Vingegaard parries Pogacar attack in first Tour spectacle
At the climb to San Luca, the first power test of the Rad-Superstars takes place - no winner. The Yellow Jersey goes to Tadej Pogacar despite the spectacular duel with Jonas Vingegaard. Kevin Vauquelin, a French rider, wins the stage.
With unbridled fury, Tadej Pogacar stormed up the steep ramp to the San Luca Wallfahrtskirche, but his formidable rival Jonas Vingegaard refused to be shaken off. The first breathtaking exchange between the two cycling stars remained without a victor on Italian soil, leaving hope for a great battle at the 111th Tour de France. The Yellow Jersey is currently worn by Pogacar, who replaced Romain Bardet, the French auxiliary champion, at the front of the General Classification after the sweaty 199.2-kilometer stage in Bologna.
However, the day's victory went to the Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin, who demonstrated the greatest endurance from the larger breakaway group and already granted the Grande Nation its second second-place finish on the second day.
Pogacar and Vingegaard are in a league of their own, as the first climbing show demonstrated. Both stars put aside any doubts about their fitness. Pogacar's coronavirus infection from two weeks ago apparently left no trace, and Vingegaard, who hasn't raced since his severe crash in the Basque Country at the beginning of April, seems to have come back in shape.
Pogacar in Attack Mode
The first small spectacle of the 111th Tour took place on the 1.9-kilometer-long and average 10.6% steep climb, which had to be crossed twice. Pogacar went into attack mode on this climb. Primoz Roglic from the German Red Bull Team could no longer keep up with the favorite Remco Evenepoel. Roglic actually had good memories of this ascent to the shrine of the Madonna with its impressive 666 pillars. In 2019, Roglic had won the opening time trial at the Giro.
Evenepoel managed to catch up on the descent, finishing second overall. Vingegaard is in third place. All three stars are time-equal. Roglic is 21 seconds behind.
Already on Saturday, Pogacar, who was the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Double of Giro d'Italia and Tour, tested his legs on the mountain and valley course to Rimini. "I tested my legs a bit on Saturday," he said. "But the stage wasn't hard enough to cause chaos," Pogacar added. Mark Cavendish, the suffering veteran, could hardly agree. With a 39-minute deficit, the ex-World Champion just made it to the finish line during his grace period, having given up earlier. He also came in with a significant deficit on Sunday.
Degenkolb with Tour Preparation in the Sauna
The heat once again posed a challenge for the riders. The thermometer showed temperatures of over 30 degrees in some places. "I'm glad I did a lot of heat acclimation in the sauna," said Classics specialist John Degenkolb, who could rejoice over the double victory of his teammates Bardet and Frank van den Broek.
Besides, German cycling professionals barely made an appearance - almost predictably - during the heavy opening weekend. Only one stage win was hardly enough for the eight riders. On Monday, at the supposed sprint stage over 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.
As for Mark Cavendish, it remains doubtful if he will play a role. The man from the Isle of Man, who could become the sole record-holder of stage wins with another success, had suffered greatly in the Italian heat. Cavendish admitted to seeing stars, but he currently leads the rankings with 34 stage wins, alongside Eddy Merckx.
In the upcoming stages of the Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard is expected to challenge Tadej Pogacar's dominance, as both cyclists showed remarkable form during the climb to San Luca. Despite Pogacar's victory in the Power test and the General Classification, it was Vingegaard who put up a fierce fight, leaving many hopeful for an exciting duel between the two cycling stars.
Amidst the fierce competition, Kevin Vauquelin, a French rider, managed to secure the day's victory by demonstrating outstanding endurance, marking the second time France claimed a top-two finish in the early stages of the 111th Tour de France.
