Double rivals for Pogacar on Tour: mountain and coronavius

Lacets of Montvernier, Telegraph, Galibier, Granon, The Croix de Fer Y L’Alpe d’Huez. These are mountains and names so mythical tours as frightening for cyclists, to deal with between now and tomorrow such an accumulation of demand in the two great alpine stages of the French round.

If under normal conditions such ports already represent a maximum challenge, the threat of coronavirus increases anxiety in UAEgroup leader, Tadej Pogacarwhich enters into Alps along with that double rival on the tour: the very difficult climb and the cases of Covid-19 on your team.

The positives have left the UAE without Vegard Stake Laengen not either George Bennett. The Norwegian is gregarious for the flat stages and the New Zealander has to be Pogacar’s main ‘crutch’ in the mountains along with Rafal Makka. Pole was also positive, but so far he is still in the race because his viral load is low and it is not considered enough to infect other rivals.

This new protocol International Cycling Union (UCI) This has raised some suspicions, but whatever the risk of its exclusion or Pogacar’s own contagion is a “source of stress” in the UAE, as the great Slovenian runner proved.

“It’s embarrassing to lose another colleague. They were two runners who didn’t have the coronavirus and that’s why they were more exposed. We were careful to avoid contagion, but it was bad luck. We were running and we were communicating. interaction with many people, the peloton and the fans. The team takes the utmost care but it is not enough “, Pogacar affirmed.

In his attempt to chain his third consecutive Tour, the 23-year-old Slovenian proved to be the strongest after the first 10 stages, but came to the moment of reality surrounded by uncertainty with his team and tough rivals. who was willing to resist his third. successful walk on Champs Elysees in Paris.

Relying more on his own strength than his teammates, Pogacar will start the 11th period today with an 11 ”advantage over his immediate pursuer, the German. Lennard Kamnathat rose to that 2nd place thanks to the spoiled getaway on Tuesday.

His real opponents are others, like Danish jonas vingegaard (at 39 “) or the venerable British duo of Ineos, Geraint Thomas (at 1’17 “) and Adam’s Yachts (at 1’25 ”). In addition to Vingegaard, Jumbo has another‘ flying ’Slovenian, the three -time champion of La Vuelta a España primoz roglic (at 2’52 “).

two French, David Gaudi (at 1’38 “) and Romain Bardet (at 1’39 “), another piece of Ineos, thomas pidcock (at 1’46 “), the Spanish deception, Enrique More (at 1’50 “), or the Colombian Nairo Quintana (at 2’13 ”) are other lovers who need to know in the coming days to what extent they count for the podium in Paris or even really worried about Pogacar.

Runners will face between today and tomorrow 110.4 km of scoring port, 44.4 km between four ports on Wednesday and 66 km of three in the special category on Thursday: the Galibier (23 km on 5.1% average gradient) , La Croix de Fer (29.1 km at 5.2%) and L’Alpe d’Huez (13.9 km at 7.9%) with 21 of the world’s most legendary curves in cycling.

Another winding climb was the appetizer of 151.7 km of today’s 11th stage, the Lacets de Montvernier (2nd), a short and beautiful pass of 3.5 km at 7.9%. It will be followed by another 1st, the Télégraphe (11.9 km at 7%), and two special categories, the two highest on this Tour: the Galibier (2,642 meters) and the Granon (2,413 meters). Lack of oxygen associated with altitude and heat will be other important stage factors.

Galibier is one of the great classics of the French round, but Granon will appear on the route for the second time, 36 years after the Spanish Edward Chozas won the lone climb in 1986, also the latter of the 79 yellow jerseys he wore Bernard Hinault at his farewell before his companion caught up with him Greg Lemond.

“It’s harder than Izoard, in Tourmalet or in Galibier,” said Chozas, the lone winner at that Granon summit, which has irregular and rough asphalt, which is atop an arid landscape. “This is a stage where there are no reasons where opponents for the general have nowhere to hide,” the Tour boss said, Christian Prudhomme, indicating that “not all cyclists have the same reaction to height”. Pogacar, in the first place, and the other favorites already have the floor.