Nothing will come of nothing. It is an aphorism from the very first scene of King Lear but additionally relevant to the present, very dwell Tour de France.
Jonas Vingegaard can’t merely do nothing and look ahead to Tadej Pogačar to maintain driving away. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has to try to problem him, to take the combat to him, or it will be a Tour de France wasted. This is not the Giro d’Italia, the place UAE Workforce Emirates’ Pogačar might merely trip away – though he nonetheless is, to an extent – however as a substitute right here, on the biggest race of all, there is a rider near his degree who is ready to try to match him.
Visma-Lease a Bike’s plan labored on Sunday’s stage 15 to Plateau de Beille. Matteo Jorgenson pulled for the primary 20 minutes of the climb, dropped Vingegaard off, and it turned a duel between the Dane and Pogačar. The plan labored effectively, it simply turned out Pogačar was stronger – over a minute stronger.
“I by no means doubted in our plan,” Vingegaard stated post-stage to ITV Sport. “We had a great plan and it’s been working for the final two years. We all know I might deal with a whole lot of fatigue, and I might additionally at present, so yeah, I’m not upset and I don’t remorse something. We did the plan completely, and even higher than the plan. He was simply higher, that’s how it’s. Congrats.
“We talked about it [pre-race], Matteo needed to do a 15/20 minute effort from the underside, and that’s what he did. He did a greater effort than we spoke about, all the blokes did at present, the staff did tremendous, tremendous effectively. As I stated, I can’t be upset in any respect.”
It is fascinating, this lack of disappointment. In fact, one can solely do the most effective job doable, however it nonetheless have to be disheartening for Vingegaard that he can’t match the person he has bettered on the final two Excursions de France. The very fact he’s right here in any respect, given the seriousness of the crash at Itzulia Basque Nation in April, is unimaginable, however this example should nonetheless be dispiriting.
On the Visma staff bus, the temper was low – understandably so – however Vingegaard and his staff conveyed a much less destructive mind-set than this. There are nonetheless six days left, after all, with 4 laborious GC days to complete the Tour. Nevertheless, 3:09 is a giant margin to make up.
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“We had been coming to win the stage and to take again a while on GC, however it didn’t occur, and Pogačar took a while on Jonas,” Visma DS Grischa Niermann stated. “I’m tremendous pleased with the staff, and Jonas did a brilliant good job, however we had an opponent who was even stronger, so chapeau to Tadej, chapeau to UAE. They’ve a great margin now. We’ve got to simply accept that, and for the second we will solely be completely happy and pleased with the efficiency we put in.
“We’ll combat to the tip, completely,” he continued. “However proper now, everybody sees that Tadej is the strongest within the race.
“I’m not upset, as a result of the blokes did a brilliant, tremendous good job. The final two years it was the opposite means spherical, however for now Pogačar is the strongest rider right here. There’s nonetheless per week to go.”
The sensation is that Friday’s stage to Isola 2000 will swimsuit Vingegaard extra, with the lengthy Alpine climbs the Dane’s most popular habitat; the Cime de la Bonnette at 2,802m, particularly, may very well be a cheerful searching floor for him. Nevertheless, three minutes is a whole lot of time to make up, particularly when Pogačar seems this good.
It must be famous that Vingegaard is to this point forward of everybody else on this race, bar his Slovenian nemesis. Over two minutes forward of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Fast-Step), effectively over seven minutes away from João Almeida (UAE Workforce Emirates), in fourth. There’s only a Pogačar-shaped downside in the best way of a 3rd yellow jersey, which might be the most miraculous.
Visma-Lease a Bike know now that they’ve the second-best rider within the race, it’s clear, however moderately completely different to the final two editions. How they deal with this within the Alps shall be very completely different.
“We additionally raced for levels earlier than, the dream stays successful the Tour de France,” Niermann added.
“Jonas is in the most effective form he might hope for proper now, after the crash and restoration. It’s tremendous good, he takes a whole lot of time on everybody else, however Tadej is best.”
Nothing will come of nothing. That has been, and must be Visma’s mantra now. It would simply be handbrake-off time for the Dutch squad.
