Round discussions: Vingegaard lost Roglic and Kruijswijk, is it a disaster? Who is the best runner?

Is the loss of Roglic and Kruisevik a disaster for Vingguard?

Jean Baptiste Deluce

He would still lose Roglic, who could no longer stand it for a few days and who was touched in his body. But losing Kruijswijk, one of the best climbers in this formation, experienced Lieutenant Vingegaard, before the very hilly mountain last week, is even more dangerous.

This may not change anything in the balance of power between the Dane and the Bogacar, it is possible. But, as the Slovenian himself points out when referring to their respective formations: “We can now say that we are equalThis changes a lot of things. And maybe even everything.

Christopher Godot

Mathematically, Tadej Pojjakar is right. Technically, Jean-Baptiste is not far from the truth either. Yes, the withdrawal of Primoz Roglic and Stephen Kreuswijk is a blow to the power of Jumbo-Visma. This asset that, in part, upended the race on the Granon stage when Tadej Pogacar began chasing Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. Does this mean a shift before the third week?

If Tadej Pogacar wanted to triple the pot in the round, he would have to be stronger than Jonas Vingegaard, not Jumbo-Visma. Admittedly, his job becomes easier if he wants to blow the race away from the finish. But the end result will be the abandonment of his Danish opponent. And to counteract out-of-class passes at the end of the round, neither Roglic, nor Kruesvik, nor anyone else could help Vinggaard anyway. We’ve seen it in Granon and quickly in Alpe too, in these ascents, teammates move away quickly and make the difference on the pedal among the General’s favourites.

Who is the best runner of the tour?

Christopher Godot

Fabio Jacobsen, Dylan Groenwegen, Jasper Philipsen, and why Wout van Aert, to be remembered, didn’t finish second in the Tour’s three mega races, or even Mads Pedersen, there’s plenty to choose from. More anyway than in 2021 when Mark Cavendish pretended to be the undisputed holder of the position. I refuse to nominate the green shirt that did not pass the exercise. And I am crowned… Fabio Jacobsen best sprinter of this round 2022 after 15 stages.

The Dutchman hit first, giving him a very slight advantage over the rest. Above all, his success at Nyborg has faced no potential challenge. His sense of superiority hinted at Cavendish’s dominance. Nothing has happened since the next day Dylan Groenevegen returned the favor. So why not the latter?

The Sonderborg race was more chaotic than its predecessor the day before, which, among other things, allowed the BikeExchange riders to win and prevented Jacobsen from running. As for Jasper Philipsen, I salute his regularity but this Sunday, Jacobsen, who was knocked out, did not defeat a weary Groenewegen.

Jean Baptiste Deluce

Is Fabio Jacobsen the best sprinter in the world (and thus possibly a runner-up)? It’s possible. Is he the best runner in this 109th version? no. In any case, it seemed impossible to crown him with a single sprint in which he was able to truly express himself. For me, the best runner in this 2022 round is Jasper Philipsen.

Obviously it’s not a question of making him intrinsically stronger, but the Belgian did not leave the top five “flat” entrants at the start of the Tour (5th in Nyborg, 3rd in Sonderborg and 2nd in Calais), after the initial score it was the sprinter from Alpecin-Deceuninck who left the greatest An impression of top speed in the package. But his situation left something to be desired. This was not the case on Sunday in Carcassonne as he was completely stuck in Pedersen’s wheel. There was no discussion.

We can always complain about Groenewegen’s freshness, and Jakobsen’s lack of it, but knowing how to be there, and weather the bumps, is in my opinion more of an advantage than a disadvantage. Including for a runner. But if Philipsen wants to end the debate, he knows what he has to do: win the Champs-Elysees in a week.

What stage do we look forward to in the Pyrenees the most?

Jean Baptiste Deluce

I like the Peyragudes’ minifigure but am afraid it will lead to a waiting race, due to its terrifying finish (300m at 12%) but, above all, because it is not the last stage in the Pyrenees. The Hautacam stage will not suffer from this predicament. The Aubisque-Spandelles-Hautacam sequence is, in my opinion, one of the best in the Pyrenees.

The Aubisque length (16 km) associated with the difficulty of the Spandelles (10.3km at 8.3%) provides an ideal playing field for large maneuvers, especially since the descent of the latter is very technical and risky. The Col de Spandelles, which has never been on the tour, is such a huge construction site that you will have to put it at the foot, or else you will have a very difficult climb on the narrow path to climb. And we must not forget the Otakam.

If the last climb spoils the previous sequence a little, it remains one of the hardest climbs of the tour, with an erratic slope that can make even the best climbers go off. Its three lanes will follow each other in just 83 km, barely four flats in all and for everyone in this section. With fatigue built up on this grueling ride and through the first two seasons in the Pyrenees, this 18th stage has everything from the perfect day to topple a general. Then it would be too late.

Christopher Godot

Of course Hautacam is as much a historic ascent as it is a more eye-catching name than Peyragudes. Of course, the trail to Aubisque touches me, I’ve always found this trail more intimidating than many of the others on the tour (don’t ask me why…). But that’s why I look forward to the Peyragudes stage more than the next day.

At Foix, favorites must arrive together. The gaps, relatively large at the top (2’22“ between Pogacar and Vingegaard) and very limited below (2`02“ between Pogacar 2nd and Gaudu 8). Before the Peyragudes stage, a strong smell of fireworks will be emitted. The short form, the grandiose landscape (Lac de Payolle…) and oh so daunting descent to the heights, there are many reasons to wait impatiently for the seventeenth stage. And if Roman Bardet, as a bonus, can repeat the coup of 2017 and give the stage he desires …