- Vingegaard addresses skepticism: Cyclist acknowledges doubts about performances in response to increasing speeds
- Close race continues: Vingegaard maintains narrow lead over Pogacar after another stage in the Alps
- Dramatic incidents overshadow racing: Spectator interference and moto incidents cause concerns for crowd control
After another day of intense heat, multiple ascents, and increasing fatigue, Jonas Vingegaard maintained a narrow lead over Tadej Pogacar in the Tour de France and addressed the skepticism surrounding his dominant performances by stating that he “fully understood” it.
Following yet another stage in which he and Pogacar were inseparable through the Alps, the Dane was questioned about the increasing speeds on the Tour’s key climbs. He stated, “We must be skeptical because of what has occurred in the past.” “Otherwise it would just happen again.
“I thoroughly comprehend all the questions we receive about it; however, I am not taking anything. Sincerely, I am pleased that there is some skepticism surrounding it. Perhaps we are moving faster than we did back then. In addition, the cuisine, materials, and training are all distinct.”
The pair bluffed their way to the summit finish at Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, playing poker under the Alps’ tallest mountain.
The Slovenian’s final-kilometer attempt to Vingegaard’s small lead was comfortably rejected. Tuesday’s 22.4-kilometer time trial will be their next contest, with a 10-second gap still separating them.
Wout Poels of the Netherlands won this 15th stage of the Tour, which began in Les Gets, after passing his namesake Wout van Aert of Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team 11 kilometers from the finish on the steep climb of the Cote des Amerands.
The two Wouts were part of a three-man breakaway that included Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates teammate Marc Soler and reached Domancy, at the base of the final ascent, with a seven-and-a-half-minute advantage over the main peloton.
Poels, who made his name with Team Sky as Chris Froome’s support rider, described his first Tour stage victory as “amazing” and added, “I relished my time with Sky. I was on the winning team four times. It was an incredible experience, but I was never able to compete for a stage victory. Finally, today is an excellent day to do it.”
As Poels won the second stage for his Bahrain Victorious team, the true drama was expected to unfold further down the mountain as Adam Yates paced the team leader Pogacar up the final climb, with Vingegaard glued to his rival’s rear wheel in anticipation of the inevitable explosion of power.
But it never materialized, and the duo finished the race together.
“Jonas was incredibly strong, and I knew I couldn’t drop him,” Pogacar said after the stage, before calling the ascent to Mont Blanc’s steep lower slopes “too easy.”
But the Slovenian, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021, remains optimistic, stating that he and his team enter the Tour’s final week with “huge, huge confidence” and adding, “I know the time trial fairly well. I pray that it fits me well. “After this, the team will have two stages to go at full speed.”
A series of incidents caused by overexcited spectators and in-race “motos” dominated the conversation surrounding the weekend’s racing. At the summit of the Col de Joux Plane on Saturday, two media motorbikes, surrounded by boisterous crowds, obstructed a potentially revealing assault from Pogacar.
On Sunday, a spectator tripped one of the cyclists, resulting in another massive pileup at the beginning of the stage. “There was a narrowing in a town,” Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard’s colleague, said. “A spectator was in the road and clipped my handlebar. This has been such a difficult race. Everyone is somewhat fatigued and somewhat less attentive. There are always circumstances that are somewhat beyond your control. In addition to nervous moments, there are sometimes accidents due to fatigue.”
Krists Neilands of Israel-Premier Tech crashed out of the lead group after attempting to imbibe from a racing motorcycle during a rapid descent.
The instances sparked outrage and hand-wringing, but crowd control, especially during the Tour, is needed to prevent repeat disasters.
Monday’s day off will allow Vingegaard and Pogacar to conduct an inventory. The Tuesday time trial from Passy to Combloux, barring major mishaps, is neither lengthy nor difficult enough to make a significant difference in the gap between them, although a few seconds are likely to separate them.
If they remain united, the next summit finish will take place on Wednesday at Courchevel Altiport, following the grueling ascent of the 2,304-meter Col de la Loze. Pogacar believes that this juncture could be “extremely decisive.” Even so, it may not be sufficient to separate two cyclists who continue to dominate their peers.
