tour reporter
Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar battle it out for the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. While the two at the top are circling in solitude, the rest are fighting for third place in the overall standings. Three drivers are still in the race.
The Tour de France is entering its third week and, as expected, the Tour of France has long since become two races that only happen to be taking place on the same terrain. “There is a race between the two aliens and a race between the rest of the peloton”says Marc Madiotthe team boss of the French Equipe Groupama FDJ.
Jai Hindley is suffering physically and mentally
The two “aliens” are natural Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar in an exclusive battle for the yellow jersey. The distance between the Dane is ten seconds Maillot Jaune and the Slovenian in second place after covering 2,606.9 kilometers of the race. Behind them there is a big gap in the overall standings. The Spaniard is currently in third place Carlos Rodriguez with a deficit of 5:21 minutes.
In the fight for the remaining podium place behind Vingegaard and Pogacar in Paris, various dreams were shattered last weekend. Also Jai Hindleywhich up to the 13th stage on the Grand Colombierthe rating “Best of the Rest” had led, should hardly have a chance after two painful days in the Alps.
The Australian from the German World Tour Team Bora-hansgrohe fell heavily on the 14th stage in a mass crash on a rain-soaked road and was already a second behind Rodriguez that day. Sunday on the way to Saint Gervais Mont Blanc Hindley then lost a minute and 17 seconds to the young Spaniard.
Hindley then appeared not only physically but also mentally battered. When he got off his bike after the stage, he could barely walk and seemed on the verge of tears. Above all, the injuries on his back and a large hematoma on his buttocks make it difficult for him. “It was super painful today, I was struggling a lot to have strength in my legs”Hindley explained: “Honestly, it’s really difficult for me.”
Time trial crucial for Hindley
For the team Bora-hansgrohe and Hindley, who wore the yellow jersey for one day after the first mountain stage of the tour in the Pyrenees, will decide after the second rest day on the 16th stage on Tuesday (07/18/23) how it will go in terms of overall standings and whether the declared goal – a podium finish in Paris – remains an option. “If he keeps losing time in the time trial, it’s over. If he regains his strength and stays close, you can still try something.”says team manager Ralph Denk.
Hindley, the winner of the Giro d’Italia last year, is currently in fifth place overall. Between the Australian and Rodriguez, who is third overall, the Briton has found himself Adam Yates pushed. He is only 19 seconds behind the Spaniard. “I have no idea where I stand in the general classification”claimed Yates, whose own ambitions are lagging behind those of his captain Tadej Pogacar.
Pogacar’s helper Yates in the race
The 30-year-old Yates, who took the first yellow jersey at the Tour and finished fourth overall in 2016, is Pogacar’s main ally in the mountains. The momentum of the race for the yellow jersey has now put Yates in the position that could even see him on the podium in Paris. Because if the UAE team or Vingegaard’s team Jumbo Visma push the pace in the mountains, the other class riders lose touch earlier than the helpers of the two top favorites.
“The priority remains the yellow jersey for Tadej”stressed Matxin Joxean Fernandez, the sporting director of the UAE team. But Yates’ position in the standings gives the team an interesting tactical option. “I’m way ahead in the classification now”Yates suddenly realized “If Tadej lets me drive, Jumbo has to follow.”
Carlos Rodriguez should learn
Whether the Dutch team actually chasing Jonas Vingegaard when Yates sets off also depends on how much or how little time the Brit loses in the individual time trial on Tuesday. In the Dauphiné– Tour of June Yates was 45 seconds slower than Vingegaard. Although the course on Tuesday is shorter at 22.4 kilometers, it is also much more demanding, and the second section in particular is a mountain time trial. However, Yates could already displace Rodriguez from third place that day. In the Dauphiné Tour, Yates was around a minute faster than the Spaniard in the time trial.
The 22-year-old professional cyclist from the Ineos-Grenadiers team, who finished seventh in the Tour of Spain last year, is considered one of the greatest talents in cycling. “He will be one of the best three-week tour drivers of the future”says his teammate Egan Bernalthe 2019 tour winner.
At Ineos Grenadiers they figured Rodriguez could be a contender for a top five finish, but first and foremost he should gain experience and learn. With his stage win on Saturday in morzine Rodriguez has long since exceeded expectations, says team leader Rod Ellingworth.
Top teams on distant planets
Rodriguez, Yates and maybe Hindley if he recovers. These are the three contenders for third place in Paris. All other contenders for the podium are either no longer there, like the Spaniard Enric Mas or the Ecuadorian Richard Carapazor are so far behind that they have already lost sight of a place in the top three.
And while in front the two “aliens“Vingegaard and Pogacar circling alone in their world raise fundamental questions for the rest of the peloton. “Not only the two are the main protagonists, but also the two teams are better. And this is the Benchmark“says Bora-hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk. “At the moment we have to see that we can get there.” But how exactly the journey to this distant planet is supposed to succeed remains unclear for the time being.