Tadej Pogačar is aware of a factor or two concerning the limitless heartbreak Primož Roglič has endured over time on the Tour de France. In 2020, in spite of everything, Pogačar received his first Tour by divesting his compatriot of the yellow jersey in essentially the most traumatic of circumstances at La Planche des Belles Filles.
Roglič’s subsequent visits to the Tour have been much more accursed. A yr later, his rematch with Pogačar was ended earlier than it began by a crash within the opening days. In 2022, one other crash compelled Roglič handy management of Jumbo-Visma to Jonas Vingegaard.
On Thursday, Roglič’s newest try and roll the boulder again up the mountain was repelled by a crash barely a dozen kilometres or so from the end of stage 12 in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. The Slovenian would attain the end line 2:27 down. The complete extent of his accidents is unknown, however the harm to his general hopes is already clear. Now sixth general at 4:42, Roglič is not going to win the 2024 Tour.
Like most riders within the peloton, Pogačar sensed the crash relatively than seeing it firsthand. Amid the every-man-for-himself tumult of a finale like this, there was no time to evaluate the harm. Solely when he had reached the rostrum space did Pogačar be taught from UAE Crew Emirates employees that his fellow Slovenian had been the principal sufferer of the crash.
“I heard one thing at the back of the bunch, however at that second, you can’t go searching, so that you simply know that one thing occurred, however not what number of guys went down or what precisely occurred,” Pogačar stated.
“As quickly as I crossed the end line, my guys advised me that Primož had crashed and misplaced time, so I acquired an actual shock. It was actually shit information, unhealthy information. I’m actually upset for him, I’m actually unhappy for him that he crashed and misplaced time, as a result of he was wanting every single day higher on this Tour.”
Roglič had already suffered a tumble within the finale of Wednesday’s breathless stage to Le Lioran, however he emerged with out lasting harm to his individual and with out undue hurt to his general hopes. Because the crash fell throughout the last 3km, Roglič was awarded the identical time as the person he had been driving with, Remco Evenepoel, simply 25 seconds down on Pogačar and Vingegaard.
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There was no such reprieve on Thursday. Roglič had been the least convincing of the 4 principal contenders thus far, however that didn’t imply he was totally out of the working. Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe administration had insisted his coaching had been tailor-made to the longer mountains nonetheless to come back. The purpose may now be moot.
“He was coming actually strongly to the second week, I feel, so it actually sucks for him,” Pogačar stated. “I want him the most effective. I hope he didn’t injure himself and that he can proceed. All people is aware of he’s a giant fighter. I want him the most effective for the following phases to recuperate. Perhaps he can win a stage and nonetheless come again shut on GC. However we’ll see.”
Vingegaard and the Pyrenees
Pogačar, for his half, rolled residence safely in the primary peloton to retain the yellow jersey and keep his buffer of 1:06 over Evenepoel and 1:14 over Vingegaard. If dash phases earlier on this race had been relatively tepid affairs, this run by the heavy, rolling roads of the Lot was relatively extra heated. “For a dash stage, at this time was among the best for me,” Pogačar stated. “It was fairly a quick tempo, up and down, and I loved the highway.”
There was larger curiosity in what Pogačar needed to say about an up and down day of a distinct type. When Pogačar attacked on the Puy Mary on Wednesday, it appeared as if he was about to take out a everlasting lease on his maillot jaune. As a substitute, his possession of the jersey appears relatively much less sure after Vingegaard closed a 35-second hole after which surprisingly beat him to the stage in a two-up dash.
In Villeneuve-sur-Lot on Thursday night, Pogačar revealed that he had taken the uncommon step of watching the stage again on tv. Vingegaard’s comeback should certainly have been a blow to Pogačar’s morale, however he got here away from the viewing with a strikingly upbeat evaluation of his efficiency on stage 11.
“I normally don’t look an excessive amount of on the TV protection or something, however yesterday I had time within the room and I checked it and analysed it,” Pogačar stated. “I may see the place Jonas saved his legs and the place I couldn’t save the legs. That was one of many key moments.
“I had a fairly good day yesterday, however I feel Jonas had among the best days of his profession yesterday, I’d say – or near his greatest, perhaps. For me, I used to be simply continuously on the pedals. He had Primož’s assistance on the downhill after the Puy Mary, all of it provides up.”
After one other comparatively flat run to Pau on Friday afternoon, the Tour enters a brand new part on the weekend with a doubleheader within the Pyrenees. The back-to-back summit finishes at Pla d’Adet and Plateau de Beille will reveal a lot concerning the path of journey of this race.
“We’ll see within the Pyrenees once more,” Pogačar stated. “It’s going to be a terrific showdown. However I’m fairly comfy now in yellow. He must assault. We’ll see.”
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