All smiles on the podium, bouquet of flowers in hand, Tadej Pogacar parades with the yellow jersey he has just put on in the second stage of the 2024 Tour de France. Finding him there, donning the leader’s jersey, is not really a surprise as the Slovenian, in search of a rare double after his Giro victory, is among the favorites. And the course of the first two days was rather favorable.
However, while France celebrated, with Kevin Vauquelin, a second winner in two days, it was not obvious that the Yellow Jersey would finish on the frail shoulders of Pogacar. In Bologna, there were four of them joining forces at the top of the general classification, at exactly the same time (9h 53′30′’). Pogacar, therefore, but also his best Danish enemy, Jonas Vingegaard, the double outgoing winner who is returning from a serious injury after a fall, the Belgian Remco Evenepoel and the Colombian Richard Carapaz.
So why Pogacar in yellow? Quite simply because the regulations stipulate that in the event of a tie, the addition of the places at the finish of each contested stage decides between the riders. In two days of racing Pogacar came in 4th place then 14th, making a total of 18 points. He is thus ahead of Evenepoel with 20 points (8th and 12th), Vingegaard with 29 points (16th and 13th) and Carapaz with 32 points (22nd and 10th)
Tadej Pogacar is in yellow but he could lose it tomorrow! With 4 riders in the same time, it will be decided by the addition of places. For now, we have:
Tadej Pogacar – 18
Remco Evenepoel – 20
Jonas Vingegaard – 29
Richard Carapaz – 32#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/q27f5CDXro— The Little Group (@LeGruppetto) June 30, 2024
But the gap is so tight that everything will undoubtedly be called into question during the 3rd stage this Monday between Piacenza and Turin, on terrain favorable to sprinters. There is no doubt that Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Carapaz will mark themselves until the finish.
