It was a fantastic stage to bring to a conclusion a fantastic week in the Alps. From Pierre Rolland continuing where he had left off the day before in going after as many King of the Mountains points as he could, to Voigt's big effort, to Quintana winning solo as he so deserved, to Froome crossing the line moments later to all but carve his name into the Tour de France winning trophy, it was a great finish.
You know, when they put this stage together just a day before Paris the race organisors must have hoped that the Yellow jersey battle would have come down to this climb and not just the King of the Mountains prize and had you been told before the Tour started that Froome would come into the day with more than a five minutes lead you might have thought it would be a dull finish to the climbing, but as this Tour has proven throughout: Just because someone has a pretty commanding lead in the general classification -- even from the earliest days of the second week of the Tour, it doesn't mean the racing itself can't be great to watch and indeed even the battle at the sharp end of the overall standings have proved intriguing to the end.
While Froome just had to save himself from any kind of disaster day, those placed in the four positions behind him had everything to race for. Seconds separated second to fifth and two spots on the podium were very much up for grabs. Arriving into the Alps, Alberto Contador had hoped to try take the race to Froome. To attack him on the climbs and the descents and try to break his spirit. And try he did, winning himself many fans, but it never worked and in the end it only served to exhaust himself. But as he said last week, it didn't matter to him where he finished if it was't in first and so he was willing to risk his place on the podium.
Once Rolland and his group, that included Tejay Van Garderen -- trying to redeem himself for falling short on Alpe d'Huez -- had been caught, followed shortly after by Voigt it became a showdown for the top five. The pace was high before they even hit the climb and it shrank the group to just a handful of riders. At first it seemed as though Froome might ride for his superb domestique, Richie Porte, to try pay him back with a stage win, but when Quintana and Rodriguez attacked, it looked as though Porte accepted he couldn't go with them and allowed Froome to go on ahead. Froome bridged across and attacked himself.
This wasn't the Froome we seen on Ventoux however. He didn't quite have the strength to continue on ... the three weeks of racing taking their toll even on him it would seem, and the two climbers got on terms with him. The result however was a broken Contador who himself was exhausted after three weeks of chasing. His legs and even his age catching up to him at last, no longer the punchy attacking rider we once knew, he began to lose time heavily and with it that podium position he was prepared to risk.
The three that were becoming the podium three of this years Tour, fittingly you might say, took the race to it's final summit. Froome looked to be struggling but suddenly found the legs to attack. I think in hindsight it was the act of a tired man, testing his rivals to see if perhaps they were feeling worse than he. But they weren't. They caught him and then Quintana went alone with just over a kilometre left. Rodriguez had no answer but to ride on ahead of Froome and so they each came over the finishing line alone with a job complete.
For Quintana he had won a stage he utterly deserved giving his attacking instincts throughout this Tour. For Rodriguez had had succeeded in using the Alps to jump his way up the standings and onto the podium with perfect timing. And for Froome it meant all he need do now is stay up right into Paris to become the second British winner of the Tour de France in two years.
For me Quintana might be the best young talent to come into the Tour de France since Jan Ullrich in 1996. Back then Ullrich won the White jersey and finish second overall but had gotten stronger and stronger as the race went on proving to the world that he was on the path to greatness. As it turns out he won the Tour the year later but would never win it again ... issues over his weight and commitment to training often getting in his way of overcoming a certain Lance Armstrong. Now it's Quintana coming second and winning the White jersey and even adding the King of the Mountains to it. In 1996 it was Richard Virenque who won that polka-dot jersey -- something Rolland failed to do despite his frequent long attacks chasing every point he could much in the guise of Virenque -- and not Ullrich, so Quintana has something on him there. Can he come back in 2014 and go one step further on the podium? Chris Froome will hope not.
And so with the Alps now behind us and another Tour all but into the history books we head to Paris for the first night stage in what I like to refer to as the annual Mark Cavendish final stage win. It's going to be a great setting and while not even the Green jersey remains up for grabs, it'll still be a special stage to watch as the 170 men still left in this Tour charge up and down the Champs-Élysées in front of every past competitor of the Tour still alive as the 100th edition of this great race comes to a close.
Stage 20 result
1. Quintana in 3h 39'04''
2. Rodriguez + 18''
3. Froome + 29''
4. Valverde 1'42''
5. Porte + 2'17''
6. Talansky + 2'27''
7. Contador + 2'28''
General classification after stage 20
1. Froome in 80h 49'33''
2. Quintana + 5'03''
3. Rodriguez + 5'47''
4. Contador + 7'10''
5. Kreuziger + 8'10''
6. Mollema + 12'25''
King of the Mountains classification after stage 20
1. Quintana - 147 pts
2. Froome - 136 pts
3. Rolland 119 pts
