AAA looking for challenger. So the slogan could have been launched a week ago for the Dauphiné Tourlooking for valid challengers for the immense Tadej Pogačar seen at the Giro d’Italia.
Off to the Dauphiné, then, which takes its name from an ancient French region, so called from the title of its Lord, or “Dolphin”, a title which would later become that of the heir to the throne of France. So… what better opportunity to look for the heir to the throne of Tour de France? A throne that has seen as its ruler, in the last two seasons, the Prince of Denmark, not Hamlet but Jonas Vingegaardready to take back the crown, yes, but with all the unknowns due to the bad accident suffered in the Basque Country.
And then, that Tadej…
How are Tadej’s opponents doing on the Tour?
And then off to the suitors, in the lead Roglic and Evenepoel, also returning from the fall in the same accident that had involved Vingegaaard, therefore certainly looking for the best form; immediately behind Carlos Rodriguez and Tao Geoghegan Hart. Observing are the “followers” Vlasov and Hindley (for Roglic) and Ayuso, who will be Pogačar’s at the Tour. And Visma? There are Jorgenson and Kusstwo characters in search of an author, sorry, a captain, also waiting to understand if Vingegaard will be there (but perhaps they know this) and if he will be there, in what form.
The last stage, perhaps, gave us more indications than all the others put together, which in any case already told us something, with a view to the general classification and the next Tour.
Roglic: it’s always the same mastiff, if he plays Roglic he’s difficult to beat; when he gets behind him (the stratospheric Vlasov) and sets off in the last 300 metres, the bells ring. But if for once he doesn’t have the team around him and is attacked, as happened in the last stage… for whom does the bell toll? Maybe she can do it for him too.
Evenepoel: in the time trial it’s monstrous, otherwise it still appears a bit (quite a bit) like the fox and the grapes. The fall in the Basque Country and the encore in the mega fall of Thursday’s stage certainly had an impact, but he still breaks away from too many riders uphill and suffers from changes in pace. Also different from himself just over a year ago, when he was on fire at Catalunya, attacking everywhere. Maybe one day great time trial tours of 60-70 km will return… they did it for Hinault, they did it for Indurain… who knows.
Roglic, Evenepoel but not only
The main contenders were (and perhaps still are) them; but this Dauphiné has once again given us a Matthew Jorgenson really strong. In this last stage she risked breaking the bank, who knows, maybe if he had believed it before… it would have been enough to lose a few seconds less, in fact. In any case he will be an excellent support for Vingegaard at the Tour (will he be there? If so, in what form?).
The surprise is called Derek Gee and it’s a pleasant surprise; a solid Carlos Rodríguez takes away the satisfaction of a stage victory, Pedersen is the usual tractor and it is a pleasure to see him grind out kilometers and win stages that are congenial to him; while Geoghegan Hart… well, luck doesn’t follow him and at this point, the colorful Lidl flag will probably be held by a discreet Ciccone. Decent but still not enough.
And the show? Assuming what kind of show there is, the feeling is that he did it more there fifth stage megafall of all the rest of a race (excluding the last 6 km of the final stage) style of the last decade. Everyone lined up behind the leader’s team and then everyone looked at the number on his back as he raised his arms at the finish line. To think that there were those who were bored seeing the attacks of the pink jersey at the Giro. But then again, de gustibus… etc. etc.
AAA looking for challenger, it is not known whether the announcement had any effects, but now it is repeated and moves a little further east, to Switzerland. New suitors (are there?) new challenges, new races; we are all waiting for the end of the month, when we will begin to have some answers to the many questions.
