Without emotion - yet the French love emotional outbursts à la Julian Alaphilippe. In the decisive mountain time trial, they got the complete opposite. The former ski jumper Roglic became human, his system crash after 3324 kilometres caused great pity and consternation.
"Pain and desolation. The wound will be difficult to close," wrote the French Tour organisation "L'Equipe" after Roglic had given away what he thought was a certain overall victory. "I will cry, maybe I already have," said the 30-year-old and revealed a little of his inner life: "I can't change the person I am. But I have a lot of emotions inside me."
He had dominated the entire tour with his team Jumbo-Visma. What could go wrong when he was clearly favoured as an extremely strong time trialist? He wanted to win the Tour within five years, and it seemed to work until the final climb. "At the moment I can't think clearly, I don't have a clear plan for the future. It's as if my head is empty," said Roglic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:200920-99-635273/2
