Who wants the Alps and the Pyrenees? The Tour’s reached the primary relaxation day within the metropolis of Toulouse and the time gaps are huge. It’s been a vigorous, lengthy week.
Christian Prudhomme referred to as these opening phases a trompe l’œil, an “optical phantasm” as to look at them was to think about them as flat days for sprinters however a number of have proved to be GC days. Is the final classification with Tadej Pogačar over a minute away from Jonas Vingegaard an phantasm or a settled reality? We’ll get solutions within the coming days.
Regardless of few mountains – yesterday’s Massif central had some however modified little – Tadej Pogačar has now bought a minute on Remco Evenepoel and 1m17s on Jonas Vingegaard. 26 seconds comes from time bonuses. Remco Evenepoel misplaced time on the opening day however in any other case he’s the one GC contender to take time on Pogačar in a direct contest: the Caen time trial received by 16 seconds. Pogačar has aced the primary week with two stage wins and no errors, whereas others have fallen away.
There have been skirmishes between UAE and Visma-LAB. The Dutch staff haven’t been capable of set a entice or an ambush, the primary (lengthy) week and the windy phases weren’t, or couldn’t, be exploited. It’s not like Pogačar is a few waif vulnerable to being blown away in crosswinds. Visma’s repertoire thus far contains driving a tough tempo to Vire the place… to try to hold Pogačar in yellow. The thought is to sap the Slovenian with admin duties, however with enemies like this who wants pals?
Yesterday’s assaults within the Massif central from Matteo Jorgenson got here to nothing when it comes to time gained however counted extra as they left Pogačar remoted. João Almeida is out with accidents however there have been studies he was ailing too. Pavel Sivakov had a tough time yesterday, dropped and within the gruppetto. Adam Yates was dropped on the ultimate climb. Is there an sickness doing the rounds? If he can keep wholesome Pogačar may run out of staff mates within the Pyrenees. With Matteo Jorgenson over a minute and a half behind him total Visma can’t play the outdated 1-2 too convincingly but.
Vingegaard is shadowing Pogačar, matching all his assaults however over a minute down. There’s so little to go on that components of the media are venturing into psychoanalysis, as if the shape is inscrutable so what about his thoughts, is he passive-aggressive marking Pogačar by monitoring him; or simply unable to do extra? It’s regarded extra just like the latter however thus far there have been no lengthy climbs.
Purple Bull tandem Florian Lipowitz and Primož Roglič are over three minutes again. They’ll quickly discover terrain to go well with however on the danger of being runners-up to Pogačar and Vingegaard. The staff and its backers crave a win on the Tour as in a stage win however the path to this isn’t apparent. A podium end is feasible for both however Evenepoel can repeat final 12 months’s place and implies Matteo Jorgenson takes one for the staff.
Ben Healy is one other winner of the primary week, a stage win and now the yellow jersey. He most likely received’t hold it for lengthy however there’s nothing to lose. He may dare to go within the breakaway on Thursday to Hautacam whereas UAE and Jumbo watch one another. If he surrenders the lead then he can carry on targetting different phases, plus he’s now second within the mountains competitors, 16 factors with Lenny Martinez on 27.
The factors and mountains competitors have been entertaining already, or not less than delivered additional story strains. Martinez sports activities the jersey like his grandfather as soon as did however he’s solely bought 27 factors and there are 9 HC-rated climbs to come back, each has 20 factors, besides the Col de la Loze which has 40.
Jonathan Milan leads the factors competitors with 227 factors, subsequent comes Pogačar on 163, then Biniam Girmay on 151, Tim Merlier on 150 and Mathieu van der Poel on 128. All besides Girmay have had stage wins however the Eritrean has a path to a prize right here. The factors competitors and the placement of every day’s intermediate dash takes on added which means now given the subsequent dash stage is Valence on Stage 18 and that’s it. Many sprinters received’t make it over the climbs tomorrow – in the event that they didn’t know this earlier than, some will clock it on their relaxation day rides – and Paris now has repeat climbs of Montmartre.
On a very good day you possibly can see the Pyrenees from Toulouse and whereas tomorrow’s stage seems enjoyable it’s Thursday’s stage to Hautacam that’s on the horizon. Extrapolating from the Critérium du Dauphiné suggests Pogačar can ship a knock-out assault. However the weak spot of UAE within the mountains is notable now and with this, a way that the hole noticed in June has narrowed. Or is that an optical phantasm too?
