LILLE (France) – Here we are, a few hours and it will be the Tour de FranceThe day before yesterday we witnessed the enormous embrace that the crowd in Lille reserved for the riders, but perhaps it would be more correct to say the Tour itself. It was complicated to walk and We journalists had a hard time, despite having a pass, to reach the entry point of the mixed zone, Right in the center of the Grand Place. We felt like we were at the Palio di Siena, in the middle of Piazza del Campo and with the racetrack all around us.
But if the Palio was postponed due to bad weather, the Tour is certainly going ahead. There is great anticipation for this duel which, as many hope, could become a three-way challenge. We're talking about the showdown between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, plus the third man on the 2024 podium: Remco Evenepoel.
The atmosphere here in France seems relaxed, but that's just an appearance. Everyone is ready to give their all, and now This Tour is also a challenge between teams, especially in the direct clash between the Danish Visma-Lease a Bike and the Slovenian of the UAE Emirates. And the compliments they exchanged seem to be stilettos disguised as compliments.
Pogacar's show
But let's start from the 2024 podium, so from Tadej pogacarOf the three, he seemed, to be honest, the most relaxed and carefree. Wearing the yellow fisherman's hat provided by the organizers, he stood on the stage in Lille, cracking jokes in French. "Hello, how are you?", a sort of one man show.
«With Jonas – said Pogacar – there is a great rivalry. On long climbs, Vingegaard is the best rider and he can also go very fast in time trials, Sometimes even better than me. Sometimes there can be some friction between me, him, and our teams, but there's a lot of respect at the core, and when the race is over, everything is over. I think it will be a very exciting month for all the spectators, both at home and on the roads."
Pogacar then also spoke about this start of the Tour. An easier start than in recent years, but precisely for this reason potentially more dangerous, especially since in the next few days it seems that the weather will change with wind first and then rain.
"In these first stages," Tadej said, "you can lose the Tour de France. The first thing, therefore, will be to save yourself. Of course, some of these initial stages are also opportunities and I will definitely try to gain some time (The reference is to tomorrow's race with a steep finish, ed.). But above all, I mustn't have any problems and arrive safely at the final week."
Vingegaard's plan
"I'm at a level I've never seen before; it took my body almost a year to recover after the accident." And again: "I admired Contador, but if we're talking about history, Tadej is the greatest." These seemingly contradictory and cryptic statements emerged from the Dane's press conference. Vingegaard appeared smiling, calm, but ready to launch an attack.
«Last year too – said Jonas – I competed at a very high level at the Tour, but there is a difference compared to this year, and it is significant. I put on a little more weight, due to the muscle mass I gained. It took me much longer than expected to get back to my initial state, almost a year after many weeks spent in bed. However, in the last few months, my body has started to feel better than before the accident in the Basque Country. I can say I'm stronger than ever: Today I am at the highest level I have ever reached»
And then come the statements that seem to have struck a chord with Tadej. Circulating among team circles, it seems that Pogacar, for whom everything slips away, paid attention to the following words.
"I have enormous respect for Pogačar," the Dane said, "as does my entire team, but without fear. Otherwise, it wouldn't have even been smart to come to the Tour if we'd thought otherwise. I have a dream team both in the mountains and on the plains to hit Tadej's weak points. We have a plan, but I won't tell you, we're keeping it to ourselves. When the time comes, you'll see it on the road.
Remco's humility
We close with Remco Evenepoel. The Olympic champion struck us with his thinness. Incredible. He has a waist that would make a pinup girl jealous… The shaved head made the cheekbones stand out even more.
"It's a great feeling to be here in Lille," said the Belgian. The first goal will be to win the Caen time trial in stage five. The second goal will be to aim for at least third place in the general classification. I'll do my best and then we'll see. The last five Tour winners are Pogacar and Vingegaard, so they're the strongest. It would be unfair of me to say I'm here to win. I'm here to try, to make their lives difficult."
The Belgians ask Remco to do Remco, that is to attack as he did for example at the Brabant Arrow this year, or many other times. He must exploit the intermediate stages and his ability to maintain high speeds for a long time thanks to the its aerodynamic capabilitiesHe doesn't have to run on the defensive. And that sense of defensiveness does indeed appear a bit. Maybe we're wrong. But when you see him at the Classics, he has a different look, a different attitude. There he knows he can win and do damage, but here he knows he's not the strongest, at least not initially. As a result, it almost seems like his physical language has changed as well... but maybe it's just an impression...
«I think – concludes Remco – that everyone is a little scared by this beginning. We don't want to be left with injuries after just a few stages. Before a race like this, we all hope that the most nervous stages aren't really chaotic."
