The 2020 Tour was originally scheduled to take place from 27 June to 19 July. To keep the flame of the race burning, letour.fr will relive every day a glorious or curious race event that happened two, fifteen or forty years ago. A trip down memory lane…
True to character, the classics specialist joined a stellar breakaway in stage 16 —a romp through the heart of the Pyrenees— and launched a solo move on the ascent to Portet d'Aspet. After crowning the mountain alone, the Belgian rider tackled the descent with gusto, but he overcooked a corner and crashed into a ravine. Despite falling from a height of several metres and what would later be diagnosed as a fractured kneecap, Phil Gil' managed to cross the finish line in Bagnères-de-Luchon in 142nd place, far behind stage winner and teammate Julian Alaphilippe