Last year there was an invisible rope that connected the rear wheel of Tadej Pogacar’s bike and the front wheel of Jonas Vingegaard’s saddle. It was made of a material as innovative as it was ethereal due to its resistance. He never broke no matter how much the Slovenian attacked, tried and spilled, sometimes like crazy, with more impetus than conviction. Where one went, the other arrived instantly. Like his shadow. That fine indestructible thread that kept the UAE man at bay and ended up decanting the Tour has broken. It was fractured, it fell to pieces in 2023. It disintegrated in Cauterets for the first time and broke apart again at the Puy de Dôme.
The climb that Anquetil and Poulidor climbed side by side, shoulder to shoulder, the ascent in which Ocaña warned Merckx of what would come a few days later in Orciéres Merlette, the col where Thévenet announces to the Cannibal that he will not win the sixth, the ramps in which Arroyo and Delgado restored self-esteem to Spanish cycling and where Lemond made the hierarchy clear to Hinault, he has always had a point of mental mourning, as well as physical and agonizing. For this reason, Pogacar’s new demarcation, even if it was a handful of seconds that he obtained over the leader, who keeps the yellow jersey, indicates that the Slovenian is going further.
The sleeping volcano woke up. He came out of his lethargy at the Puy de Dôme after 35 years away and has started the clock on the 2023 Tour, because Pogacar already has Vingegaard within range, who suffered a setback again. There are already two in a row. The leader and defender of the title is not full and that is always fuel for the contender, the dethroned double champion, who cuts time in each high final.
The Dane from the Jumbo feared the climb and even went so far as to ask for advice from Johnny Weltz, compatriot and winner the last time the French round reached the Puy de Dôme, in 1988. The final part is a wall, be careful not to lose the reference, it will warned the former cyclist from Fagor and La Once. And Vingegaard’s worst omens came true when Pogacar attacked.
He quickly went after him but the Slovenian insisted and made a hole for himself. One meter. Then two. Now three. It’s already five. Vingegaard notices and throws away the water can to be lighter. But his head is heavy, the fear of him, he even looks back, looking for someone, maybe Kuss, but no one comes. Neither did Carlos Rodríguez, who was picking up his pace and closing in on Hindley and the podium.
The last 500 meters choked Vingegaard, as before Jorgenson, the American from Movistar, who was left with honey on his lips, after 47 km solo, and ended up ahead of Woods, the winner of the stage, but also through Latour and up to Mohoric. The leader suffers but squeezes. He only loses 8 seconds. But he winds up Pogacar, who every day grabs more morale. There are two weeks left and it will be very long for the Dane if he is not able to short his opponent as he did last year.
