VALENCE (France) – Despite yesterday's victory, the challenge for the green jersey is still open. Sure, now Jonathan Milan he leads the game with a little more tranquility (the advantage over the second place is 72 points), but he will have to defend the lead with grit and concreteness, chasing every intermediate finish. The exit from the scene of Mathieu van der Poel ha simplified things for the Friulian, at least in terms of number of opponents, but Tadej pogacar it's always there, lurking.
The world champion has two uphill finishes in his legs and above all, it is rumoured, I want to try to do something in that area too Paris with Montmartre in the middle. A stage that awards many points. Intermediate finishes can still make a difference from Milan's point of view. And today's is placed after just 23 kilometers, and tomorrow's after a mere 8 kilometers—they are effectively micro-races within the race.
We talked about this very specific tactical theme with Josu Larrazabal, responsible for performance of the Lidl Trek.
Josu, a sprint finish after eight kilometers is almost like a prologue. At the same time, many will want to break away. How do you do it?
We've been talking about this for a few days now, and not just about today's finish line, but also yesterday's and the day before. Everyone who remains at these stages is important. Tomorrow's race is certainly easier to control than today's, which comes after 26 kilometers.
Why?
Because there is a greater distance to control, the best (like yesterday, ed.) is to have a breakaway with just a few riders. The boys know that these days they have to control the race from the start, because for them the stage "ends" after the intermediate sprint. It's a mountain stage: after the intermediate finish line you "just" have to carry Jonathan to the finish.
In this Formula 1-style cycling, we imagine that the legs must be nice and warm: will the boys do rollers before the start?
That's not necessarily true. Today, the neutralization, that is, the distance between the official start and kilometer zero, is approximately 5 kilometers and it could be enough for a short warm-up. You mentioned a prologue, but the effort over these 8 kilometers isn't comparable to a full-on time trial. If anything, it's about sending a message...
That?
Show the others that the breakaway won't start before the intermediate finish line. That there's no escape. And if someone tries, you can give them 20 seconds.
But 20 seconds over 8 kilometers is not a small amount…
If the train really acts like a train and the leg turns, it takes 20 seconds. And then those ahead won't be able to go full steam ahead, as if it were a finale, because there's still a long way to go. That's why I say those 20 seconds are still manageable.
So it's not certain that the rollers will be done before the start?
As I was saying, a lot depends on the length of the transfer up to kilometer zero. Today it's 5 kilometers and could be enough. Then certain choices also depend on the rider, who knows their own physique. If someone wants to do them there, they can do it. If the start was uphill then yes: they would do the rollers. Because even just to stay in a group or control the race, the minimum intensity required would be at least threshold or above. While starting on the flat, the effort will likely be below threshold, I imagine medium-high. And this doesn't require a specific warm-up like for time trials. For me, the way you approach this start is more important.
Interesting, can you explain it better?
You have to be focused and aware of what you are about to do. But the whole team, not just the shooters, has to be there. You have to believe and know that in those early stages you have to give it your all. We're fighting for the green jersey.
So you and the sports directors will also have to talk to the kids differently, in view of these intermediate goals, especially considering that there is the climb afterwards?
Of course, and it was like that yesterday too. We are the team with the most responsibility in managing the race in the initial stages, given that we have the green jerseyThis is why I say concentration is essential. From kilometer zero, we need to be focused and ahead. Sign and line up, because in a 5-kilometer transfer, if you're behind, you risk not being able to catch up.
Especially with the group proceeding with a full lane behind the race director's car…
Exact. The kids need to know that zero kilometer is very important to us, Both for positions and for managing the breakaway: who's going? How many? How many riders should we use to control it?
From a nutritional standpoint, will anything change to ensure you're ready right from the start?
Not so much, because by now every detail is meticulously crafted. We always start at a very high pace, often with more than an hour of fighting before the breakaway begins and the waters calm down. For this reason Runners start already loaded with carbohydrates.
