"We can also wait," he had said. Mauro Gianetti This morning we started from the splendid Saint-Malo. And all in all Tadej Pogacar's 101st victory came, to use football jargon, on the counterattack... in some ways. Control, action in the right place, sprint, arms raised. Minimal expense, maximum return.
The race moves quickly. A classic breakaway: five riders, but they don't leave much room behind. The sprinters break away after having collected the last remaining points at the intermediate sprint. Well done ours Jonathan Milan to act like an antThat's how you bring that jersey to Paris, even though he lost it today, and guess who took it? But tomorrow, the fast stages begin, and we hope the Friulian can reclaim the sceptre.
Pogacar also on the Mur
For the sixth time the Tour de France arrives on this already iconic tear. Winning up here is almost a semi-classic. And if the opportunity arises, why not take advantage of it?
Even today, a bit like yesterday towards Vire, putting spokes in the wheels of the defensive plans of the UAE Team Emirates it was the Visma-Lease a Bike. Maybe today really the UAE wasn't too interested in the stage, or rather, in not letting too many breakaways get away. Perhaps Pogacar would have still left the jersey to Mathieu van der Poel. And instead, here it is, bouncing back at him.
The team of jonas vingegaard He closed the gap sharply at that point. Tim Wellens (increasingly a giant) and Jhonatan Narvaez put him ahead in the final climb. At that point Pogacar didn't expend a drop of energy more than necessary to prevent others from taking stage and time bonuses. He made it pull Remco Evenepoel…think about it.
Almeida, what a pain
But in all this there is a flaw for the UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogacar: the fall of Joao Almeida. The crash, by the way, wasn't entirely clear. One of the bikes on the side of the road had no tire, and when the tumble occurred, air and fluid were seen leaking from the front. We need to understand whether the tire came off the rim due to the impact or whether, on the contrary, the tire itself triggered the whole thing.
The fact is that the ones who paid the price were important players in the rankings. We are talking about Santiago Buitrago and above all Joao Almeida, who appeared to have suffered a fractured wrist.
And it's no coincidence that upon arriving, Pogacar wasn't at all happy. He was rather worried about Almeida and because the risk of losing such an important domestique is no small matter. It's been clear in recent days how much the Portuguese has made the difference.
«For me the day went perfectly “Exactly as we planned,” Pogacar said. “The team did a fantastic job. We had to put a lot of energy into cooling the body, because it was very hotIt was a fast and tough stage. The guys left me at the foot of the climb. And normally, too. Joao would have been there, but he fell and I hope he's okay. What can I say: I'm back in yellow. I hope we'll have a slightly easier two days now."
The value of the gregarious
With today's tumble and withdrawals we're back to talking about falls. Mattia Cattaneo he retired, apparently due to the after-effects of the fall he suffered in the fourth stage. Remco's first domestique held out for a couple of days, but today he was forced to raise the white flag.
"Yes," Evenepoel said, "Mattia is my regular bodyguard and he's retired. He was one of the guys I still had commitments with. I will definitely miss it, But all in all, his stoppage was the right decision. He had a headache and wasn't feeling well, so it's better this way. That's racing."
And Pogacar also spoke about Almeida. "Perfect day? If Joao is well, then it's a perfect day. If he's not well, this victory is for him.».
In short, even the greatest players worry without their most trusted men. Please note that this stage could have a specific weight in the economy of the Tour de France. If Almeida doesn't make it, Visma would have a significant advantage. While Remco is truly alone.
Gianetti's analysis
We opened the article with the words of Mauro Gianetti, CEO of UAE Team Emirates, and with his words we close it.
«The first thing – Gianetti tells us – is that Joao is fine, let's put it that way. He has some abrasions, he has a fractured rib, but the X-rays have ruled out any fractures.Sure, he took a pretty good hit, and hitting the asphalt at 60 miles an hour is never nice. But it could have been worse. So, if the night goes well, he should be able to leave tomorrow morning as normal."
Then we move on to tactics. Pogacar seemed almost uninterested in winning, and all things considered, he wouldn't have been displeased if Mathieu Van der Poel had won. Perhaps...
«I would say not selfless – continues Gianetti – we tried to play the stage. Of course, the important thing was not to finish the team to control the race. Fortunately at the beginning also Van der Poel and the Alpecin-Deceuninck They believed in it, and we collaborated. But be careful, because even though Mathieu and Tadej are friends, he wouldn't have given them the stage. Also because Vingegaard and Remco were lurking. In short, Tadej wouldn't have backed down. Tomorrow and the day after will be two easy days, where maybe we can manage not to spend too much."
«And then – Mauro pauses – in the end, winning on the Mur-de-Bretagne is something iconic. Did you see how many people were there? Not to mention that… We are at the home of the great Bernard Hinault, and that also matters. It's a tribute to this giant."
"A cross-party alliance with Alpecin? If Van der Poel had taken the jersey with two minutes to go yesterday, maybe he would have helped us more, but that wasn't the case. And in the end, you can't even do too many calculations. If we hadn't won today, Vingegaard would have. And honestly, it's better to be ahead than behind."
Gianetti enjoys his boys. He speaks of a cohesive group, a great atmosphere: "I see them united. They're friends before they're riders. They all have a clear goal. I'm thinking specifically of Almeida, who could have won the other day, but he made himself available. He played for Pogacar."
