into a wall while inspecting the time trial course and seriously injured himself.

Froome had taken his hand off the handlebars at 60 km/h to blow his nose and was then thrown off track by a gust of wind.

Broke a femur, hip, elbow and four ribs.

He underwent eight hours of surgery and was in the hospital for weeks.

Nine months later he was racing again, but he was only riding behind, a shadow of himself. He finished last year's Tour de France in 133rd place. Even those who meant well with him encouraged him: Stop it, let it be, be glad you're still alive!

But Froome drove on.

He needs time, he said.

Much time.

But he will come back to the top.

When the tour started that year, he was back on the starting line.

Surprise and pity met him.

Then, on the king's stage with the finish in Alpe d'Huez, the liberation: third place.

What nobody expected except him happened: Froome is back!

It was a gift that he later dropped out because of a positive Covid test.

Superman Wout van Aert

Wout van Aert was always easy to see in the field of 176 riders, whose number has been reduced to 135 over the course of the Tour.

He drove the second, third and fourth stage in yellow, the rest in green, the jersey of the sprinter with the best points.

That was helpful, you recognized him immediately in the big crowd.

However, the green jersey was not the ideal solution.

A dress code appropriate to his performance would have looked different.

Red trousers, a blue shirt with a large red "S" on it on a yellow background.

And a red cape.

super man

At least that's how he rode this tour.

Like Superman.

He was on the podium in eight stages.

He won three.

Four times he was second.