2023-07-14 10:31:03
They arrive, they are there, the mountains of the Jura and the Alps, desired as much as feared, with this mountain trilogy which, until the next day of rest on July 17 in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, promises many adventures. The first week of the Tour de France was careful not to freeze the hierarchies definitively: suspense on the first floor between the two extraterrestrials Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, uncertainty everywhere for the other race – on the podium – concerning the eight riders who complete the top 10.
The actors therefore prepare their lines, without really knowing their order of entry on stage and in peaks. From act 1 this Friday, July 14, in the Jura, on this Grand Colombier with its arrival perched at an altitude of 1,500 m? During act 2 on Saturday, on one of the six climbs on the program up to Morzine – Les Portes du Soleil which could well open up to hell for some? In the provisionally conclusive act 3 between Les Gets and Saint-Gervais where the line is once again installed at the top?
There is no rush for the two giants
The yellow jersey and his fervent pursuer will not necessarily be the main leaders of the sequence. After all, the Grand Colombier stage is damn similar to the Puy de Dôme stage, and the two giants can content themselves, as far as they are concerned, with transforming it into a hill climb and measured effort. On the other two, more favorable for him if we are to believe Jonas Vingegaard, will the Dane seek with his team a collective strategy of attrition well in the tradition of the Jumbo-Visma? And will Tadej Pogacar let his temper speak to the point of constantly attacking to eat away at his rival’s head and legs? In their latest statements, the two champions have often mentioned the third week, as if they had convinced themselves not to play too much with fire in this infernal test of endurance.
So has the time finally come for these French climbers who swear to keep some under the pedal? “I can’t wait to be at the Grand Colombier, if we could set the record straight, that would be great”, projected David Gaudu on Wednesday. The leader of Groupama-FDJ, 9th in the general classification, swears to be always in the nails, even if from the start he is a tone below his main opponents for this fantasized third place.
The French at the developer
His teammate Thibaut Pinot, a tad impatient from playing model guides, scattered his ants in his legs this Thursday on the roads of Beaujolais. He did not win, but he has now just entered the top 10. Problem: he says he left feathers in the breakaway crossing the vineyards. This is not necessarily the best way to approach the Alps. On which put a third thief of the troop, the recent champion of France Valentin Madouas. His blue white red jersey at the front for July 14? For Groupama-FDJ, the next three days are in any case decisive.
Will the other Blues have the legs to challenge the unevenness ahead? We no longer really know if Romain Bardet is capable, as in the past, of really being a player in the race. He likes long-distance alpine trips. And Sunday’s stage can bring back good memories. Those of 2016, when he signed on the rise of Bettex a small masterpiece of ascent hoisting him to second place in the general classification. “I have nine or ten days left to inflate my balance sheet, because it is very meager until then”recognizes the champion.
The same skepticism invites itself concerning Guillaume Martin. The leader of the Cofidis formation worked hard this Thursday in the breakaway which allowed his teammate Ion Izagirre to win the stage in Belleville-en-Beaujolais. “Victory calls for victory”, he commented, crossed the line. His is still waiting on a Grand Tour. And Warren Barguil? The Breton, also set back since the start of the Tour, ensures that he is gaining momentum. In 2021 and 2022, he had retired at the 14th and 13th stages. Revenge time? After the surprise success of Victor Lafay from the second stage, a new stage gain for the Blues would be welcome. The last double dates back to 2020.
#Jura #Alps #await #heroes