On the way to Le Lioran, in the heart of the Massif Central, when Tadej Pogacar attacked in the last meters of Pas de Peyrol, the Tour feared. Even more so when in the descent his gap with Jonas Vingegaard, who had not been able to catch the wheel of the previous savage attack, began to widen, reaching almost 40 seconds. There were two climbs and 30 kilometers left, and there is no one in the world peloton like the Slovenian in the 'solos', those solo rides to the finish line. What could have seemed like a sentence halfway through the race, a few minutes later turned into the opposite: the Grande Boucle, which this Saturday opens the Pyrenees, beats more alive than ever ready for another epic battle between the two men who have dominated it in the last five years.
Vingegaard's resurrection - confirmed on Friday, leading the aggressive Visma Lease a Bike in the echelons of the stage finishing in Pau, the eighth fastest in Tour history (48.8 kilometers per hour) - and the five centimeters that gave him the victory in the final mano a mano, were a psychological blow, "a before and after" in the words of the emotional Dane, who recognized himself three months after the horrifying crash in the Itzulia where he "could have died". A confirmation, even earlier than expected. "He is in the best shape of his life," in the words of a amazed Pogacar (later Jonas denied: "It's impossible that he is with a month and a half of training") when the Dane caught him on the climb to Col de Petrus - he looked back insistently - already without Roglic.
It will be the Pyrenees first and then the Alps, with little respite (just the rest day on Monday and the approach on Tuesday with the finish in Nîmes), that will resolve the eternal battle, that will also tilt the balance between two cyclists for the history, who boast of two Tours each. This time with an asterisk in between still, a fouri classe like Remco Evenepoel who is presumed to be weak in the high mountains... "The race is in the hands of Visma and UAE. For my part, if the legs work, I will try to recover time. But the plan is to follow the others and stay focused and patient," he warned yesterday. And now without the unfortunate Roglic, another one who promised plot twists, jinxed once again: he abandoned (as in 2021 and 2022) after suffering two consecutive falls in the previous days.
After Philipsen's victory in Pau, the Tour visits the always mythical Tourmalet, the first climb of an electric stage with the finish in Saint Lary Soulan, with the ending for the first time in half a century in Pla D'Adet, where Poulidor won. Two Hors Categorie climbs - plus Hourquette d'Ancizan, a second category - before the main event in the Pyrenees. A stage reminiscent of last year's with the finish in Cauterets, won by Pogacar in the first week still. On Sunday, almost 200 kilometers with 4,800 meters of accumulated elevation gain. Five climbs, four of them First category, and the finish in Plateau de Beille. If it's not the queen stage...
"I like the stages in the Pyrenees. Before the Tour, I hadn't checked which specific climbs we were going to do, but now I have looked and the truth is that they are climbs that I know and like. The way we have competed in the last three days will affect the development of the next two stages, because they have been very tough stages. In any case, what matters is that we are in great shape," admitted a Pogacar who suffered the setback of losing Juan Ayuso (he got off the bike shortly after starting, affected by Covid and is doubtful for the time trial at the Olympics where he was going to be the only Spanish representative) and now faces all kinds of uncertainties.
Because, with a 1:14 lead over Vingegaard in the general classification, largely obtained through bonuses, the question is whether he will continue to attack, selecting the race as he has done so far with his UAE teammates and attacking from afar, or will switch to a more cautious approach, trying to gain seconds in those explosive high finishes where he excels. He addressed this in Pau, although from words to actions... "I think now we can calm down a bit, we have a good lead in the general classification and I feel physically good. We are reaching the end of the second week and my condition is good, the goal is to maintain this lead. It's not up to me to go on the offensive," clarified the leader.
And equally full of uncertainties is his rival, increasingly strong as the days go by. Is Jonas ready to overcome Tadej in the mountains, as in previous years? Will he wait for the Alps, where he won his two Tours? Because, in addition to the consequences of his injuries after the accident in the Basque Country, the big difference lies in the company. This time Vingegaard does not have as powerful climbing teammates as Sepp Kuss or Roglic himself, angels of the guard in recent times.