Dear Gianni Savio, we want to believe that today in the flagship of the Alpecin-Deceuninck were inspired by you. What an attack by Mathieu Van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert! With that plate in front of their handlebars, no one would have moved, and instead... Two teammates, ready to go from kilometer zero. Everything was perfect: the car to assist them, the thousand water bottles in quick succession to protect them from the wind, that desire to throw their heart and soul over the obstacle on a flat stage. The energy management, with one of the two sacrificing more. And behind, their teammates breaking the gears. A cycling symphony. The fundamentals of yesteryear still hold true in this hyper-technological age. And they almost didn't arrive, dear Gianni. Oh no, because Tim Merlier he got everyone to agree.
Perhaps the flattest stage of the Tour de France, without even a fourth category GPM, provided incredible and unexpected suspense above all. Van der Poel and Rickaert kept everyone on tenterhooks, putting the sprinters' teams in crisis, who in the final stages showed up with only one man ahead of the captain... or even with the sprinter alone.
Merlier, Milan's bête noire
In Chateauroux, Merlier granted an encore. And he did not do it by chance: once again in front of Jonathan Milan, confirming his bête noire. The finale, with the road imperceptibly sloping, made for a lightning-fast sprint. The feeling wasn't so much that Milan had started early, but rather that they were missing a tooth.
The European champion looked like his usual cat, ready to swerve from one wheel to the other. But today he looked more powerful than ever, perhaps even more so than in his first victory a few days ago. But it's clear: he and Milan are on another planet. They have more watts. They belong to the category of over 1.800 watts, as he told us Andrea Pasqualon.
“It was really difficult,” Merlier said. “I had a good day and we moved well as a group. We didn't refuel in the last 60 kilometers due to nervousness and speed, so I suffered a lot from the heat. Luckily all the teams worked together to close on the two escapees. Also thanks to Remco Evenepoel we managed to avoid a fan.
The sprint? I was right on Bert Van Lerberghe's wheel; it's the first time we've been together at the Tour. I have a lot of faith in him and his ability to lead me. He pushed me hard in the final kilometer, and with about 200 meters to go, I decided to take off. I'm happy with this second stage victory.
A word from Bramati
In the last two years Milan and Merlier have faced each other in many sprints: In 16 of these, both finished in the top 10. In 11 cases one of the two won, but the balance clearly leans towards the Belgian: 8-3. Also this year at UAE They've been at it again, with first and second places. And now here they are again, at the Tour.
«Last year too – he says David Bramati, sports director of the Soudal-Quick Step – they have dueled a lot and continue to do so. They both missed the first day, in Lille, when the yellow jersey was also up for grabs, but then both they and we turned the page. Yesterday Milan won, today Tim won again. This is sport, this is cycling. They are the strongest sprinters in this Tour, especially after Philipsen's crash. They proved to be the fastest."
This victory comes from the past. In Chateauroux, the Soudal (then Deceuninck) he had already won with Cavendish. And “Brama” reveals a behind-the-scenes story: «Rather than setting the sprint based on the rival, we studied our own. Yesterday, already during the post-stage transfer to the hotel, we started watching the 2021 film, the same finish where Cav won. But it was a completely different situation: the team had taken control of the sprint. On the train were Alaphilippe, Ballero (Ballerini, ed.), Morkov... We got an idea. Then, of course, you have the meeting, but the reality is different.
"This finale wasn't trivial. Perhaps we don't realize it: today was the second-fastest stage in Tour history. In the second hour, they averaged 54,5. Van der Poel and Rickaert put in a great performance, and the group, as a result, went very strong. There was also wind. Good: this is our third win and we're really happy."
Vs. 56 54
Without a real train, the sprinters had to make do today. Experience counted more than usual. More than yesterday, when it was a group sprint, but more about legs than speed. since the arrival was taking a turn for the worse. And so we return to talking about timing and relationships.
«I don't know if he pushed him, but Tim had the 56×11 – says Bramati – experience counts. Last year alone he scored 16 victories and this year we're back to that. A rider like him knows when there are important moments and today he moved well.At one point, in the last kilometer, he still seemed to be behind. But then you saw how he came back. He did a great thing."
We know instead that Jonathan had the 54-tooth chainring, the one already seen at DunkirkIt's also true that with the SRAM groupset they can use the 10. We don't believe he sprinted with the 10, otherwise he would have been "tougher" than Merlier with the 56x11. Unless the Belgian also had the 11 sprocket. But agility is the Friulian's trademark, which comes from the cadences of the track.
«How is Merlier in the meeting? It was known that there were dangerous spots due to the wind and I think the team was there, including Remco. In fact, at a certain point Evenepoel himself gave the boys a hand. And you'll see that Tim will help Remco when the opportunity arises."
And tomorrow? Bramati speaks again
We're going up tomorrow. Velasco he had told us in unsuspecting times that it was very tough. In XDS-Astana they had also gone to view it.
"Tomorrow," Bramati concludes, "is an important stage, and then finally there will be a rest day, which will be very useful. In recent history I don't remember ten consecutive stages, especially at these speeds. There will be suffering both in front... and behind."
What should have been an easy stage turned into a little northern hell, but with 32-degree temperatures. Even the giants struggled.
“I'm really tired,” he said. Tadej pogacar, a little sad about the loss of Almeida – Van der Poel and Rickaert did a fantastic job. It was a hell of a ride thanks to them. They went incredibly fast. Who knows what was going through their heads. We at the back were all suffering."
Speaking of tomorrow, dear Gianni Savio, it doesn't matter if the first kilometer breakaways haven't arrived. They're the heroes. "Tomorrow—as you would have said—we'll try again." Rickaert won the fighting spirit award. We are sure that you would have liked this too, dear Gianni.
