A first week that did not disappoint expectations.
– Van Aert. The Belgian, about to become a father for the second time, has repeatedly stated that he would ride this Tour de France differently than last year as he unveiled himself to the world as one of the most well-rounded riders in the peloton. Words that were immediately denied by this first week of racing, in which the Belgian he fought again on every terrain and he slammed into both helping the team and seeking personal success. Four times top 10 and a crucial escape for second place by Vingegaard in the sixth stage testify to the uniqueness of Van Aert and the role that Jumbo Visma has entrusted him with for this Tour. The only real obstacle between victory and the Belgian seems to be the will to the latter to abandon the race to attend the birth of his son;
– I Basque country. The first three days of the Tour have been circled by many as the three most beautiful – choreographically – speaking of the entire race. The Basques are, among other things, also obsessed with cycling and the welcome given to the runners has shown that in few places in Europe there is a passion as visceral as in and around Bilbao. There were many moments of celebration: the choir for Landa at the first stage, the very numerous family of Aranburu – more than one hundred uncles and nephews – who witnessed his passage by the roadside, the mural dedicated to Pello Bilbao in Guernica. But the cycling level was also very high in the first stages, so much so that the first yellow jersey went to Yates of the UAE. In short, more visibility would be needed for an area which, in addition to being beautiful, promotes and encourages the bicycle in all its forms;
– The volcano. I didn’t know the Puy de Dome if not for the hype put on me in the days leading up to the climb. The Tour de France hasn’t climbed up here since 1988 and this has helped to increase the aura of an indomitable monster, with impossible slopes. Impossible for everyone except for Woodswhich when going into double digits of slope, puts several in a row, but also for Jorgeson who courageously demonstrated why he is one of the most sought after in the cycle market. Returning to the climb, the fact of tackling the last stretch without an audience but with only the cogwheel train company created an even more suitable setting for epic undertakings;
– Van der Poel. Simply the best last man on this Tour. Author of Philipsen’s three victories, VDP is the showman of this Tour, always ready to joke, to enliven the race and to make his captain win. Without him the flat stages would be extremely boring and monotonous. The beautiful moment of memory of grandfather Poulidor but also the celebrations after the three Alpecin victories showed us an unprecedented and increasingly charged VDP also to win personally, obviously with Van Aert’s permission;
– Pogacar vs Vingegaard. The duel with a capital D that characterizes these last two Tours. If one is shy and silent – Vingegaard – the other is constantly on the lookout for the cameras. The two also transpose these opposite ways of being into a race. Pogacar always ready to attack, aware of having a clearly inferior team, Vingegaard more conservative but capable of deadly shots. The Dane is perhaps a better climber than Pogacar but the latter seems to have found a way to undermine his rival’s certainties uphill: with continuous spurts of power that lead Vingegaard ever more towards the limit. Pogacar’s continuous attacks yesterday reminded me of the Pantani-Tonkov duel in Montecampione but, unlike the Russian, Vingegaard only lost eight seconds and this is a sign that this Tour de France will be more closely contested than ever.
2023-07-10 16:00:00
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