A brutal detente, an agonizing stalemate, a debilitating draw? That’s what it felt like.
What did we just see today on the Grand Colombier climb in the GC battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar? The Slovenian called the day a success but really, at what cost?
Yes, in the final 600 meters Pogacar unleashed a searing attack that Vingegaard just barely kept under control. Yet for all that furious effort, the Slovenian gained four seconds plus another four seconds in bonus time.
Is that count as a psychological blow, not matter how small? Pogacar has pulled back small chunks of time on three stages but should Jumbo-Visma be worried? It’s a two man race to Paris and every second counts but today felt like sound and fury signifying not overly much. The stage had loads of tension but in the end, eight seconds. As my wife’s mom liked to say, “big whup.”
UAE did a shit ton of work, excuse my Tour de France French. They hammered the climb from bottom to top. Marc Soler turned himself inside out then Felix Großschartner emptied his tank before Rafal Majka took over. UAE didn’t even use Adam Yates until the final kilometer.
Meanwhile for Jumbo support it was American Sepp Kuss and nobody. The waiting game seemed to go on forever before Pogacar finally decided to go for a kill shot.
So, is this a great trade? Burn your whole team for eight seconds? It sure was according to Pogacar. “In the end, it was a successful day for us. We took a couple of seconds back. It was a good day for us,” he said. “Even if it was not a victory, it was a victory in the battle for yellow a little bit, so yeah, we can take for sure big confidence from today.”
We think Pogacar is feeding the media his usual positive vibes but Grand Colombier was no grand success. Pogacar is just keeping his guys pumped up after wearing them out. Feels like Jumbo will come back strong after UAE went full gas and burned the entire pack of matches.
From here in California, it does appear Vingegaard might be a tad stressed by the pressure to win a second Tour. Unlike Pogacar the Entertainer, the shy Dane isn’t a natural in front of the camera or relaxed in front of a microphone. He doesn’t feed off the energy of the crowd like Pogacar.
That said, has his confidence dropped, is he becoming concerned, is he wasting energy thinking about a rival who seems so chill and in command? Maybe so. But Jonas knows full well who he’s up against and he’s made no secret that he firmly believes the third week is where he stomps Pogacar.
“I’m not frustrated or disappointed at all,” said Vingegaard after the stage. “We would have liked the breakaway to go to the finish and that’s what happened, so I think for us, it was a very good day. This stage doesn’t suit me at all, so to be honest, I’m quite happy that I kept (the time loss) within that.
A chapeau to Tadej Pogacar for stealing back eight seconds. But it’s a small chapeau.
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