COURCHEVEL (France) – There was curiosity. The plan so long touted by the Visma-Lease a Bike it promised a no-holds-barred battle in the queen stage of this editionWith 5.642 meters of elevation gain, there was plenty of time and terrain to launch a real attack on Pogacar. For a few days now, the yellow jersey had been riding with unusual caution. If Vingegaard could take a handful of his lead, tomorrow's stage would have had stellar anticipation and interest around the Tour would have been superior.
The Visma plan
In reality, none of this happened. The Dutch attempted a thrust halfway up the Madeleine, but Vingegaard's attack didn't even force Pogacar to get up on the pedalsWe expected him to dub it and then do the third. Instead Jonas sat back down with his paceIf that was his way of risking second place just to win, maybe he'd do well to hold on to that spot tomorrow.
In the valley, the yellow jersey group moved so slowly that the riders who had fallen behind were forced back into the gap. And when they rejoined the Courchevel climb, the only signs of life were on the highest section. First with the second sprint of the day by Vingegaard, then with a well-deserved slap from Pogacar.
«I'm super happy and proud of how we ran today", says the yellow jersey, to whom Vingegaard reportedly saw him looking tense after the finish. "The Tour isn't over yet," he continues. "There are still three days to go. I will try to do my best tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and then in Paris to keep my lead until the end.Everything was under control, we did very well. Visma tried everything on the Madeleine, but I arrived without problems. The Col de la Loze is difficult regardless of the opponents, but I had great support from the teamIn the end there wasn't too much stress, we hope to have the same situation tomorrow because they will probably try again».
A different leader
There's something new about this Pogacar. Whether he's tired or no longer has the desire to amaze, suddenly the yellow cannibal has transformed into an old-school leader and has started giving away stages around. Yesterday in Valence He responded in kind to Thomas Voeckler who had accused his team of racing arrogantly on live television. Tadej took the floor and explained that It's one thing to be arrogant and another to race to win the yellow jerseyHe then invited the French national team coach to get a grip, jokingly apologizing if the invitation had sounded… arrogant.
They made themselves the comparisons with Indurain and his gentlemanly way of managing the commandIt has not been considered that His Majesty Miguel grew up as Delgado's gregarious and saw how the old captains managed the race. And when he came to win the Tour, he was already thirty years old and had the experience of a seasoned champion.Pogacar was already on the podium of the Vuelta at 21 and at 22 he won his first Tour: who could he take as an example if not himself? With the impetus of his twenties, there wasn't a single day that he didn't want to win.. instead his words on Ventoux, when he was almost moved when he heard the phone call to the house of Paret Peintre who had just won, they make it clear that probably he's getting big too. At 27, he's understood that the peloton is made up of people, not just opponents. Even if this likely risks making his Tour less thrilling.
Tired and annoyed by everyone
They ask him: someone once said that you approach the Tour de France with a great desire to win and then, at a certain point in the race, around the third week, you can't wait for it to end. Is that how you feel now?
“Exactly, it’s the classic moment,” he replies, “when I wonder why I’m still here. These three weeks are really long. And then I start counting the kilometers to Paris and I can't wait for it all to be over. I can do other beautiful things in my life, but I try to enjoy every day on the bike as much as possible, even if it's hardThe fans help, so it's still nice to ride even in the third week, when You're tired and annoyed by everyone around you and just want to go home.. So at the end, when you tackle these big climbs and people encourage you and give you extra motivation, you realize that it's not so bad to be here. Especially if you have good legs, which makes it all rather nice."
O'Connor's Talent
He won the stage Ben O'Connor, who smiles like a child, after a start to the season in which he never managed to go as he wanted and a less than thrilling start to the Tour. For having been second at the Vuelta and then also at last year's World Cup, he himself expected more moving to Jayco-AlUla.
«The Tour is a rather cruel race – he says – In the first two days I found myself on the ground a couple of times, but not through my fault. In Copenhagen three years ago, the same thing. On the other hand, in 2021 I won and I came fourth in the standingsWhat I did today means a lot. I'm proud of myself and the teamOn the descent of the Madeleine, I had a little discussion with Matthew Hayman in the team car. I wanted to understand what to do, how I could win. I had nothing to lose and I knew that to win I had to start from the valley floor, Possibly with Matteo Jorgenson, who was the strongest of those in front. In the end, that's how it went.
«For me, winning like this, at the end of the Tour – he concludes – was the perfect scenario. We reached the bottom of the hill and had already burned almost 5.000 calories.It's a huge amount, and there was still an hour to go. It was one of those situations where I know I'm good. It was about managing the effort, even when you get rid of your breakaway companion.You have to be sure that attacking is the right move. I've been alone for a long time, it's happened to me other times in my career, so I think I have a good knack for understanding when to attack and when not to.. And I'm so relieved that I did it today and gave the victory to Jayco-AlUla».
Pogacar congratulates them. He tells them they had a great race and He reiterates that he did not race for victory when Visma started attacking him.He would have liked to win, he notes, but he preferred to defend the yellow jersey. Perhaps, however, this extra step on the long journey to Paris can rightfully be considered a victory.
