If a single picture may sum up the radically completely different instructions of journey for the 2024 Tour de France’s two high GC contenders proper now, you may do worse than the second when Jonas Vingegaard lastly emerged from the anti-doping truck on the stage 15 end line and commenced fielding questions on his second straight Pyrenean defeat by Tadej Pogačar.
As Vingegaard pedalled gently to a halt in the midst of a sea of microphones and TV cameras for his on-bike interview, Pogačar himself appeared on the end line following his post-stage media duties. The Tour de France chief then rode easily and largely un-noticed previous the backs of the cloud of reporters surrounding Vingegaard – resplendent in his yellow jersey, accompanied solely by his press officer and with six days racing nonetheless left, en route for an appropriately low-key celebration of his newest victory.
For Pogačar, after dropping Vingegaard 5 kilometres from the end line at Plateau de Beille to take a 68-second benefit, issues may hardly be extra easy at this level within the race, given he now has a lead of over three minutes on GC on the Dane. But when a 3rd Tour de France victory for Pogačar appears significantly extra sure than it did 24 hours in the past, Vingegaard and the Visma-Lease A Bike group will certainly spend a lot of the Tour’s relaxation day again on the drafting board, attempting to determine the implications of this newest defeat.
Most likely the important thing level the Dane made to reporters on the end line submit stage 15 was that he’s definitely not dropping by the wayside in his GC battle. Quite the opposite, Vingegaard felt that he would possibly nonetheless but handle to win the 2024 Tour, for all that he was positively on the again foot, time-wise, at this level within the race.
“Truly I’m happy with how I rode and the way the group rode, the blokes rode actually strongly and we rode tremendous laborious,” Vingegaard mentioned.
“On the final climb I used to be feeling tremendous sturdy, I feel I did the most effective performances of my life. However Tadej was tremendous sturdy – so I can’t actually be upset.”
“I feel there’s nonetheless an opportunity [to win the Tour]. The Tour de France remains to be not completed and typically up to now two years, Tadej has had a nasty day. We’ve got to hope that may nonetheless occur.”
“If he retains up this stage it’ll be laborious, however there are nonetheless probabilities. I’m not upset, I feel this was the most effective performances of my life.”
Visma-Lease A Bike administration had been equally adamant that this was removed from being the tip of the street for Vingegaard to combat for a 3rd straight Tour de France victory, though they recognised, too, that they’d suffered a critical setback. The one plus facet was that Vingegaard additional buttressed his place on the rostrum by taking almost two minutes on Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep). However on the identical time, his likelihood of a yellow jersey has now slipped considerably additional out of his attain.
“This isn’t the knock-out blow,” Visma sports activities director Grischa Niermann informed reporters as he waited on the group automobile on the far facet of the end. “Jonas remains to be in second place. We will maintain combating, with our heads held excessive.”
“Quite a bit can nonetheless occur,” he insisted, “We’ll by no means give up earlier than the tip. However at this cut-off date all we will do is settle for that Pogačar is simply too sturdy.”
If the result of a Pogačar victory was similar to stage 14, the build-up couldn’t have been extra completely different. Vingegaard had emphasised earlier than the stage that the a lot, longer, more durable stage, with almost 5,000 metres of climbing was extra in his favour. So moderately than UAE laying down a searing tempo on the ultimate ascent like at Pla d’Adet, this time round it was Visma-Lease A Bike making the working, all the best way to the purpose when Vingegaard attacked.
“The fellows gave it their all. They adopted the plan from begin to end. We’ve got to be proud of that,” Niermann mentioned, echoing Vingegaard’s phrases. “We needed to make the race very laborious and shortly deliver it all the way down to a one-to-one combat on the ultimate climb. That’s what we did. But it surely didn’t work.”
Niermann additionally confirmed what Vingegaard had mentioned about his ascent of Plateau de Beille being the most effective climbing performances of his profession. However the important thing distinction was that if Vingegaard was at his greatest, or near it, significantly after getting back from such a tricky accident and lengthy spell of restoration, within the meantime in his view, Pogačar had stepped up a stage.
“We did our greatest and Jonas returns from harm, he’s in nice form and simply does a wonderful job. [Vingegaard’s] numbers are good, shut and even higher than final yr, I don’t know precisely. However Pogačar is best [than last year], it appears.”
As for the million-dollar query, about whether or not one other plan can now emerge for attempting to beat Pogačar, identical to Vingegaard, Niermann remained defiant, however life like concerning the Dane’s choices. “We must see,” he mentioned. “But when he [Pogačar] retains driving like this, it will likely be very laborious.”
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