So he still wants to win the tour
Pogacar’s plan to overthrow the Pyrenees
First 2020, first 2021. And 2022? Tadej Pogacar is on the defensive ahead of the tour showdown. Will he catch leader Jonas Vingegaard following all?
The moment is memorable because it was not expected in this form: Tadej Pogacar (23) collapsed terribly at the Col du Granon. He of all people – the two-time Tour winner, the top favourite, the untouchable. The Slovenian loses almost three minutes to Jonas Vingegaard (25, Dä). Was that with the tour triple? “It’s not over yet,” he says, exhausted but not discouraged.
A week later we know: Pogacar didn’t lie. Since then he has always kept up with Vingegaard and is still “only” 2:21 behind in the overall classification. He hasn’t caught up, but he hasn’t lost anything either. With three Pyrenean stages and a long time trial (40.7km) to go, a Hitchcock final is looming. «Jonas is one of the best climbers, but I can stand up to him. I want to attack him from anywhere, »announces Pogacar.
“Don’t rely on the time trial”
Vingegaard himself is relaxed. “I’ve never had a problem with pressure and I don’t have it now,” he says. However, the great Dane lost two important helpers in the heat stage (40 degrees) on Sunday: Primoz Roglic (32, Slovakia) and Steven Kruijswijk (35, Ho). The consequence? The Jumbo-Visma team is no longer vastly superior to the others. “That will make next week very interesting,” said Geraint Thomas (36, Gb), third overall.
By the way: There were two corona cases on the last big day of testing. The tour organization will only announce who it is on the Tuesday before the stage. Before that, eight drivers had to leave the tour because of Corona. A doctor decides whether the two symptom-free athletes can continue.
