Former professional cyclist Jens Voigt does not believe in the big duel for the tour victory between defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and ex-champion Tadej Pogacar.
“At the Giro we thought of a big duel between Roglic and Evenepoel – bang, Evenepoel was out. Cycling is not ping-pong or bowling and cannot be predicted exactly,” Voigt told the Abendzeitung.
In the fight for the yellow jersey, Voigt sees the Slovenian Pogacar at an advantage. “Pogacar wins with his finger in his nose and everyone else is fighting for the podium,” said Voigt. Pogacar’s serious fall in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic in April is not a disadvantage.
“For his own luck, he was forced to take a break. Every cell in his body had time to regenerate completely,” said Voigt: “Man to man, Pogacar is the better driver. What Vingegaard can save is his team, the is stronger at depth, but every day they finish at the same time is a day won for Pogacar.”
The 110th Tour of France starts on Saturday in Bilbao and traditionally ends on July 23 in Paris.