Cycling

Vingegaard takes yellow after Pogacar cracks in the Alps

Danish rider hoping to go one better than last year and seal title in Paris on July 24th

Jonas Vingegaard on his way to winning stage 11, a 151,7km trip between Albertville and Col du Granon Serre Chevalier in the French Alps. Photograph: Anne-Christine/Getty Images
Jonas Vingegaard on his way to winning stage 11, a 151,7km trip between Albertville and Col du Granon Serre Chevalier in the French Alps. Photograph: Anne-Christine/Getty Images
Jeremy Whittle
Wed Jul 13 2022 - 19:18

Jonas Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team will not need reminding that the last time they had the yellow jersey of Tour de France leadership, Tadej Pogacar exacted the most terrible revenge, ruthlessly usurping fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic on the penultimate day of the 2020 Tour, to take his first win in Paris.

But on the terrible slopes of the Col du Granon, it was the Dutch team’s turn to inflict pain. Dramatically put to the sword by Vingegaard on the remote climb, last seen in the 1986 Tour, it was Pogacar who suffered most on the 11th stage of this year’s race as his control of the overall standings collapsed.

The double champion’s 2022 Tour de France campaign exploded in the Haute Alpes after a series of attacks from Vingegaard lost him both the coveted maillot jaune and, perhaps more damagingly, his aura of invincibility.

“I was a bit surprised that the time gaps were this big,” said Vingegaard after winning the stage. “On the other hand, it was also a super-hot stage. We attacked on the Telegraphe and again on the Galibier, so we really had a plan to make the race hard today. I think the harder it is, the bigger the gaps will be at the end, and I think that was in my advantage.”

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But the 25-year-old Dane admitted that when he attacked he didn’t know Pogacar was struggling. “No, but I took the chance. I didn’t know if he was suffering, but they told me on the radio that it was steeper at five kilometres to go and I was thinking: ‘Either they make it hard, or I try to attack.’ So that’s what I did.”

His team’s plan to attack from distance and to use Roglic to destabilise Pogacar and his Covid-depleted UAE Team Emirates was on this occasion successful. “That shows how big a rider Primoz is, that he’s really in for this plan and has fought for it,” said Vingegaard. “He really went deep so we could challenge Tadej. It shows the mentality of the team.”

Pogacar, unable to respond, could only watch as his Danish rival opened up a gap that grew bigger with every second. After defeat, in what was one of the modern Tour’s most memorable stages, the 23-year-old remained bullish. “It’s not over yet,” said Pogacar. “Today I lost three minutes, maybe tomorrow I gain three minutes. I’ll keep fighting until the end.”

There are, of course, plenty of kilometres to race until the peloton arrives in Paris on July 24th. On Thursday the peloton tackles the classic Alpine trawl of the Galibier, the Croix de Fer and Alpe d’Huez, perfect terrain for a Pogacar ambush if the Slovenian can rediscover his climbing legs.

But for Vingegaard it was vindication of the attacking riding that has characterised his Tour de France career so far. Second overall to Pogacar in 2021, he has enjoyed the full support of co-leader Roglic in his attempt to dethrone the all-conquering Pogacar this July.

Battled the gradient

An isolated Pogacar, who had been smiling confidently for TV motorbike cameras at the foot of the 11km final climb, ceded almost three minutes to Vingegaard by the summit of the mighty Granon. In cycling parlance, Pogacar was stuck to the road, no longer dominant and his rivals had seized the day.

One by one they rode past him, isolating him further as he battled the gradient and his unexpected weakness. Vingegaard now leads the race by 2min 16sec from French climber Romain Bardet of DSM. The 2018 Tour champion, Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas, who is riding a canny and tactically astute race, is now fourth, just four seconds behind Pogacar.

It was a climb so hard that Vingegaard did his recce by car, rather than by bike and where the predicted narrative of the Tour, that Pogacar was a level above his rivals and assured of victory, was blown apart. “It was nice to be second in Paris last year,” said Vingegaard. “But I think probably if I didn’t try anything, I would be second in Paris again.”

The defending champion is now stuck in no man’s land, with Jumbo-Visma ahead of him and Ineos Grenadiers breathing down his neck. But with stages in the Massif Central, Pyrenees and a final time trial still to come, Pogacar will not be underestimated by his rivals for a moment.

— Guardian