Tourist
On the first Pyrenäenen stage of the Tour de France Tadej Pogacar conquered the yellow jersey and adds a severe defeat to the competition. And Florian Lipowitz drives his captain Primoz Roglic away.
It was a friendly chat that the two men behind the podium at the finish of the Tour de France in the 12th stage of the 12th stage Hautacam held. The French President Emanuel Macron was obviously happy to meet the ruler of the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar also seemed impressed by the encounter.
Unlike Macron, who has to deal with difficult conditions in French politics, the Slovenian had just demonstrated his power about the most important bike race in the world. “It feels like I’m experiencing the best moment of my career “, Pogacar said after after using a brilliant solo on the final climb Hautacam Not only had the yellow jersey recaptured, but also driven the competition in the ground.
Vingegaard leaves Hautacam silently
Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, had decreased over the last 12 kilometers for more than two minutes. In the overall ranking, the Dane is now around three and a half minutes. After twelve race days, the whole beautiful plan of the Visma-Lease A Bike team seems to have been collapsed like a house of cards. The situation has been clarified for the time being and Vingegaard then refused to comment.
His sports director Grischa Niermann also did not indulge in any illusions. “Of course we want to continue fighting, but the big favorite has the yellow jersey and he has more than three minutes ahead”, he said. “But we are still the best of the rest.”
Lipowitz in front of Evenepoel and Roglic
It will probably stay that way for the time being. But the fight for third place on the podium in Paris should offer a special tension in the remaining days of the tour. And that also has to do with Florian Lipowitz, who also put on a brilliant appearance at the final climb when he set an attack around seven kilometers before the finish, which also could not follow his captain at the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team, Primoz Roglic.
Florian Lipowitz fights the mountain up
He did not get an official Go, Lipowitz later said at the finish line, but simply trusted his feeling. But the team had already defined the plan for the day so that both Roglic and Lipowitz were allowed to take a free trip. “We both had open cards”, Lipowitz reported at the finish line.
A few times, Lipowitz had looked around for the Slovenia before his attack and let him get back a few times, in the hope that they would be able to take time together for the previous year’s third year of the previous year Remco Evenepoel. In the end, Lipowitz crossed the finish line with more than a minute ahead of the Olympic champion from Belgium, who was brilliant at the end and almost two minutes before Roglic.
The team has to find the balance
“He had his legs today, a great performance of him today”, said Roglic. “I am really happy and hope he stays at this level and we can maintain it until the end.” When the Slovenian later spoke to his wife Lora, he looked much less happy.
For the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team, it will now be important to pay the relationship between the two. Roglic is a deserved driver, he won the Giro d’Italia and the Spain Tour. Of course, you cannot degrade someone to a helper for a young tour debut, even though Lipowitz has the better shape at the moment. Especially since the German team is not much to see apart from the Duo Lipowitz/Roglic.
Lipowitz has now moved to fourth place in the overall ranking, 49 seconds behind Evenepoel in third place. But Roglic also has less than three minutes behind the Belgian, which apparently has difficulties on the long climbs. This opens up tactical opportunities for the team.
“It would be stupid to commit yourself”
Sports director Rolf Aldag therefore didn’t want to know anything about a change in the captain’s role. “I think it makes no sense to commit yourself now, because then we would also be offset”said Aldag. “If I don’t lie completely wrong, we are the only ones who still have two in front. With respect, it would be said to say quite stupidly, we’ll stand up to you.”
Especially since after the 13th stage on Friday everything can be different again. Because the heavy mountain time trial to Peyraguedes is on the program.