In the United States, a Tour manager is watching the race to Paris with trembling knees. Leader Niels Vanpachtenbeke cannot see much of the race itself due to the time difference on his work-related trip, but his team does get all the attention. “I dream of victory, but everything is so close together.”
“Exciting, hey!”, are the first words of Niels Vanpachtenbeke about the final week of the Tour and the cycling manager.
“The first week went fairly smoothly, because I had few important choices to make. Switching between classification men and sprinters was easy, but now that those transfers are coming …”
The leader in the Tour manager thinks long and hard about the choices and risks he takes. Fortunately for him, he scored a lot of points in the opening week, which means he can live on a solid foundation.
“That was mostly because of Adam Yates,” he says. “I don’t think many people expected him. Jai Hindley was also a good move as a stage winner and yellow jersey wearer, just like surprise Michael Woods.”
(continue reading under Niels’ team)
Risky Van Aert tactics
With the final week approaching, it was high time for transfers. Niels took a – as always calculated – risk.
“I had to do some puzzles with the budget, but Wout van Aert’s exit gave me extra breathing space,” he says. “A few days ago I took him out of my team for Carlos Rodríguez.”
Although that seemed to end in a miscalculation. “A good move, I thought at first. Until Wout also finished second on Mont Blanc. Surprising, because Vingegaard’s yellow jersey was under fire, so I thought he should mainly be servants.”
Michael Woods was also thrown out of his team for better time trialist Pello Bilbao.
“In recent days he still showed the desire to join the breakaway, but the points did not follow. I therefore no longer believe in his potential as a great points grab.”
Whoever still has a chance of a place in the top 5 will be the biggest glutton.
Niels, unfortunately tour manager
Whether these are the right moves will become apparent after the sprint on the Champs Elysées.
Although Niels is still holding back a bit. “I look at the general classification with suspicion,” he says. “Anyone who still has a chance of a place in the top 5 will be the biggest glutton. I will save my last transfer for that.”
He also doesn’t take too many risks anymore. “I always play it safe with my leader choices. Because I want to do everything I can to ensure a place in the top 10. I dream of victory, but everything is so close together.”
What he is already sure of: the overall victory in the mini competition with his friends. “They support me, but were disappointed that the battle was over so quickly,” laughs the leader.
Will he cross the line in Paris?
Transfers IN
Pello Bilbao Carlos Rodriguez
Transfers OUT
Wout van Aert Michael Woods
2023-07-19 05:20:00
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