A picture that is only partially reassuring, that of Jonas. If he were a land registry employee, he would be fine. It is different, however, for a champion who aspires to conquer the yellow jersey and who already from the first stage must be very careful. As if that were not enough, Vingegaard’s team, Visma, has also lost an important piece in Sepp Kuss, struck by a violent form of Covid.
Pogacar: I beat the virus too
Speaking of Covid, Tadej Pogacar also had to deal with the virus evidently still active in the group. «Yes, I had it about ten days ago», admits the Slovenian while taking selfies among the Florentine Renaissance pearls. «But now I’m fine and my preparation, the tests say, hasn’t been affected. I only took a few days off returning to Slovenia due to the death of my grandfather. Now I’m very ready, this is a beautiful start but also a very hard one. We won’t have to wait long to have significant gaps, maybe we’ll see them already in the fourth stage with the Galibier…”.
Despite Covid, apparently taken in a mild form, the balance of predictions still weighs in favor of Pogacar, also loaded with the aim of achieving the Giro and Tour double never achieved since that of Pantani in 1998. Giving him strength is It is also the support of a squadron like the UAE, all at its service with front row figures such as Adam Yates, Almeida and Ayuso.
On paper, therefore, the duel seems already decided. After having won the Giro by a landslide (6 stages won, 20 days in the pink jersey), Pogacar remained at altitude for three weeks in France. And even if he was stopped for a couple of days by the virus, the impression is that the Slovenian can’t wait to erase the last two defeats suffered by the Dane. Coming in second is not dishonorable, but it is not like Tadej who, despite appearing to be all smiles and kisses, shows no mercy to anyone when he decides to go on the attack.
The aim of the Giro and Tour double
The legends of the past, like Merckx and Hinault, like all the young people born at the turn of the century, matter little to Pogacar. What matters most to him is always leaving his mark. And winning the Tour after winning the Giro, in this cycling so different from that of Pantani, is an achievement that excites him. Then, without setting limits, who knows, everything is possible: the World Championship, the Vuelta, the classics that he is missing like Sanremo and Roubaix. Goals that seem like science fiction, but not impossible for an extraterrestrial like the Slovenian. Who, let’s remember, is only 25 years old, having been born in Komenda in Slovenia on September 21, 1998.
