DISCUSSION Tour de France Stage 15 | Can a Grand Tour be won without a strong team? Should domestiques get more recognition?

Stage 15 of the Tour de France was the last stage of the second week of the Tour de France. It was expected to be a chaotic day, with many men involved in the breakaway. After three exhausting days in the Pyrenees, the riders still had the strength to deliver a memorable spectacle.

A high-caliber breakaway was the protagonist of the day. Riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, or Quinn Simmons were once again present in the front group. Today, however, the spotlight was on a very different kind of rider: the domestiques. They are the unsung heroes of the peloton, working in the shadows for their team leaders, and today, they had their moment to shine. Tim Wellens and Victor Campenaerts animated the stage with constant attacks and tactical brilliance.

In the end, it was the UAE Team Emirates rider who came out on top. Wellens, known more for his selfless efforts to help Pogacar than his personal glory, delivered a stunning solo win that marked the fifth victory for UAE in this Tour. A well-deserved reward for one of the hardest-working riders in the race, and a reminder that behind every GC contender, there’s a team full of potential winners.

Once the stage finished, we asked some of our writers to share their thoughts and main takeaways about what happened today.

Stifling stage for the stage chasers in the Tour de France. It was ridden at a breakneck pace for the first two thirds of the day, although in the end it ended up being more of a transition day for the men in the general classification.

A big congratulations to Tim Wellens who was the strongest and rode tactically perfect. A well-deserved victory for one of Tadej Pogacar's trusted men in UAE Team Emirates - XRG.

As for the Spaniards, great work of Carlos Rodriguez and Ivan Romeo who have tried and have been present in the breakaway despite setbacks. The Andalusian has climbed one more place in the general classification. The presence of Wellens and Carlos has made the EF Education-EasyPost wanted to defend its position in the classification and UAE has been able to avoid pulling the peloton.

An interesting stage with another massive breakaway fight, spreading all throughout the flat start but ultimately only going up the road in the first climbs of the day. An elite group of stage hunters in the current context... To win in the Tour you need to be a great rider, there is no space for non-great riders. Peak form Wellens, Campenaerts, Simmons, Storer, etc in front makes for such a good spectacle, and the use of their abilities for different types of attacks was an enjoyable dynamic to follow.

Wellens won out of power, his form this year is above any previous other and not only did he bring the Belgian national champion jersey home, but he became Pogacar's right-hand man and now has his own Tour victory (and an impressive full Grand Tour win achievement) in his palmarès. Chapeau.

There was a minor GC fight with luck rewarding the brave, Carlos Rodríguez and Jordan Jegat in particular. I am really enjoying Jegat's race, climbing like never before, putting a small ProTeam directly in the Top10 battle this deep into the Tour, and specially because he is a rider truly having a breakthrough these past few months.

Having these riders in front meant also EF and Uno-X worked behind which is a nice sight, having the smaller teams take over the responsibility and showing us fans just how important a place in the Top10 can be - which in return, also helps us enjoy more from the race other than the fights for the victories.

Little note to Tadej Pogacar covering Matteo Jorgenson's attacks directly... We see you!

Overshadowed by the success of Pogacar, we usually tend to forget what a great rider Tim Wellens is. I’ve done my research, and the Belgian has 41 wins in his professional career so far, 41!!! To put that into perspective, Julian Alaphilippe has 44, Wout van Aert has 50, and Jonas Vingegaard has 38.

The Belgian rider has been one of Pogacar’s best domestiques in the last couple of years. He was key in Tadej’s previous Tour de France win, and he will also be remembered as one of the pivotal pieces in this year’s success.

Tim is an all-rounder. He can compete for victories in one-day races, he can climb mountains, and he can do all the dirty work for his leaders. I am particularly happy about his victory, because domestiques tend to be forgotten very quickly.

No rider wins a Grand Tour alone. Sure, there are rare exceptions (Tadej Pogacar might be one of them), but for the vast majority of Tour, Giro, or Vuelta winners, victory is only possible thanks to the work of a team built around them. Riders, sports directors, mechanics, soigneurs... the glory belongs to many, even if history often only remembers one name.

Victor Campenaerts plays the same role as Wellens, but for Visma | Lease a Bike. He came in second (although he was far away from Wellens), but he has also contributed a lot to his team’s success. Interestingly, though, I detect a pattern. Even when Pogacar and Vingegaard are not the ones fighting for the stage victory, the same result happens: UAE wins, and Visma is second.

Today, the battle of the domestiques yielded the same result as the battle of the GC leaders. One thing is clear: UAE’s dominance extends to all fields.

Apart from that, the stage had some GC fight as well. Carlos Rodríguez and Jordan Jegat took the opportunity to climb positions in the general classification. Being in the breakaway was a smart move in my opinion. It is true that their initial intentions were to fight for the stage victory, and they fell short, but still, they knew today was a day when the peloton would take it easy. They both recovered more than 4 minutes.