tour reporter
The overall leader of the Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard, loses two important helpers before the Pyrenees and falls himself. This could have an impact on the fight for yellow.
There is a phrase that is often used at the Tour de France, which is used above all when the wearer of the yellow jersey has already gained a respectable lead which the competitors will only be able to catch up with – if at all – with difficulty. “The tour doesn’t end until Paris”, it says then. And actually this sentence means that you shouldn’t celebrate too soon, because a lot can still happen along the way.
The fragility of the Toursieg company
You have to give the Jumbo-Visma team credit for not resorting to it in the past few days. But the 2’22 minutes ahead of Jonas Vingegaard in the yellow jersey to his biggest competitor, the two-time tour winner Tadej Pogacar, probably not clear enough either.
On Sunday (07/17/22), on the 15th stage of the Tour de France, the Dutch team involuntarily proved that this empty phrase also has a core of truth. The team around the overall leader experienced a day that clearly shows the fragility of Toursieg.
Roglic on the way down
The day started with the news that Primoz Roglic would not be able to continue. The Slovenian, who traveled to the tour as the nominal captain, had been battered since his fall on stage 5, which included a dislocated shoulder that had been repositioned. In the Alps, Roglic then played a key role in Pogacar getting into such trouble that Vingegaard the “Maillot Jaune” could take over.
“If we thought he could still have played a role for Jonas in the Pyrenees, he would still be here”, said the sporting director of the team, Grischa Niermann, under the blazing sun in Carcassonne. He was clearly on the decline because of the injuries.
It sounded like a defense speech. And in a way it was. Because in view of the other events of the day, the question arose whether Roglic should not have been allowed to drive until the rest day.
The yellow jersey is on the street
For after Roglic’s retreat came Vingegaard On the 202.5 kilometers between Rodez and Carcassonne another important helper for the mountains was missing: Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk fell 65 kilometers from the finish and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. “Right Shoulder Trauma”it said later in the medical bulletin.
And it didn’t get any better: A short time later, Jonas Vingegaard himself was lying with his teammate Tiesij Benoot in the street. But got back up quickly to head back into the field. The man in the yellow jersey later announced that he was doing well. He only suffered a few abrasions on the left side of his body.
It’s all about kiss and van Aert now
The mental and strategic effects of this difficult day are likely to be more serious than the physical consequences of the fall. Vingegaard could rely on having the strongest team at his side in the course of the tour so far. Now the balance of the race for the yellow jersey has changed.
Like Pogacar, who lost two of his helpers due to positive corona tests, Vingegaard is now surrounded by only six helpers. In the mountains he now has to hope above all that the American Sep kiss able to stand by him for as long as possible. As in the increase after Alpe d’Huez last Thursday, when Kuss set the pace for the group of favorites for a long time.
But now there is hardly anyone who can do the work beforehand. Only Wout van Aert, the all-rounder from Belgium, who sprinted to second place in Carcassonne. He will have even more responsibility in the coming days. The upcoming rest day should Vingegaard and his team now come at just the right time to come up with a strategy for the mountain stages in the Pyrenees that are then on the agenda.
Advantage yellow jersey
“We will lick our wounds on the rest day”said Vingegaard’s sporting director Grischa Niermann. “It certainly won’t be any easier with six men, we have to be prepared for that and we’ll make a plan.” His team is still at an advantage, after all they have the yellow jersey.
In fact, it’s Pogacar who still needs to make up ground. The Slovenian described his day “as hot and a little boring”. He was glad that he himself was not involved in the falls. He will also know that the bad luck of the competition has improved his prospects a little. Even if he of course pointed out that one would not wish for the rivals to drop out of the race like this. “But we have to keep going”said Pogacar.
Of course, that also applies to Jonas Vingegaard, who sounded as if he were already on the defensive in Carcassonne. “We will fight until Paris”, the Dane promised. Because only there is the tour actually over and a lot can still happen on the way.