We have just archived the 2023 Tour de France, which crowned the Danish Jonas Vingegaard for the second consecutive year. Team Jumbo star Visma impressed in the Big loop, going on to win the splendid duel with Tadej Pogacar. An ideal moment, therefore, to take stock of what we saw between Bilbao and Paris together with Wladimir Belliformer cyclist and now Eurosport technical commentator, guest at “Sport&Go2u” on the OA Sport Youtube channel.
It is impossible not to start from the success, the second consecutive in France, of Jonas Vingegaard.
“This year has had the confirmation of what was done 12 months ago. Life was easier in the 2023 edition, also because his number one rival, Tadej Pogacar, paid dearly for the injury suffered in Liège-Bastogne-Liège by not arriving at the Grande Boucle in the best conditions. The Dane showed that he has something more and showed it especially in the time trial”.
The time trial, which literally upset the 2023 Tour.
“Undoubtedly a superlative performance, especially for the gaps he gave everyone. She impressed me the way she dealt with it: decisive, mean, determined. He took the corners risking a lot and gave the feeling of having left nothing to chance. We all thought that he would have detached Pogacar by 20-30 seconds, but the margin represented a real ‘beat’ that the Slovenian paid for in the stage with the greatest altitude difference. What must the UAE rider do to get back to the top of the Tour? Nothing in particular, avoid trouble and trust in an extra year of experience and physical development”.
From certainties to the surprises of the Tour de France 2023.
“In my opinion the biggest surprise was Felix Gall. The Austrian won the queen stage of the Tour, finished in the top 10 and, in hindsight, together with his team they may have miscalculated to go and wear the polka dot jersey when they could have. A few had predicted it before the start, well done to him to deny everyone”.
A polka dot shirt which, luckily for us, went to Giulio Ciccone.
“A good result. He brought this shirt back to Italy as it hadn’t happened for many years, namely from Claudio Chiappucci. He also had a chance to win the stage. I have seen him determined, determined and I would say that he has scored a coup that can mark his career. Arriving on the Champs-Élysées stage is a huge satisfaction and I think he made him understand that he is not suited for ranking, but for aiming for partial goals ”.
Ciccone’s success is the only happy note in Italian cycling.
“It is useless to go around it, we are lacking. Not so much thinking about next year or the Vuelta which will start soon. Behind us, at least on paper, we don’t have anyone who can compete at high levels in the next 3-4 years. Maybe a phenomenon will come, but overall our movement is no longer a reference for this sport”.
At this point, what should we expect from Italy at the World Cup in Glasgow?
“I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of our technical commissioner to choose who to bring. He has the pulse of the situation, but we certainly don’t set out with the aim of making the race, as they say. We have to do something alternative and understand how many Azzurri will be able to reach the decisive moments with the best. Philip Ganna? I think we could try him. We have to make the most of the riders we have and he is one of our pillars, but these are not things that can be improvised”.
If the men’s sector is languishing, the women’s sector is continuing to give satisfaction.
“It has undoubtedly grown a lot, with several teams achieving excellent results and dragging along the younger ones who, it seems, learned quickly. Now we are reaping the fruits of those who believed in the movement”.
After the World Cup it will be the turn of the Vuelta a España, with a really interesting group of starters.
“I’m very curious to see how Vingegaard will go who will have to live with Primoz Roglic who obviously wants to aim for final success. The Dane, having won the Tour, will also be able to reason during the race and, if he understands that the efforts in France will be felt, he will be able to lend a hand to his companion. Remco Evenepoel will also be at the start, so other interesting youngsters. It will be a beautiful Vuelta”.
THE COMPLETE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH WLADIMIR BELLI
Photo: LaPresse
