Nothing, a little peace of mind in this Tour de France There isn't one... luckily! We needed the rest day to get it. It just pushed the riders so hard that they gave us another run for our money today, and we had a real thrill ride in the finale. The sprint, Van der Poel's pursuit, the pro-Palestine protester, and above all, Tadej Pogacar's fall.
In Toulouse, pearl of the South of France, between the Tarn and the Garonne, a land of extensive crops and hilltop villages, vince Jonas Abrahamsen, the Viking of the Uno-X Mobility. Compared to when he was young, he has chosen the path of power: more weight, more muscles, more strength. He started at kilometer zero and in the end he outsprinted one of his former breakaway companions, Mauro Schmid. The Swiss champion will replay that sprint over and over again tonight. He didn't start long, but very long. And given how he held up, it's easy to expect he might have some regrets.
Red alert
The cycling world holds its breath as the peloton passes with 5,5 kilometers to go. Coming out of a fast left-hand bend, onto a wide, flat road, the pack of top riders opens up. A small slowdown, but it's enough for Pogacar to cross the wheel of another rider from behind, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and ends up on the ground (here the video). Perhaps Tadej too, by virtue of the slowdown and before a new acceleration, was looking around.
That's it for a few seconds the breath has stopped. The Tour has stopped breathing. He slides onto his left side, the curb in sight, his collarbone on the ground, and his helmet near the edge. Then it's Pogacar himself, who gets up like a cat and tries to replace the chain that had fallen off in the meantime.
Fair play
We all thought the big guys were accelerating. Ultimately, the fall had been triggered by a breakaway from the pack. An attack that needed to be immediately countered. And instead, everyone stopped. The king slipped. The words of come to mind John Ellena: «By leaving the yellow jersey to Healy, Pogacar has made EF his friend». For the series: ipse dixit.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Tadej said immediately after finishing. "I'm a little surprised by this crash, but it was also a real battle day. I had this crash, and what can I say? I thank the group that waited for us. I could have lost some time, but I certainly should have pushed hard to try to get back in the race. Thanks guys for waiting for me».
Pogacar seems super calm as always. Even the manager of the UAE EmiratesMauro Gianetti reassured fans. He spoke of abrasions to the classic cycling areas, namely his elbow, arm, and the "rosette" on his hip.
Pogacar again: «Vingegaard and Jorgenson wanted to attack and pushed everyone to the limit. Some riders attacked, others followed. Unfortunately, one rider decided to go from left to right to follow. He completely cut me off, I hit his wheel and slipped. Luckily I still have some skin left! I was scared when I saw I was going to hit my head."
“Tomorrow will be a big day,” he concluded. “Let’s see how I recover. Normally after a crash you're not at your best, but tomorrow I want to give my best. As a team we are ready for the next stage."
Damiani's analysis
But if these are the facts, Roberto Damiani, long-time sports director comments on them with us. Entering into certain dynamics with those who experience certain things every day is truly an added value.
Roberto, another super eventful stage. Milan said it feels like a classic every day. What do you think?
Jonathan is right! And he also said something else interesting: Experiencing the Tour from the inside is a whole different story than seeing it from the outside.
Let's get to the news of the day: Pogačar's crash. Was it his own distraction or a clean cut by the Uno-X rider?
No, no, what a distraction. It's the other one who cut him off. There was an attack on the right, and the group moved in that direction. Tadej is not to blame, it is a serious mistake, not voluntary, by the Uno-X rider.
Pogacar said he almost hit his head. But is he okay overall?
And he was right. You see the real effects of falls 24-48 hours later. But in reality, aside from the risk of hitting the curb, it was more of a ski sprint than a true fall. The impact, at least from the outside, seemed less "harsh."
Now what protocols are being implemented?
His injuries will be more like burns than actual blows, given the dynamics of the fall. However, he will feel uncomfortable in bed, when he tosses and turns at night and the sheet will stick to him. But in UAE Emirates They're equipped, like the other teams, after all. Well, an important thing will be the osteopath's visit.
Why?
Because first of all check Tadej's posture and then check that its kinetic chains have not changed. It gives him what in jargon we call a “straightening”.
As a sports director, tell us about those moments in the flagship UAE...
You're playing for heaven! Especially when you're the top-seeded man on the Tour. Every little thing can be decisive: A puncture, a change in the weather... But with other riders it's not a problem, with the leader of the standings it is. You have to evaluate every centimeter. I say this from experience, when I tried to win the Tour twice with Cadel evans. Today, not only do you hear Radio Corsa, but from the flagship you can also see what's happening. And allow me to reiterate the importance of the radios and the two directors in the car.
Why?
With the radios you can immediately warn the team, and in UAE They were very quick to immediately take control of the situation. And then why? A sports director thinks about getting as close as possible to the person who has fallen, while the other one warns that the leader is on the ground. and stops everyone immediately or slows down those behind.
Fair play discussion: what's your position? Is it right to wait?
Yes, and I'm pleased. I'm pleased for Pogačar and for cycling. It seemed more than necessary.
But if Oscar Onley had fallen, for example, would they have waited for him?
Good question. This is where the athlete's specific weight within the group comes into play. I hope and think so. But maybe not right away. Ultimately, the visual aspect also counts. The world champion or the yellow jersey has fallen: you see it first. In Onley's case, at least at the beginning, for the group, one of the riders had fallen. Picnic-PostNLIf Hinault, Indurain or Nibali fell, the group reacted differently.
Let's finish with the race. Do you think Schmid will reconsider this evening?
Yes, he ran to lose. He was more intent on not letting him go back Van der Poel than to beat Abrahamsen.
And was this concern legitimate?
A podium at the Tour is always nice, okay, but you have to try. I'd rather have pulled less. Also because with that long sprint he showed he had what it took. I did, however, like the news that Van der Poel didn't know there were two riders ahead. While it's true he didn't have a radio, when he made that move on the final climb he was probably focused, and it's fair to say he didn't see the two breakaway riders. And in the team car... Alpecin-Deceuninck They couldn't have warned him. He only realized he had two in front of him when he saw them missing.
