Jonas Weinggaard overflows with confidence: ‘Tadej Pojjar will attack every day and I will follow every day’

No, it’s not a replay for you in an episode. The image is repeated. Tadej Pogacar speeds up, Jonas Vingegaard jumps at the wheel, and the two men make way for the competition, as if they were alone in the world. The white shirt keeps pressing his pedals while the yellow shirt follows him without bouncing. Then Boogie turns, hoping to see his opponent move out of his field of vision, or at least to see in his gaze a sign of weakness. But nope, the Dane is still there. The duo slows down and the group of favorites regains their thickness.

From day to day, this scenario knows some adjustments. What does not change a single atom is the result. It seems that the gap between the two men is carved in stone. Since Wednesday and his coup at Grannon, Vingegaard is 2’22” ahead of the Pogacar, despite all of the latter’s efforts to reduce that margin. On Tuesday toward Foix, the double defending champion has stayed true to his promise to never give up. He attacked twice uphill, while ascending Port de Les, once on the slope, hoping to surprise his opponent at the top. Nothing worked.

Pogacar, impatient: ‘The climb will be longer’

After this sixteenth stage not smiling at him, Tadej Pogakar put his disappointment into perspective. He tries and will try to fire any wood, but he did not expect a fire from the first Pyrenees stage. “It was hard to create big gaps at this point, the 23-year-old Slovenian analyzed. The climb will be longer in the next couple of days. I’ve always said I’m going to attack as much as I can, so I’m going to keep doing that.” The message may have gone well.

“I learned that Tadig [Pogacar] He will attack, he will attack every day and I will follow him every dayThe general classification leader starts week three in a near-perfect fashion. His first match in the Pyrenees allowed him to reassure himself about his condition, two days after gadin interfered in the heart of Yom waved:I don’t feel like I’m regressing. I’m recovering well and a welcome day of rest after my crash. “

“He attacks from afar, that’s not bad for me”

Wednesday and Thursday, the difficulty will go up a bit. Boogie’s annoyances can increase and start more than the end. “That he attacks from afar is not a bad thing for me. The more difficult the race, the greater my benefit‘, gargling the trump card of Jumbo-Visma. Rather than classify her as a pure climber rather than a piercer, Vingegaard did not leave a single centimeter during Montée Laurent Jalabert, in Mende. The very special effort it would require of him at Peyragudes Harbor would be another challenge, but the impression Being infallible is increasingly important.

Especially since the trend has once again been reversed en masse. On Sunday, the Dutch squad looked grey, between Primoz Roglic who did not play, Stephen Kreuzwik in an ambulance, and Tsig Bennott who also tasted bitumen. This Tuesday Benoot showed he can still come in handy, Seb Coos was brilliant and was sending two riders into the breakout as the scouts were put to good use. All while time is up, Mark Soler, in favor of the UAE.

And besides, Van Aert was there, just in case…

So the ground not conducive to making a difference was not the only dilemma, for Bougacar: “Younis [Vingegaard] He was well surrounded, and it was hard to get past him in these circumstances“Especially since in the great days Rafal Majka had a defect, in the Bigger wall.”When he broke his chainits leader continues, He was imposing too much tempo on the front of our group. Then I found myself with riders from Jumbo, who also rode Van Aert. ”

“We always start our day with a plan, and today it was followed.decked out in the green jersey, is ready to quell any desire for a “younger best” this round, in the final. We wanted to put someone up front, it was more about being Christophe Laporte, but I put myself up front because there was Brandon [McNulty] and Daniel Martinez (for UAE and INEOS Grenadiers, Ed.), Then the group quickly formed. And Wout van Aert concludes, as if driving home the point:We were always in control. ”