2023-07-18 06:28:07
The long-awaited duel does not disappoint. Ten seconds is what separates the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, yellow jersey of the Tour de France, from the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, at the time of starting the third and last week of competition on Tuesday July 18. The day after a rest day in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, the duel between the two favorites will continue at a distance during an individual time trial. A steep 22.4 km uphill course between Passy and Combloux (Haute-Savoie), which could prove decisive.
Sunday July 16, in the final climb to Saint-Gervais, Tadej Pogacar, had let his lieutenant, the Briton Adam Yates, take the lead, to better launch his own attack against his rival. Insufficient. The yellow jersey did not yield the slightest centimeter, stuck to the wheel of the Slovenian who subsequently stood up twice on the pedals, before resolving to a draw. “Neither of us managed to take time from the other”soberly noted the Dane Jonas Vingegaard who had, for his part, “not for plan” to attack, according to his words, considering that he had “not much to gain”.
Inseparable
In a tweet, Tadej Pogacar even had fun with his rivalry with the yellow jersey, exposing a photo of the two men, elbow-to-elbow, to the nearest second, with the caption “On the way to the rest day and straight to the café with Jonas”.
Heading into the rest day and straight to the coffee shop with @j_vingegaard
☕️????#tdf2023pic.twitter.com/UfbHkC2qZk— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) July 16, 2023
Whatever, the duel announced for months between the two cyclists continues to take place and could find an outcome through the stage of the time trial. “Tuesday and Wednesday will be decisive. I think there will be gaps on the clock and Wednesday we will do one of the toughest climbs in the world., estimated Tadej Pogacar, to launch hostilities. In fact, the day after the time trial, a new high mountain stage awaits the riders, concluded with the interminable ascent (28.1 km) of the Col de la Loze. “I like short lap times like that with a lot of change of pace”retorted the Dane, still “confident in the plans” of his Jumbo-Visma team.
« In the time trial, there is no strategy, you have to go as fast as possible. »
For Pierre Lagrue, sports historian (1), since the start of the Tour, the two riders “are of equal strength”. “Their teams support them but they don’t make a difference. If one starts, the other holds its wheel and vice versa »explains the specialist. “Over the last two days, they were strictly marked and arrived together. But in the time trial, there is no strategy, you have to go as fast as possible. »
For the historian, the fastest at the end of this sixteenth stage will have “big chance” to win the Tour, even if the last big mountain event (between Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc and Courchevel, Wednesday July 19) can still change the situation. “We remember Tadej Pogacar putting 1 minute 50 to Primož Roglič in the time trial in 2021. The latter had somehow forgotten to win the Tour de France, that year… we will see if a scenario like that happens say again ! »
In this frantic race between the leaders of the Jumbo-Visma and UAE Emirates teams, it is difficult for the other riders to exist. Fatalist, the French cyclist David Gaudu, currently 9th in the general classification, conceded at the microphone of Eurosport: “If they are stronger than us, that’s how it is. I can’t do much else. »
“I’m not down, but you have to be lucid, in front, they are two notches above me”, recognized the rider of the Groupama-FDJ team. And for good reason, the two men broke the records for climbing the Col de Marie-Blanque, the Tourmalet (relegating the times of Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich, in 2003, to more than 2 minutes) and now the Grand Colombier with power-to-weight ratios rarely seen since the 1990s and the reign of Spaniard Miguel Indurain.
This duel, staged in the media for months, is up to expectations. “Sportingly, they are at the top”analyzes Pierre Lagrue. “We had doubts about Pogacar, after his wrist injury (during the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April 2023, Ed), but he quickly dispelled the doubts, and today the two are clearly above the lot. We have to resolve it. »
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The problem of motorcycles under study
Saturday July 15, in the ascent of the Col de Joux Plane, Tadej Pogacar launches an attack against Jonas Vingegaard. Crucial perhaps, a few kilometers from the finish. But after a few meters, the Slovenian has to cut his effort and sit back in his saddle, blocked by a motorcycle, itself stuck by the crowd at the edge of the road. So that such an incident, which may have distorted the race, does not happen again, the International Cycling Union (UCI) is currently working on a rear radar system for motorcycles. This was indicated by former Australian cyclist Adam Hansen, president of the riders’ union. “It will happen soon”, even assured Richard Plugge, boss of the Jumbo-Visma team and president of the International Association of Professional Cycling Groups.
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