The Tour de France finished last Sunday with the traditional parade into Paris followed by several high speed laps around the Champs-Elysees. This year's tour lacked any serious attacking by the top GC contenders. They all appeared to be biding their time until the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe would crack under the pressure of wearing the Yellow Jersey for nearly the entire race.
Things finally came to life in the last few days that featured three big days of climbing in the French Alps. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the penultimate climbing stage was cut short due to hail and mud slides. The racers times were taken at the top of the Col d'Iseran and as a result Alaphillipe finally lost the race lead to Egan Bernal who only had to hold his GC leader position on Stage 20, which also ended up being shortened due to the same mud slides.
The race appeared to be building to a crescendo with Thibaut Pinot showing signs of being the top climber in the tour. But everything came crashing down on Stage 19. Not just the hail and mud slides, but also Pinot's race as he retired just 30 kilometers into the stage due to a torn thigh muscle.
This week's challenge pays tribute to Thibaut Pinot, one of France's top racers and strongest hope to once again have a Frenchman win le Tour.
Succession Wines 2017 Pinot Noir v. R. Dubois & Fils 2015 Nuits Saint Georges Burgundy
