PROFESSIONALS | 06/27/2024 | 08:20
by Francesca Monzone
The Tour de France will start on Saturday with a Florence ready to wear the most beautiful dress to kick off the Grande Boucle e Rimini will have the task of delivering the first yellow jersey of the race. It will immediately be a battle and the forecasts see Remco Evenepoel as super favorite for the victory, together with other Classics specialists. From day one, UAE Emirates will do everything they can to stay in front, trying to control the moves of Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike as much as possible, but there will be other riders who could escape their control.
The stage from Florence to Rimini, with its 206 kilometers and 3800 meters of altitude difference, is considered as a small Liège-Bastogne-Liège and for this reason, the world champion Evenepoel, who has already won the Doyenne, could have a good chance of wearing the first yellow jersey of the race.
«I don’t feel like I’m more favored than others – said Evenepoel yesterday -. The last thirty kilometers are slightly downhill or flat. The only way to win is to attack from afar and go alone to the finish line but in this Tour, in which I am starting with ranking ambitions, it would not be an intelligent choice. If I can win without spending too much energy I won’t say anything, but if not I won’t even try. I don’t intend to travel thirty kilometers at full throttle on the first day.”
For Evenepoel there are many favorites and among them puts Pedersen, but also Van der Poel and Van Aertwho like him are specialists in one-day races.
«I saw Mads Pedersen at the Dauphiné and it was really good. Obviously UAE Emirates will put pressure on everyone, but if Mads can handle it, for me it will be the first favorite. Let’s keep in mind also names like Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, good at this kind of path.”
As for Pogacar and his UAE, all the teams think they will attack right away, trying to control the race so as not to give Jonas Vingegaard time to improve his physical condition after his crash in the Basque Country. This is also the strategy Evenepoel expects to see. «I think UAE wants to make up for last year, just like Jumbo-Visma did with Pogacar when he crashed in Liège. Now they will seek their revenge. After two years without a win at the Tour, they want to show that they are the Real Madrid or Manchester City of cycling. But I think Vingegaard will not give in too easily».
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