The duel between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France is like a tug of war. On the rest day, the stars rely on the family factor.
On the rest day of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar gathered his closest people around him for the decisive week of the tour.
“My parents have been here for a few days and my fiancee has also been here since the Grand Colombier stage, which gives me extra motivation and self-confidence for the coming days,” said the Slovenian professional cyclist after another Alpine slugfest with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard .
On Monday it was time for both of them: rest, relax, easy training and some media appointments. The Dane Vingegaard, who is staying with his team in a hotel on Mont Blanc, also drew strength from the time with his wife Trine and daughter Frida. When asked what he was doing, he replied with a smile: “Just relax.” But he also relied on the psychological factor and told his opponent that he would explore the course of the individual time trial on Tuesday. The message to Pogacar: I will be prepared.
Second thriller
The crazy fight for seconds is almost reminiscent of the thriller between the French Laurent Fignon and the American Greg Lemond, who won the Tour in 1989 with just eight seconds. It’s difficult to predict who will be the first on the podium. Cycling expert Jens Voigt was already determined: “I see a slight advantage at Pogacar, he’s just fresher. His fall in Liege forced him to take a break and give his body time to recover,” said the ex-professional of the German Press Agency with a view to Pogacar’s mishap at the end of April, when he suffered a scaphoid fracture.
On his Instagram account, Pogacar clearly illustrated how tactically the duel between the favorites has become with a drawing by a fan showing the two opponents playing chess. Vingegaard is only a razor thin ten seconds ahead after the balanced climbs through the Alps.
Of the remaining five stages up to the end in Paris, there are three in the foreground where a preliminary decision is likely to be made. Vingegaard will start later in Tuesday’s time trial and can adjust his pace at any time due to Pogacar’s split times. The steep climb towards the end should suit both climbers. “Tuesday and Wednesday will be crucial,” suspected the 24-year-old Pogacar.
Decision probably in Alsace
Wednesday is the arduous ascent to the Col de la Loze. It goes up at almost 2300 meters. This could possibly be the kingmaker leg of the tour. After rather flat stages, the 20th stage in Alsace, one day before the award ceremony in Paris, should bring a decision at the very latest.
Vingegaard maintained his lead over the two-time Tour overall winner on Sunday as the two rolled shoulder-to-shoulder across the finish line. Last year’s winner parried Tadej Pogacar’s attacks effortlessly and didn’t even have to dismount from the saddle to fend off one of the Slovenian’s escape maneuvers. “I felt Jonas was super good and I knew I couldn’t really outperform him,” said Pogacar. He still has three chances to be on the top of the podium after 2020 and 2021.
Source: Stern
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