A few more days and it will be Tour de France. Public opinion is already going crazy over the possible winner and therefore over the duel between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. Despite the presence of many other excellent riders, the essence of the Grande Boucle is all contained in this challenge.
We launched a poll: who will win? And in this "opinion hunt," we involved technicians, riders, and non-cycling personalities... The result? There's a favorite. Let's find out who he is and why.
Martinello: the Dane is more solid
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 1-0
Let's start with Silvio Martinello, Radio Rai commentator and former road and track champion.
«I'm leaning towards Vingegaard. And the reason is simple: The Dane had a less problematic approach, indeed one without any kind of problem. Pogacar, on the other hand, hasn't raced since his accident in Liège, so I think Vingegaard could be more effective.
«Jonas has had exponential growth. Last year, he was able to capitalize on and finalize the great work of his team, being ready when Pogacar made some mistakes. Now he's in a new dimension, which he's supporting with great personality."
«It will also be a challenge between the respective teams and in this case too I say Jumbo Visma: It seems to me to be slightly more solid than the UAE Emirates. It will be a challenge worth taking on. We are facing two real phenomena."
Gregory: Jumbo-Visma superior
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 2-0
From radio to TV, we move on to Luke Gregory, Eurosport commentator.
Who will win the Tour? That's a tougher question than I can say. I'm very doubtful. The battle will be between Pogacar and Vingegaard. My heart is with Tadej, my reason with Jonas, so I'm voting for the Dane. Vingegaard can do it again. He's matured. I saw him in stellar form, with a great team around him. And I think he's even a touch stronger than Pogacar on the climbs."
«He won the Tour and this gives him more experience and more confidence. What struck me was precisely his maturation as a leader. And I also really like his completeness, because in addition to attacking on the climbs he is also strong in the time trial, clearly he has less emotional impact than Pogacar for whom, I repeat, my heart goes out: I hope he wins again, even if he hasn't raced for months."
Garzelli: Tadej can grow
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 2-1
Let's stay in the media sector and pass the "microphone" to Stefano Garzelli, who will commentate the Tour with Andrea De Luca for Rai.
«My favorite remains Pogacar. However, his condition remains a mystery. I'm confident he's fine. Tadej will have to try to get through the first week without too many problems, especially the stages in Spain, which are tough and nerve-wracking. If he starts at 80 percent and comes out at 100 percent… we know who he is.
«And then we need to think in terms of the third week. Vingegaard flew to the Dauphiné, but from the end of the Dauphiné to the end of the Tour there are about 40 days, a lotSo in my opinion, Pogačar remains the favorite, if only because he's desperate for revenge. Last year's defeat, which was caused by mistakes, stung him quite a bit. In quotation marks, Tadej starts with nothing to lose, unlike Vingegaard.
«The unknown factor for the Slovenian could be the team. UAE It's strong, it has good riders like Adam Yates, who however is a captain and not everyone can play the role of a domestique. Jonas has a great team, but we'll have to see. how it will behave Van Aert, which was crucial for the victory last year."
Tony: Tadej he learned
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 2-2
From the commentators we move on to the technicians, so let's hear fromthe Tuscan preparer Pino Toni, who knows something about Tours having experienced several of them from the inside.
"For me, Tadej Pogacar will win. First, because if he wasn't in good condition, he wouldn't even go. Second, because he has a nastiness I've never seen before. Tadej won't be caught out like last year. For me, last summer, after being dropped the first time, He gave up a bit, convinced he'd recover, only to later realize that wasn't the case. It was the first time in his life he'd experienced that situation. Somehow he had underestimated his opponent, He won't make the same mistake. Plus, he has a really strong team this year, which has prepared well. While Jumbo-Visma, which is clearly very strong, has some individuals who will waste energy."
The speech is clearly addressed to Van Aert. «We'll also have to see if Wout will make this Tour, given that he's expecting his baby. Will he stop? Will he not start? I hope for his sake that it's born three days before the start, so he'll have time to see him, kiss him, and go to the Tour with complete peace of mind. Because a Jumbo with or without Van Aert changes... and a lot."
Belli: Tadej like Merckx
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 2-3
Not just voices from the world of cycling. Paolo Belli, A showman and musician, he is a great cycling enthusiast and also has clear ideas about the yellow jersey in Paris.
«I say Pogacar Because, in my opinion, he trained (and hid) well after his injuries. The Slovenian has experience, and they're a great team. I've been following Tadej for a long time and, like everyone else, I was struck by his class. Among his many extraordinary feats, last year's Strade Bianche literally captivated me... Even though I still root for all the Italian riders.
«I became a huge fan of his, because It excites me to the point that it reminds me – given my venerable age – the legendary Eddy Merckx».
Reverberi: more incisive Danish
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 3-3
Sporting director and impartial manager, Roberto Reverberi, focus on Danish.
«For me Vingegaard is the favorite. He has shown that he is very strong, he even won the Dauphiné. He is one of those riders who aims for the races and who is strong on two or three occasions a year, the other, Pogacar, is undoubtedly more spectacular, he is strong from UAE Tour of Lombardy.
«But Vingegaard has a very strong team and in fact Tadej arrives at the Tour without having practically raced since the accident in Liège. Not to mention that after last year's success, Vingegaard has gained confidence."
Bass: Jonas Terrible uphill
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 4-3
Iván Basso He's won nine Tours de France. And he's always competed with great champions. Today, the Eolo-Kometa manager is an outside spectator.
«Vince Vingegaard. I'm going by feeling. I don't have any objective evidence to say so, but He seems to me to be a more suitable rider for this Tour. Pogacar is the strongest in the world and he is so all-round, in every type of race. However Vingegaard is truly terrible on the climbs and has the best-equipped team around him to manage the three weeks."
Brambilla: Tadej wins with his head
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 4-4
He is out of action due to a broken collarbone that occurred at Tour de Suisse, also Gianluca Brambilla he expresses his opinion and his is that of someone who pedals alongside us and observes them from within.
«In my opinion, mindful of last year's experience, Pogacar will leave his mark. He and Vingegaard have proven to be a cut above the rest, and they'll be in contention. I don't know the route in detail or the contenders, but I'm going with Pogacar because he's strong in every aspect, not least mentally. Tadej handles every situation, even the tense ones, with a great light-heartedness, and that's what strikes me about him."
Bennati: Tadej he doesn't make mistakes anymore
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 4-5
We then move on to the blue city, Daniele Bennati. Benna has a lot on his plate these days with the World Cup approaching. He needs to build the national team for Glasgow, but he hasn't given up on having his say...
«For me Tadej Pogacar will win it, Because he made a mistake last year and he won't make the same mistake again this year. About this boy I like his lightheartedness, his simplicity in making impossible things easy. And this could be a weapon in his favor."
Nibali: Pogacar more evil
Vingegaard-Pogacar: 4-6
Finally, one of the most weighty opinions, if only because he won the Tour de France: Vincenzo Nibali. For Shark, the Slovenian will be king in Paris.
«I say Pogacar. I see it with a different attitude compared to last year. This season he's always raced differently, with more determination. Until last Tour, he'd never found anyone who could beat him. This person, Vingegaard, has emerged, and so he's prepared with more determination."
Not even the Liège accident will be able to stop Nibali. «If he hadn't been well, he probably wouldn't even go to France. He and his team have the numbers, the values. He knows the parameters, he knows what level he is at and what level the others are at and also for this reason he didn't need to do other test races before the Tour. Furthermore, we saw that he is very good at arriving in shape for appointments, even without having run».
