Tadej Pogačar’s second relaxation day on the Tour de France will dwell lengthy in his reminiscence. “Don’t inform my nutritionist,” he stated, “however we stopped on the bakery and I had among the best brownies I’ve ever eaten in my life.” His vitality shares from a demanding however overwhelmingly profitable opening fortnight of the 2024 Tour have been replenished, and he’s prepared for one ultimate large battle.
However earlier than he goes about defending a 3 minute lead to defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, there’s one other factor he must do. “I hope we are able to end this press convention quick so I can relax in my room and watch some nice films,” he quipped. Ever the gifted communicator, if the reigning Giro d’Italia champion frightened that he could have offended among the assembled press, he signed off quarter-hour later with 4 easy phrases: “You the most effective, guys.” Not true – answering rinse-and-repeat questions for 13 successive days whereas in yellow is tiresome – however the Slovenian is accustomed to this recreation, and he is aware of that the suckers on the tip of the video name will fall for it. Like this creator.
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He additionally is aware of that his performances within the Pyrenees on the weekend have been astonishingly spectacular. In accordance with some observers, the most effective ever. As in, ever, ever. His ascent of Plateau de Beille on Sunday was three minutes and 40 seconds quicker than Marco Pantani’s file nearly 30 years in the past, ridden at an estimated 6.98 watts per kilogram. Attempt pushing that at residence for 30 seconds and also you’ll exhaust your self, however the UAE Group Emirates famous person pushed out superhuman energy for simply 10 seconds shy of 40 minutes.
“Yesterday I feel all of us witnessed among the best performances on a climb ever,” he acknowledged, “and for me it additionally was. Once I checked my numbers after, they have been actually loopy, particularly the half the place Matteo Jorgensen and Jonas went to the entrance, I had the best numbers I ever did in my profession.”
Vingegaard, in response to the quantity crunchers at Lanterne Rouge, delivered the second-best climbing efficiency of all time, however he nonetheless completed greater than a minute in arrears to Pogačar. However Visma are usually not finished but. “They confirmed their balls lastly,” Pogačar chuckled, a reference to the now notorious remark from Remco Evenepoel after the stage 9 gravel day. The identical Evenepoel, by the way in which, who Pogačar applauded for not “giving a shit about anybody else – he does his personal factor at all times.”
However Evenepoel, comfortably in third, is out of the working for yellow. It’s all concerning the comeback that will or could not come from Vingegaard. “We are able to see that Jonas got here actually ready to struggle for the victory,” Pogačar stated. “Jonas stated that he’s not giving up on his struggle and that’s right. It’s going to be a tricky ultimate week and we’re going to see fireworks for certain from everybody.”
Stage 17 has a summit end, however actually it’s all about Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and extra particularly stage 19’s Cime de la Bonette and Isola 2000, stage 20’s Col de la Couillole, and stage 21’s mountainous ultimate day time trial. “For certain they may choose one stage, not each,” Pogačar stated of Visma’s predicted assault. “Both Friday or Saturday.”
Pogačar’s workforce of mountain domestiques is down one, Juan Ayuso at residence with Covid, however it’s nonetheless fearsomely sturdy: Joäo Almeida, Adam Yates, Pavel Sivakov and Marc Soler. If present kind persists, it can take a pestle extracted from a diamond quarry for Visma to interrupt down a 25-year-old uncommon gem protected in a quartet-sized mortar. “We are going to attempt to do our personal race, and attempt to defend in order that they can’t do something loopy,” Pogačar stated. “We must be assured that we are able to go at our personal tempo. We climb with as many riders as we are able to and now we have a brilliant good workforce, however for certain they may strive.”
The Bonette, which rises a Nils Politt over 2,800m, is the place most count on Vingegaard to seek out his prey. However the wannabee predator won’t even get inside his goal’s neighborhood. “I don’t know what I worry probably the most concerning the final week,” Pogačar contemplated, earlier than confirming the inevitable. “I don’t worry something. I’m actually wanting ahead to it.”
