Counterpunch

I wasn’t alone in having written off Tadej Pogačar after he was manhandled by the Jumbo-Visma on the first Pyrenean stage, almost everyone got it wrong. Couple of days ago I was listening to a French podcast, one done by proper journalists mind you, ones with credentials who follow in press cars, interview racers, the works. And you should have heard them: “Le Tour est fini!” They were so miserable and complaining, “Pogačar won’t even make it to Paris. Vingegaard has already won and the next two weeks will be horrible and boring.” They even started going after Van Aert in their distress: “He is not what he was before….” Full force Gallic ennui. Even the crowds at yesterday’s finish line were less that expected - everyone had given up. Nobody saw what was coming, the incredible, beautiful, exciting, mind-blowing thing that Tadej Pogačar was going to do.

I turned on the TV and there he was, the ogre, Wout van Aert, plowing through France at the head of breakaway of 20-racers, including frenemy Mathieu van der Poel, former World Champions Michal Kwiatkowski and Julian Alaphilippe and, delightfully, Neilsen Powless back in the hunt for the Polka Dot Jersey. The American won the race to the top of both the 5.7-km Côte de Capvern-les-Bains and the famed 12-km Col d’Aspin, putting him in the virtual lead of the Polka Dot by two-points over Austrian Felix Gall. A fine, gusty performance, especially given that Powless didn’t’ seem to be on a good day. You could see the suffering in his eyes, that he was using everything in his heart and soul to stay in the front.

Behind, the Bora-hasgrohe were putting up a brave defense of Jai Hindley’s Yellow Jersey, riding at the front as is the norm, keeping the pace high to discourage attacks and to keep the breakaway in check. Suddenly, with 4-km to the top of the Aspin, the Jumbo-Visma clicked into coordinated action. Van Aert went to the front of the break while behind the rest of the team took command of the field; in unison they all began to push the pace on the mountain. Van Aert was forcing because he needed get over the top of the upcoming Col du Tourmalet in front so that he’d be available to help Vingegaard in the valley between the famed climb and the final 16-km climb to the finish where, according to plan, Vingegaard would finish Pogačar off for good. Behind, at the front of the peloton, the Jumbo’s wanted to soften up the riders for the final blows. As it was, there were only three teammates around the Yellow Jersey by the summit.

Van Aert was crazy. Watching him is as close as we’ll ever get to seeing the physicality of an Eddy Merckx. Of course, times are different and comparisons difficult to make, but as my keen cycling observer friend Wade Hinderling puts it: “If the Tours of the 1960’s and 70’s were designed like todays, only the tiny climbers like Charly Gaul would have ever won.” The big Belgian basically put himself on the front of the break and rode a sort of time trial through the valley (where he gained time on the field) up and over the 17-km, 7.4% Tourmalet, with the rest of the break basically hanging on for dear life. Van Aert had his orders, and he was absolutely going implement them by being there in the final valley for his leader once Vingagaard came up from behind. What a professional.

The rest of his team took control on the Tourmalet, riding a team time trial to the top, eliminating riders off the back with stunning regularity. They are so strong those Jumbo-Visma boys, big too. Must be something to be a little climber and to have a Paris-Roubaix winner ride you off the back on a major mountain.

With 7-km to the top of the Tourmalet there were six Jumbo-Visma forcing on the front followed by Yellow Jersey Hindley who was down to only Buchmann, and four UAE including Pogačar. At 3.5-km to the summit, Van Barle pulled off and Wilco Kelderman turned on the speed and just Sepp Kuss, his shiv at the ready, Vingegaard, Pogačar and the Yellow Jersey could follow. Hindley cracked, Kuss went full gas and only the two favorites could stay with him. 1.4-km to the summit, Kuss pulls off, Vingegaard attacks just as the day before and…and…the great Pogačar, the Tour winning Slovenian Wunderkind, suddenly reemerges. In the saddle, power flowing out of his hips, he was easy on the wheel.

Up front, Powless had been, after a day of suffering, finally dropped before he could score points but would still end the day in Polka Dot.  Van Aert had 40” at top and was waiting for Vingegaard on the descent. Pogačar now had the Dane in a trap, Vingegaard with no choice but to pull the Slovenian along as a Yellow Jersey was awaiting. The duo made the juncture with Van Aert who simply put his head down and pulled with monster strength, down the mountain, through the valley, and up the first 10-km of the final climb until 4.6-km to go, when he finally pulled off, completely emptied, in one of the most selflessly powerful performances ever seen in the sport. Vingegaard rode, with Pogačar planted on the wheel and never once out of the saddle, up the final climb in a powerful tempo. 2.7-km to go, Pogačar, hips flailing like a Salsa dancer, explodes around the Dane in a such a stunning move that even the moto cameraman lost the plot and didn’t know where to shoot such was the excitement. It was pandemonium on the climb, the public went berserk as they realized what they were witnessing. Pogačar won with 0:24” over Vingegaard, in third was the revelation of the day, 23-year-old Norwegian Tobias Johannessen with gutsy Powless dragging himself in for 11th, a remarkably courageous ride.

Vingegaard is now in Yellow, Pogačar is sitting in a perfect second at 0:25” with Hindley in third overall, 1’34” down.

Gotta love Pogačar, especially given that victory bow. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it. He makes it all so exciting and is so very good for our sport. As for predictions, I’m going with Sepp Kuss in Bordeaux. Might as well given how crazy it’s all been.