Tour de France - Pogacar surprised by yellow jersey: "Feels good"
Tadej Pogacar was surprised to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France for the first time in almost two years.
Questioningly, the Slovenian cycling star looked at his rivals after the climbing show on the steep ramp to the San Luca shrine, until the complicated Tour de France regulations brought clarity. For the first breathtaking exchange between Pogacar and title defender Jonas Vingegaard remained without a winner on Italian terrain, but it promises a big fight at the 111th Tour de France.
"I'm glad to be back in yellow. It feels good, even though I don't have a lead yet. It's a confirmation that I'm in form," said Pogacar, who crossed the finish line on the next sweaty stage at a temperature of over 30 degrees after 199.2 kilometers with the favorite group and 2:21 minutes behind the French escapee winner Kevin Vauquelin. Before that, Pogacar had stormed up the last climb like a wild man, but his big rival Vingegaard couldn't be shaken off. Even Mitfavorite Remco Evenepoel closed the gap, so the three top stars are currently even.
Complicated Tour Regulations
But why does Pogacar wear yellow now? With identical finishing times, the better positioning decides. Pogacar benefits from his fourth place on Saturday, Evenepoel had finished eighth at the start. Things could change again on the sprint stage on Monday. Pogacar took over the overall lead from the French sprint winner Romain Bardet, who lost 21 seconds.
Pogacar and Vingegaard are in a league of their own, as the first duel showed. Both stars put aside any doubts about their fitness for the moment. At Pogacar, the Corona infection from two weeks ago apparently left no traces, and Vingegaard, who hasn't raced since his serious fall in the Basque Country at the beginning of April, seems to have come back in shape.
Vingegaard considered the outcome of the stage as a victory for himself: "I had actually expected to lose time today. Today was a small victory for me. I'm happy that I finished at the same time as him. It's nice that I can say that I'm back."
Pogacar in Attack Mode
It was the first small spectacle of the 111th Tour. On the 1.9 kilometer long and average 10.6% steep climb, which had to be crossed twice, Pogacar went into attack mode. Primoz Roglic from the German Red Bull Team could no longer keep up, as the Slovenian had good memories of this ascent with its impressive 666 pillars. In 2019, Roglic had won the prologue time trial here. Roglic is now 21 seconds behind.
Already on Saturday, Pogacar, who was the first road professional since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Double of Giro d'Italia and Tour, tested his legs a bit on the mountain and flat stage to Rimini. However, he missed the first bonus seconds in fourth place. The stage was not difficult enough to cause chaos, according to Pogacar's judgment. This was hardly agreeable for the suffering veteran Mark Cavendish, who had just managed to stay within the time limit with a 39-minute deficit after giving up earlier. He also finished far behind on Sunday.
Degenkolb with Tour preparation in the sauna
The riders had to contend with the heat again. The thermometer showed temperatures of over 30 degrees in some places, as it had the previous day. "I'm glad I did a lot of heat acclimation in the sauna. It was quite unpleasant, but it seems to have helped. I didn't feel that bad," said Classics specialist John Degenkolb, who could only rejoice over the double success of his two teammates Bardet and Frank van den Broek.
Otherwise, the German road professionals - almost predictably - hardly made an appearance at the demanding opening weekend. More than one stage win was hardly feasible for the eight starters. On Monday, over the supposed first sprint stage of 230.8 kilometers from Piacenza to Turin, it will be shown if Phil Bauhaus and Pascal Ackermann can hold their own against high-caliber competition like Sprint King Jasper Philipsen in mass sprints.
- Despite being in Italy, the Tour de France regulations prevented a clear winner between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, two prominent figures in the International UCI WorldTour cycling scene.
- Pogacar, the Slovenian cycling star, expressed his joy at wearing the yellow jersey in France, a sentiment shared by Romain Bardet who lost the lead and wore it last.
- In Bologna, during the climb up the steep ramp to the San Luca shrine, stars like Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic closed the gap on Pogacar and Vingegaard, creating a tight trio at the top.
- Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard showcased their strength in their first duel at the 111th Tour de France, setting the stage for a thrilling competition throughout the race.
- The complicated Tour de France regulations dictated that Pogacar's better positioning on Saturday, resulting from his fourth place, gave him the yellow jersey, but this could change on the upcoming sprint stage.
- Other notable cyclists, such as French escapee winner Kevin Vauquelin and the experienced Mark Cavendish, struggled with the demanding stages, including the stifling heat in Bologna.
- The Tour de France is an international show of strength, with teams from various countries including Italy, showcasing talent and endurance in the pursuit of glory, just like how Tadej Pogacar and his competitors are doing.
