Il Tour de France Today he returns to tackle the big climbs, specifically the Mont Ventoux, yet the responses from the Tignes district are still fresh. O'Connor flying, Pogacar dominating and the sprinters who desperately fight to stay within the maximum time limit. Among them are those who have paid the consequences, sometimes very seriously. Arnaud Demare and his trailblazer, and friend, Jacopo Guarnieri in fact they didn't make it and had to go back home.
Finished on Roselend
Many sprinters feared that stage: perhaps because it was a bit short and very tough, perhaps because they knew the pace the leaders would set. The fact is that Cavendish upon arrival he rejoiced as if he had won for having managed to hit the time limit. Dlamini, the South African of the Qhubeka-Assos, Having fallen in the first few kilometers, he arrived in Tignes an hour and 24 minutes after O'Connor. And then the cold, the rain... The limit was just under 38 minutes late. Demare arrived at 41 minutes and Guarnieri, who had previously shot, at 52 minutes..
«We tried to finish it in every way – says Guarnieri himself – but with the falls of the previous days and the cold… we had something less in our legs. These things happen, this time it was our turn. We stayed with Cavendish's group until 5 kilometers from the penultimate climb, the Cormet de Roselend. At that point, due to the cold, we dropped away and it was essentially over."
Danger sensed
«I'm a little annoyed with the organization. In the morning, through the Cpa We had asked to extend the maximum time. The limit is theoretically decided by theUCI, in practice the Tour does it. But They told us to stay calm because, given the weather, they'd fish us out. But that wasn't the case. Certain things don't happen at the Giro. They would have given at least 15 minutes more, and in the long run, the spectacle in the following days would have been enhanced because there would have been more sprinters in the race. For me, it was a nice own goal on the Tour's part.
"And let's be clear, we didn't leave because we were slow. I performed among my best performances ever. In the five-hour race I spent 97% of the time at full throttle. When you're in a small group, you maintain a certain speed, but with two of you… what do you want to do? It's a Tour where the level is very high and it would have been difficult even if we had been at 100%, so the risk was total and 100% wasn't enough."
With a trap in the head
Guarnieri returned to Italy on Monday after the Tignes stage. His morale wasn't the highest, but he admits he has no regrets. He knows that Demare and I gave it our all. Furthermore, Jacopo raced with severe pain in his side due to a fall that had also caused him problems in the previous days: he struggled to get up on the pedals.
"We were alone for 45 kilometers," Guarnieri continues, "and all in all, in the valley before the final climb, we were 2 minutes behind Cav's group. We spent a lot of time down there. They kept informing us about the gaps and the limit every now and then—racing with a trap like that in your head isn't easy—and At the foot of the climb towards Tignes we were 29 minutes behind. To stay within the gap, we would have had to lose only 8 minutes from the head of the race in 22 kilometers of climbing (in the end Demare lost "only" 13, ed.). It wasn't an impossible climb, But how can we, who weigh 80 kilos, lose so little against people who don't even weigh 65?
Did we talk? Not much, Arnaud and I just exchanged a few words of encouragement every now and then. Then, at the end, when I gave up, exhausted, I gave him a little more voice. But believe me, the cold really held us back. Maybe because we weren't at our best, I don't know… But it certainly wasn't the weather or the temperature I would have imagined finding at the Tour.
«I repeat, I have no regrets, or rather we have no regrets. I admit that at the finish line I shed a tear when we saw we hadn't made it after giving it our all. Demare and I were in the room together, we hugged each other, we knew we had done our best, and we were also a little unlucky that O'Connor had such a performance. There were so many things that had an impact."
Guarnieri's reflection
Often, we only focus on the battle ahead, but in reality, a large portion of the race is also at the back. It's often said that to see a pro really go fast on the descents, you have to watch the peloton descend in the mountain stages. There are unwritten rules that have been around for decades: when to give up, when to push, when to stay together... And speaking of rules, Guarnieri, who is never trivial in his judgments, raises an interesting question about the time limit.
"But does the maximum time limit really make sense? And I'm not saying this out of opportunism. – the rider continues Groupama-Fdj For me, it's only useful because you can't close a road for 24 hours, but we're professionals, we wouldn't laugh if there wasn't a time limit. They say: there's always been a time limit. But often, even professionals and the public don't fully understand it. Let me give you an example.
«Tour 2018, situation similar to that of Tignes. Demare and I remain within the maximum time, while greipel, Cavendish, Gaviria, Groenewegen, smock and others go home. After the Pau stage, the sprint finishes, Demare wins, and what does public opinion say? Arnaud won because he was alone.There were no more sprinters in the race. But how come? So there's no value in having held out that day? Same thing happened a while ago when in a team time trial three Garmin riders fell at the start and finished outside the time limit. If you even puncture at one of those moments, you're done for. But as always, our say in the matter is ridiculous.
