GRAND COLOMBIER – Nine seconds, this is it tonight the margin that separates Vingegaard from Pogacar. Kwiatkowski won the stage (opening photo), the Slovenian changed his attitude and As the cheeky boxer he was, he began working his opponent's flanks. The step of the UAE Team Emirates on the last climb it didn't seem exceptional, yet the men of the Jumbo Visma they broke away one after the otherIn the end Pogacar found himself with Majka and Yates, while the only one left in the yellow jersey was the immense Sepp kuss. Tadej's final shot, which allowed him to nibble away another 4 seconds from the Dane, can be interpreted as the possibility of achieving the most with the least effort. Or it can carry the weight of a warning.
The magic of the crowd
Kwiatkowski stood in the middle of the street, first waiting for his companions, hugging them all, then he looked around, enjoying the scene. He crossed the crowd as in the most beautiful scenes of great cycling and at 32 years old he took home the second success of the Tour, after the one in 2020 in which he beat Carapaz in a two-way finish.
“But this is different,” he smiles. “I got here on my own. The final climb was a crazy experience. When I entered the escape, I thought it was a free ticket to get to the foot of the climb. But I never thought that group would fight for the stage, because the UAE Emirates he was pulling pretty hard. I have to admit though that It wasn't easy for them either to chase 19 riders who were riding on the flat for more than 100 kilometers..
«The ending was one of the most difficult efforts of my lifeI managed myself well, I kept a good pace and I just knew it was going to be a very long effort. Without all those fans I probably wouldn't have made it.In the last few kilometers I didn't have the car behind me, so I couldn't hear on the radio what was happening. And then I let the public guide me to the finish line and it was an incredible feeling."
Roglic's absence
Anyone who recently rewatched the Netflix series on last year's Tour cannot have remained indifferent to the Jumbo-Visma's tactics on the Galibier and then on the Granon, on the day Pogacar lost the yellow jersey and hopes of winning the third Tour. The Dutch team organized an extraordinary pincer with Vingegaard and Roglic and Pogacar fell for itHe exhausted himself in at least seven runs on crazy slopes and under the worst sun of the last summer. It was said he had Covid, then that he had a hunger crisis or that he was dehydrated, in reality simply, those two demolished it and he had to bend over.
This time, however, Roglic is not there. The Slovenian won the Giro and now he's preparing for the Vuelta. And maybe Jumbo's great organization is not enough to transform those yellow and black boys into gladiatorsIn all fairness, it must be said that today's stage was not the most suitable for a cross-country skier like Vingegaard, but announces a series of very tough confrontations. Now we need to understand whether his words were dictated by cunning or by true well-being.
«I'm not frustrated or disappointed at all – says Vingegaard – but we would have liked to see the breakaway reach the finish line, so that there would be no more time bonuses, but it didn't happen. I didn't like this stage at all, so I'm actually just happy I didn't waste too much time. I'm very satisfied. It was a very good day for us. I can't wait for them to arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow: those stages suit me best."
And Tadej motivates the team
Pogacar is sly. As Martinelli pointed out in recent days, he definitely learned his lesson from last year, but who knows if he thinks he can win the Tour with these small bursts or if he also has something more important in mind. The rivalry between him and Vingegaard is certainly palpable, We'll have to see if Tadej can wait until Tuesday's time trial or if he'll try to pull off a great feat.
“In the end,” he says while rolling his legs, “it was a positive day for us too. I gained a few seconds, but I think the Tour is still long and we are in a good situation.We'll move forward day by day and try to seize this kind of opportunity to gain more seconds. Today the team really put in a good performance and I think everyone can gain a lot of confidence and motivation today. Even though we didn't win, I still see it as a victory."
