History is written by the winners. In wars, in life and even in love. The Tour is no exception. The list of winners is what counts, what is consulted, what is written. The gold album of this 2022 will talk about Lampaert, Jakobsen and Groenewegen, who took the third Danish stage, almost three years after his last victory in the French round. However, there are times when the second enhances the triumph, which raises the category, which gives even more brilliance if possible. If the first of those who do not win is called Wout van Aert, the victory has been of many carats. And the Belgian has been hitting the post for three consecutive days.
The face of the Jumbo cyclist when Lampaert lowered his time on Friday in the Copenhagen time trial has become a meme. Mix of surprise, regret, disappointment and frustration. He narrowly escaped her. It will be another time, Van Aert thought. I’ll get rid of that unpleasantness right away, he promised himself. But neither in Nyborg on Saturday nor in Sonderborg on Sunday was the thorn removed. Perhaps on Tuesday, already in France, in Calais or on Wednesday, on the pavé stage, in Arenberg. In both, the leader, a superclass like him, can win… or he can be second.
Van Aert has three disappointments in three stages. The same thing happened to Alfredo Binda, in 1930, almost a century ago. But the modern Hercules can console himself with his two yellow jerseys (he had never worn them) and the two little lions that his 18-month-old little Georges has already obtained for him. In addition, he has a 17-point advantage in the classification of the green jersey, his real objective in the Tour, in addition to helping Roglic and Vingegaard.
It rains on wet because, despite his five wins in this 2022, he went viral in June when he celebrated victory before the hour at the Dauphiné and Gaudu slipped under his right arm to beat him in the last kidney blow.
With 7 partial victories and six second places, Van Aert is still far from Sean Kelly and Peter Sagan, who share the honor of the most second places in the Tour finishes. Twenty-two times they saw, each one, how someone surpassed them and deprived them of glory. Does that mean they are second rate? No way. The Irishman won five stages in the Grande Boucle (plus another 16 in the Vuelta and the 1988 general). The Slovakian has raised his arms in 12 goals and has won the regularity jersey seven times.
Not to mention Poulidor, the grandfather of Mathieu van der Poel, who won seven stages, stood eight times on the podium in Paris but never won the race or even wore yellow. His grandson, last year, in his first Tour, achieved it.
-You are the one who lost a Tour – Laurent Fignon was blurted out one day on the street, point-blank, reminding him of the cruel end of 1989, when Lemond beat him by 8 seconds on the last day.
– Is not wrong. I’m the one who won two Tours – answered the Frenchman, praising his successes in 1983 and 1984.
Van Aert, a multipurpose Swiss army knife capable of winning a sprint, winning a time trial and winning a stage with two climbs to Mont Ventoux in the same Tour, has not said his last word.
Yes, Magnus Cort Nielsen raised his arms. And he did it for the second day in a row even though he didn’t win the stage either. The Dane from Education First has been the great entertainer of the two stages in line in Denmark, to the delight of the local fans. He has escaped two days in a row and has been at the head of the six mountain passes (all fourth category) that have been climbed, so far. In Genner Strand, with 58 km to go, Cort sprinted despite the fact that he was going alone and celebrated when crossing the banner of the mountain. His compatriots thanked him. For them he was the hero.
History, on the other hand, will say that Dylan Groenewegen, of the BikeExchange, won a day after Fabio Jakobsen did. The lives of Jakobsen and Groenewegen, both Dutch, sprinters and rivals, were forever linked in Katowice (Poland) on August 5, 2020. Then, in a dangerous mass arrival downhill, the second sent the first into the fences in an ugly maneuver to protect the win. The fall was very hard for Jakobsen. Groenewegen, who had already won four stages in the Tour, was disowned, banned for nine months. In Denmark, he finally stuck his head out. He put his hands to his head, incredulous, excited. At 29, he has been rehabilitated.
