BIn second poker in the Basque Country, an aggressive Tadej Pogacar put his great rival and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard under pressure. On the extremely difficult first two stages of the 110th Tour de France, the two-time champion from Slovenia collected eleven bonus seconds with two third places, among other things, and wiped away all doubts about his form after the two-month forced break.
In addition, Pogacar’s teammate Adam Yates conquered the yellow jersey with his opening victory, which he successfully defended on the second stage on Sunday when Frenchman Victor Lafay won the day in atmospheric San Sebastián. A perfect start for Pogacar and Co.
“The hand felt good. My engine starts slowly. I’m very happy with my shape,” said the 24-year-old professional cyclist, who had fixed his wrist with the not yet healed scaphoid fracture with black tape. The injury he sustained at the end of April in the spring classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège did not hinder him, but obviously not. Pogacar went straight to the attack department on the rollercoaster ride through the Basque mountains, although Vingegaard showed no weakness even on the steepest ramps and always stayed on the rear wheel.
Vingegaard, who is at a disadvantage in a direct duel with Pogacar due to his lack of explosiveness, reacted accordingly calmly. “The Tour will probably not be decided by seconds. We are on course. You can’t always win,” emphasized the 26-year-old at the start. He sees his chance on the long climbs in the high mountains.
Until then, Pogacar takes every chance to get some time out. On Sunday he secured four seconds on the second stage over 208.9 kilometers from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian by finishing third behind Lafay and Belgian Wout van Aert, and he also won the hill sprint on the Jaizkibel before Vingegaard, which gave him more three seconds against the Dane. Pogacar had already finished third in Bilbao on Saturday.
The German professional cyclists only played a supporting role at the cycling party in the Basque country. Georg Zimmermann just missed the mountain jersey at the start and refrained from further attacks on Sunday. Zimmermann complained that he hadn’t done his homework, who had started the sprint for the mountain points too late on the decisive climb. The best German in the overall standings is the former Tour fourth Emanuel Buchmann, who finished 15th with the group of favorites on Sunday.
For a short time, the German champions even attacked. “I wanted to see if anyone was going with me. The stage confirmed that the legs are quite good,” said Buchmann, who currently has to be content with the role of helper for the Australian captain Jai Hindley in the Bora-hansgrohe team.
Carapaz and Mas injured retired
The 2022 Giro winner is aiming for the podium in Paris, then under normal circumstances third place is at stake. Two rivals in this endeavor had to say goodbye after the opening weekend. Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) suffered a kneecap fracture in a fall, while Enric Mas (Spain), who finished second in the Vuelta, broke his shoulder blade.
The tour was accompanied by hundreds of thousands of cycling fans during their guest performance from Spain, who created a mood on the climbs like in Alpe d’Huez or on the Tourmalet. “I drove up with a big grin and goosebumps,” said veteran John Degenkolb.
On Monday, the tour then sets course for France on the third stage over 193.5 kilometers from Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne. This also increases the safety concerns of the tour organizers. The unrest in France could also affect the most important sporting event in the Grande Nation at the latest by the seventh stage, which ends in Bordeaux on Friday. “We are following developments closely and are in constant contact with the Ministry of the Interior,” said tour director Christian Prudhomme. The safety precautions should then be increased during the stages.
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