Only 40.7 kilometers separate Jonas Vingegaard from his first victory in the Tour de France. Since there is traditionally no attack on the last stage, the decision will be made on Saturday in the individual time trial between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour.
With a lead of 3:21 minutes over Tadej Pogacar, the triumph should not be a problem, but nothing is certain on this tour so far.
Falls and defects:
Time trial machines are not comparable to normal road bikes. They are much more susceptible to defects and harder to control. Vingegaard’s compatriot Michael Rasmussen had to experience this bitterly in 2005. The Dane was third before the penultimate stage, the podium in Paris was only a matter of form due to a lead of 2:12 minutes over Jan Ullrich. But due to two falls, a flat tire and three wheel changes, Rasmussen lost 7:47 minutes to stage winner Lance Armstrong and finished the tour in seventh place.
Diamond Legs at Pogacar:
Pogacar knows all too well how to win the Tour at the last moment. In 2020, the Slovenian went into the final time trial in second place, 0:57 seconds behind his compatriot Primoz Roglic. Pogacar had a great day, Roglic a bad one. In the end, Pogacar won the Tour by 59 seconds. However, this was a mountain time trial, the stage on Saturday is only slightly profiled.
Corona:
The corona virus continues to cause problems on the tour. In the final week there has not been a day without a driver withdrawing due to a positive test. Teams have not been required to test since the first day of rest. However, if Vingegaard becomes infected and develops symptoms, it could weaken him so massively that he is no longer able to perform at his best. And this is necessary despite the large lead.