EF Education-EasyPost took the race to the peloton on Stage 17 of the Tour de France.

Ben Healy, Alex Baudin, Michael Valgren, Richard Carapaz, Max Walker, and Kasper Asgreen threw themselves into the fray, as every classics rider in the peloton tried to get ahead of the sprinters on the climbs between Chambéry and Voiron. Ben and Max opened up the racing on the Côte de Rossillon, where Richie summited first to take KOM points. Alex then accelerated away with a powerful group of 20. Ben took advantage of a lull in the chase to bridge across from the peloton behind and then went on the attack with five of the strongest classics riders in the world. Ben tried to shake them on the run-in to Voiron but couldn’t get away. Alex and Michael caught him up in the final kilometers. Michael had a go on the final kicker, but the race came down to a sprint.

Tomorrow, we hit the Alps and the squad is going to go all in for a stage win.

“I wanted to be in good position, because I knew the roads perfectly and I knew I’d have a hard time at the back, so I stayed up front at the start – and I found myself in the breakaway. Then I could see the corner up ahead, the fan zone, so that was really cool. We tried something with Ben when he came back; I think what we did was the best way to win today. But it didn’t work. We’re going to try again.

“The fan zone was very impressive! I think it was four times the size of last year. It wasn’t just for me; it was for the whole crew in Chambéry. We’ve got a big group here racing, so everyone came out to cheer us on. It was really cool, like last year. I got goosebumps when I saw them.

“In the final kilometers, Ben was done after his breakaway, so we only had Michael and me. I tried to find a moment to move in that group, but it was so fast I just couldn’t go any faster. Then in the final I got blocked, and it wasn’t good for me – so, no result.

“It’s almost Paris. It is crazy how fast it’s going now. I’ve just got to empty the tank for the last few days.” – Alex Baudin

“We don’t have a sprinter, and it was a super hard first part of the race, though geographically easier later. As always, there was an awful lot going on, and there were quick riders up front – Philipsen and company, all of the sprinters – so we knew we had to get out ahead of them. Ben did that. But then, when the Philipsen and Van der Poel group started pulling, the gaps started coming down, so we tried to work as much as we could to build a good gap before that.

“Stuyven anticipated after the sprint. But still, the force of that group behind was what it was. It was a big group with Quick-Step well represented, too. Michael tried his best on the final climb, because that’s where our best chances were, and unfortunately they came up a bit short. We’re not going to stop trying. Alex is obviously great. Richie’s super. We’re going to go all in again and keep going and, Sunday night, when it’s over, we’ll know where we stand.” – Charly Wegelius, sports director

Michael Valgren’s performance on the final climb of Stage 17 was impressive in itself. To go with the attacks and try to break the sprinters’ chase, the Dane averaged 483 watts for three minutes and 31 seconds. More impressive were his accelerations within that effort. First, Michael hit out with an 820-watt jump to go with the move. His next peak was 901 watts. And then he did a 1,006-watt acceleration close to the summit.

The Alex Baudin fan club was out in full force on the Col des Prés. There was no way we were going to miss it, so we joined Alex’s family and friends on their corner, 50 kilometers into the race, and enjoyed the party for 45 minutes. They’d been there since 8 a.m. The people who have known him since he was a little kid are very proud of Alex and blown away by all of the fans he has made with his yellow jersey exploits at the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes and polka dots at this Tour de France.

Owen and Chris adapted a classic British school-time dessert for the squad this evening. Eton Mess is traditionally a mash of meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries. To reduce the fat content and increase protein to better suit a mid-Tour de France treat, Owen and Chris replaced the whipped cream with Greek yogurt. Their version doesn’t just taste great, it powers recovery. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

960 g 0% Greek yogurt

400 g mixed berries

For the meringues

⁠160 g egg whites (about 5 large)

320 g caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar (optional, for a slightly chewier centre)

1 tsp cornflour (optional)

Method

For the meringues

⁠Heat oven to 100°C fan.

Whisk egg whites to soft peaks.

Gradually add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking until thick, glossy and no sugar crystals remain.

⁠Fold in the vinegar and cornflour if using.

Pipe or spoon 8 nests onto baking paper.

Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, then switch the oven off and leave inside until completely cold (ideally overnight).

⁠Store airtight with silica gel or paper towel until service.

To serve:

Spoon yogurt into eight bowls (120 g per bowl).

Lightly crush the meringue over the top (40 g per bowl).

Finish with the berries (50 g per bowl).

The flamme rouge is a red kite that organizers hang over the road to mark one kilometer to go in a bike race. It literally means red flame. The original design, still in use today, is a red pennant, reminiscent of a bright lick of fire. The flamme rouge was first introduced to the sport in 1906 to give racers a clear, visible signal that it was time to sprint.