In the last mountain stage of the Tour, Kevin Vermaerke asserted himself for Team dsm-firmenich, showcasing a valiant effort in the front of the race.
The peloton rolled out in Belfort as they awaited a final brutal day in the mountains. Despite having already completed a tough 19 stages wherein they saw a huge amount of vertical metres, the battle ignited right at the beginning and the bunch immediately split, as Vermaerke, Chris Hamilton and Nils Eekhoff made it into the chasing bunch.
Later in the race, Vermaerke saw his chance to make the jump to the leading group and accelerated from the yellow jersey group. The American exhibited his climbing qualities one more time this Tour de France and made it into the front group with 62 kilometres to go. Once he arrived, the talented 22-year-old from Team dsm-firmenich did not stop there and rode daringly with competitors such as Ciconne, Pinot and Pidcock. In the end, he had to let go of the wheels on the Petit Ballon, after which he continued the race at his own pace. Riding it into the finish, Vermaerke once again showed a promising display on the attack.
