Tour de France: Vingegaard destroys Pogacar in an alpine stage for history

In a Jumbo strategy success, the Slovenian gives up on the Granon after having gone out to all the previous attacks on the Galibier. The Dane is the new leader. Enric Mas lost more than 8 minutes

On the alpine slopes, where the most beautiful cycling stories were written, the Tour experienced a day that will be hard to forget. A Wednesday in which the script of the impossible was fulfilled, in which the king Pogacar was torn apart like never before. From smiling to fainting at the Granon, while the prince Vingegaard he cried, trying to assimilate the feat he had just starred in. [Narracin y clasificaciones]

Awaiting the Dane, who couldn’t even raise his arms, the yellow jersey, award for one of the most perfect choral performances in memory, for the generosity of Primoz Roglici, a champion with capital letters. That seemed to be shipwrecked when Tadej Pogacar responded with sufficiency to each one of the claws of the Jumbo Visma, light years from the finish line, first in the Telegraph and later in the Galibier. But the Slovenian, sins of youth, was anticipating his defeat in those boasts, in that hot head.

Acab destroyed in the Granon, that bare and demonic summit at almost 2,500 meters of altitude, 2:52 from the winner Vingegaard. behind even Nairo, Bardet, Geraint Thomas, Gaudu y YatesGuys he’d managed to pick off the hook before with ease. With the open yellow jersey and the disgruntled gesture. Minutes before, he winked at the camera, but faces do not win, it is strength, energy wasted by the fatality of having lost half a team to covid.

The Grande Boucle exploded into the air, as if dynamite had been injected into the suffering legs of the cyclists. No conformisms, it doesn’t matter if tomorrow’s queen stage still lies ahead, with a finish in Alpe D’Huez, if the Pyrenees await next week. Engaged in writing history based on courage. The Jumbo tried it in every way and from very early on. With a shiny escapade in which he already infiltrated Van Aert and after passing the beautiful Montvernier, it was at the Telegraphe where he moved his chips, in a melee worthy of the art of war. It was necessary to check if the Slovenian god of cycling had any edge, if the virus that has left him with a diminished team had also made a dent in his spirits or even in his strength. And there Roglic and Vingegaard went, like two titans.

It was just the aperitif, after the brief descent towards the Galibier, the fireworks. A well thought out tactic. Roglic and VIngegaard tried to drop the leader on terrain that was not yet so hard, so that the wear would be greater and it would not allow Pogacar to set a pace that would make them give up. Like kamikazes in the Alps, lashes that, however, had an exact response from Tadej. That was precisely the beginning of his end.

In a marvelous display, the Slovenian came out at every acceleration. Without even a moment’s hesitation. Convinced of his strength. On the day that started from the Olympic city of Albertville, Pogacar had to solve each one of the challenges that the race posed. Like an alpine escape room. Make decisions with the heart at a thousand an hour and without companions to the rescue.

Without Enric Mas

Once all the ambushes have been neutralized and a larger group has been assembled, with up to five ‘jumbos’ -with their mate Marc Soler and an Enric Mas that he never looked fine and ended up losing eight minutes and all his options -, he accelerated towards the top of the Galibier and only Vingegaard could follow his wheel. Neither Roglic anymore, nor Geraint Thomas.

But where was Pogi going? The favorites met again, but all the previous ones had only been epic preludes, battles that write the mystique of these summits. The Col du Granon remained, fearsome, almost 10 kilometers without a truce, wherever Edward Chozas he had capitalized his name on another display of daring. And that scenario is now forever, like the first day someone defeated Pogacar.

It was strange when he didn’t even make a move to go out for Bardetnow supported by Mother. But everything was blown up with the attack with 4.6 kilometers to go from Vingegaard, who looked back and did not believe it: Pogacar was giving way. A full-fledged explosion, although make no mistake. The Tour, which visits Alpe D’Huez on Thursday (with the Galibier and Croix de Fer before it), is more alive than ever. Tadej is third at 2:22.