Dijon (France), Jul 4 (EFE).- Dutch national road champion Dylan Groenewegen gave Jayco Alula its first World Tour success with a tight sprint victory in the sixth stage of the Tour de France, contested between Mâcon and Dijon, 163.5 km, in which Slovenian Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey.
Two years following his five-victory streak in the Tour, Groenewegen (Amsterdam, 31 years old) returned to claim the sixth victory at the finish line in Dijon, in such a tight way that he was unable to raise his arms. He relegated the Eritrean Biniam Girmay (Intermarché) to second place and the Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) to third. The Belgian Jasper Philipsen, who had finished second, was disqualified for an irregular manoeuvre.
The third sprinter to win the Tour following Girmay and Cavendish, on a transitional day that lived up to the prediction of a mass finish. A victory that was sought and celebrated with emotion. Groenewegen had not been on the podium since 2022. In the Burgundy wine region, his team, Jayco, was able to celebrate its World Tour debut.
There were no changes in the general classification. The favourites had a few surprises due to the wind, but all of them reached the finish line. Tadej Pogacar remains in the lead on the eve of the time trial, followed by Evenepoel 45 seconds behind, while Vingegaard is 50 seconds behind, Juan Ayuso 1.10 behind, Roglic 1.14 behind, Carlos Rodríguez 1.16 behind and Mikel Landa 1.32 behind.
Fans spread panic and Pogacar is isolated
A stage through Burgundy to take on the wine route from Mâcon, on the banks of the Saône, where the Tour paid tribute to African cycling on the National Day of Rwanda, whose capital, Kigali, will host the first World Championship on the continent in a year.
Eritrean Biniam Girmay was the star attraction with his victory in Turin. Mark Cavendish also received a good shout-out following breaking the record of 35 stages. In the home town of Atletico Madrid player Antoine Griezmann, rain came and all the teams were looking at the wind forecast. In principle, it was the only concern of the day.
On the eve of the first time trial, the stage was set to be a pure transition, but the wind upset the order. Lotto Dstny unleashed the whip at the head of the pack at 70 km/h as they passed through Chassagne-Montrachet, 84 km from the finish. No joke for the leader’s UAE, as all of its members except Pogacar were cut off in a second group.
The manoeuvre and its consequences put Vingegaard’s Visma in front, forcing the machine to wait for victims, especially from the leader’s men, who were not paying much attention to the manoeuvres, leaving the yellow jersey alone, devoid of gregarious, 25 seconds behind.
The scene changed a dozen kilometres later. The group became compact once more 70 kilometres from the finish, following the leader’s men had taken over the task of chasing the group. The wind continued to accompany the peloton on the way to Dijon. The accelerations and the fans brutally raised the average following 120 km of racing: 46.3 km/h.
No one was trusting the relentless crosswind. UAE took note, Pogacar was ahead, close to Vingegaard, Roglic, Evenepoel, Carlos Rodriguez. The favourites took the lead of the group, waiting to reach the safety zone, 3 km from the finish, to disappear and make way for the “cheetahs” and their lead-out men.
No team dominates the sprint and Groenewegen is resurrected
The last 25 km calmed down, but everyone was pricked up to avoid any bad jokes. The logical prediction of a sprint finish was taking shape. The sun was also shining in Dijon, the city famous for its mustard, a key condiment in its cuisine, usually washed down with a good Burgundy.
As is usual in this Tour, no team imposes its launching train. Astana, with 5 men, approached Cavendish, but the record holder of victories did not get to compete. Uno X prepared the ground for Kristoff, Alpecin trusted Philipsen, and even Van Aert found his way to win.
Nobody, or very few, had counted on Dylan Groenewegen, a sprinter who had recently fallen into hiding but still had explosive legs. But the Amsterdam cyclist came back to his old ways, controlled Philipsen’s movements and launched his attack 50 metres in. He arrived in time, by centimetres, to get his wheel in and win the sixth stage of the Tour and the 75th of his sporting career.
Groenewegen, who was directly involved in Fabio Jakobsen’s serious accident in a sprint at the Tour of Poland in 2020, had to fight once morest tremendous accusations and a 9-month ban from racing. Time gradually erased the memory. This year he has won 5 races, including the overall victory at the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana at the start of the season.
“I’ve been chasing the win since 2022, which is incredible, especially with this Dutch champion’s jersey. I’ve barely been able to celebrate. I was disappointed, but this win has changed my mood,” said Groenewegen at the finish line.
This Friday sees the first time trial on the 25.3km route between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin, passing through the vineyards of Burgundy. A “grand reserve” duel between the favourites on the day that will mark the first week of the Tour. A demanding time trial with the Cote de Curtil Vergy halfway through the route (1.6km at 6.1). Strength and technique in equal parts.
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2024-07-07 04:07:10
