CARCASSONNE (France) – «He was nervous in the last five kilometres, I tried to calm him down when it was clear that he had won». Simone Pedrazzini he's almost happier than Tim Wellens when he gets off the flagship of the UAE Emirates. Today he was the second sports director and it was his turn to stay in the breakaway.
The Belgian champion won in Carcassonne with a 43-kilometer solo breakaway. He gave the Emirati team their fifth victory in this Tour de France and especially He joined the club of stage winners in all three Grand Tours. A club now 113 strong. And he did it on a day that, if it wasn't a nightmare, was very close to it. The crazy average in the first two hours, the fall of Lipowitz e vingegaard at the beginning. And that of too Alaphilippe, who seemed to be on his way out but ended up third instead. There's always excitement and heart racing here.
Pedrazzini rejoices
"This victory, or rather this escape," says Pedrazzini as he hugs the other staff members, "wasn't expected. It all started along the way. Did you see how the stage went? It was chaotic, at least in the initial stages. By the way, in front of the Visma-Lease a Bike he had placed Victor Campenaerts, so Tim went."
At that point, as they say in jargon, the count was done. The situation was assessed. All things considered, Behind Pogacar was calm and well covered, so why not leave space for this rider who is always very generous? By the way, he is one of the closest friends of Tadej pogacarThe two train together in Monte Carlo. And sometimes Wellens's father himself has them do the engine-assisted driving.
"Once we assessed the situation," Pedrazzini continues, "and saw that everyone was fine, we tried. But the way it went, it was a real Tim trick. When I went out to get to him, I was just giving him the gaps and the water bottles. What did the boys say to him on the radio? Unfortunately, nothing: they were too far away and couldn't talk to him. But I know they kept themselves informed. It was a great day for us."
Well done Tim
When Tim Wellens enters the mixed zone he is happy, almost shy. Her eyes are ice-cold only in color. In reality, she has a unique sweetness. She speaks almost in a low voice.
“I think I’m the happiest person on Earth right now,” Wellens said. It's a wonderful victory and it's a great source of pride for me, for my teammates and I think also for Belgium, "I saw the jersey I won with." By the way, tomorrow – the second day of rest – is also Belgian National Day."
Pedrazzini is right when he says that Wellens completely made up the number. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Belgian national championship a few weeks ago, which he obviously won. Lots of attacks and counterattacks, plenty of chaos, and impeccable reading of the race.
«The goal – said Wellens – wasn't exactly to get into the breakaway, but once I was there, the team gave me permission to try. I actually thought about attacking right then. I'd seen that slight slope after the climb, so I tried to attack there. It was a good place to try and make a difference. I felt really good; we weren't pedaling flat out. At one point, precisely because I was feeling good, I even tried before the climb, but I wasn't convinced, because at that point there was really a long, long way to go. So I waited for the slight flat.
"Would it have been easier to escape uphill? Maybe, but I didn't want to show how good I was. I noticed that Campenaerts was pedaling freely and perhaps he was thinking of doing what I did. But I went first... at the top I thought they were coming back. Then there was a very tight bend to the right – a real hairpin bend that led onto a larger road, the slight slope Tim talks about – and they were on the left. I took them harder on the right. But then it wasn't easy, because for several kilometers I had them 10 seconds behind me. Only when I got over 20 seconds did things improve.
The riders' stories are exceptional. Kilometers, GPMs, climbs and then maybe what makes the difference, on a 170 kilometer stage, is the entry into a bend.
Love, friendship and victory
Wellens again: «I spoke a little with Victor Campenaerts a couple of minutes ago before entering the mix zone here. He told me I had such good legs because I'm in love! Maybe it's true: it's a good time in your private life too, and this is reflected in the race too."
"What was going through my head? I was just thinking about pushing and not losing my rhythm. There's a good feeling in the team, I know the guys and Tadej were very happy for me. I'd immediately trade my stage win for Tadej's yellow jersey in Paris. Today, this opportunity arose, and that's fine, but we're all here for Pogacar. There are still two very difficult days ahead. The other day, Tadej fell, and that created a very tense situation. Despite this, we continued to attack, but we all suffered a lot. Even today, we didn't intend to suffer, but there are things we can't control. That's why I say that difficult days lie ahead, and we must always remain vigilant.
As we mentioned, Tadej and Tim are very good friends. During the race, Pogacar wanted to be updated on his teammate's progress and was delighted when he arrived.
"I'm really happy for him," said the Slovenian. "Tim works hard to keep this yellow jersey. He's helped me in the classics over the past few years, he's sacrificed himself for me, even during training. Now, for him to win the Tour is fantastic for the team. He's seized the opportunity. I'm happier for him than when I win a stage myself.".
