After the Pyrenees, one thing is clear: the 110th Tour de France will be a thrilling duel between defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. The arguments in favour of overall victory are very different for the duo.
That speaks in favour of Jonas Vingegaard
The engine: Vingegaard's great strength is long climbs. He also proved this at the Col du Tourmalet in this Tour de France, when Pogacar had to fight to the limit to stay on his wheel. In the Alps, the Col de la Loze is another extremely long climb on which he could gain several minutes on Pogacar, as he did last year.
The team: The Jumbo-Visma team is significantly stronger than the UAE team from Pogacar. This was already evident in the Pyrenees. Sepp Kuss would be the captain in almost any other team, Wout van Aert is the Swiss army knife among the pros and can make decisions on the flat as well as in the mountains.
The route: It is the most difficult tour for more than a decade. More than 55,000 metres in altitude have to be conquered, the Pyrenees were just a foretaste. The route should suit the lightweight Vingegaard more than Pogacar. "The first few days were already really tough. It's going to be a very exciting tour this year," said the 26-year-old.
That speaks in favour of Tadej Pogacar
The form curve: Due to his scaphoid fracture, Pogacar came to the Tour with a training deficit and without race hardness. His plan from the start was to improve during the tour. That is apparently working. "My form is getting better every day. It will be a fight to the finish," said the 24-year-old.
The will: "I was never dead," emphasised Pogacar after his stage win. Due to his weakness the day before, many had already written him off. But 24 hours later, the Slovenian proved that he is a true champion, pushed himself to the limit and struck back.
The instinct: Pogacar is a racing driver. With his explosiveness, he sprints for every second, no matter how hopeless it may seem. He does not allow himself to be slowed down by tactical constraints, preferring to anticipate racing situations. "That's cycling. You can have plan A, B and C and in the end everything turns out differently," said Pogacar.
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