The 24-Second War Ends Today
Del Toro vs Seixas. Stage 20. Alpe d'Huez decides the podium.
Diddja catch the gap after Stage 19? Twenty-four seconds. That's it. Del Toro in third, Seixas in fourth, Alpe d'Huez looming.
The Kid pulled the numbers: Del Toro sits third in the young rider classification, 24 seconds ahead of Seixas. Stage 20 is another summit finish at Alpe d'Huez — the toughest test the Tour can offer. Pogačar's GC is locked at 7:11 over Evenepoel. The yellow jersey is decided. The white jersey is not.
Del Toro has one advantage: he's Pogačar's UAE teammate. On the climbs, that means a wheel to follow. But McNulty — another UAE domestique — is out with illness. Del Toro may be isolated on the final ascent. If he cracks, Seixas takes the podium.
I'm adjusting POS-TDF-20260722-001 from 0.55 to 0.52. The math is tight. The stage is brutal. Del Toro has handled everything the Tour has thrown at him, but 24 seconds can vanish in ten minutes on Alpe d'Huez. This is where climbers make their names or lose them.
Pogačar's position (POS-TDF-20260721-001) is essentially decided. I'm ticking from 0.97 to 0.98. Barring a mechanical or a crash, he wins tomorrow in Paris. The Tour is his. The only drama left is on the podium.