what to remember from the first week of racing

This first week has not been easy for the Tour de France teams. The rest day, this Monday, July 11, in the Hautes-Alpes is most welcome and it is time to draw up an initial assessment. Tadej Pogacar in yellow and above the lot, impressive Wout Van Aert, the delirious crowd in Denmark, the cobblestones of the North or even the fear of Covid-19. Here’s what to remember from the first week of the 109th edition of the Grande Boucle.

Denmark’s madness

It was a historic first and it will be remembered. Rarely in the history of the Tour de France have we seen so many people on the sides of the roads in a country other than France. Denmark knew how to welcome the Grande Boucle with manners.

In Copenhagen, for the inaugural time trial, the Danes showed that they liked the lap. They were 600,000 on the sidewalks of the capital to encourage the runners, despite the rain. The crossing of the Great Belt bridge, 18km above the sea, will remain as one of the images of the first week.

Special mention to the Dane Magnus Cort Nielsen who animated almost all the stages of the first week and wore the jersey at weight before losing it on Sunday. The rider with the blond mustache was present on almost all the breakaways.

Van Aert impresses

And from the second day, Wout Van Aert showed what he was capable of by taking the yellow jersey. The Belgian rider will mark this first week by impressing everyone. Three times second on the stages in Denmark, then winner in Calais and Lausanne, Van Aert showed that the yellow jersey suited him like a glove.

If he gave up the tunic to Tadej Pogacar, the hyper favorite of this 109th edition, Wout Van Aert took the green jersey for the best sprinter.

Pogacar as a boss

Observing from a good distance what unfolded during the first stages, Tadej Pogacar was patiently waiting for his moment to show that he was the boss. Winner at Longwy, then the next day at the Super Planche des Belles Filles, the Slovenian took control of the race and may well never let go until Paris, supported by a very well organized UAE team.

But several competitors have managed to stay in the wake of the yellow jersey and are waiting for the slightest flaw to rush into it. Only 39 seconds behind Pogacar, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard is doing better than resisting and seems determined not to let the Slovenian take off.

Roglic in bad shape

The other Slovenian Primoz Roglic did not appear as fit as expected. 3 minutes behind Pogacar, it is hard to see how he could come to worry about the yellow jersey. The Jumbo rider was unlucky in the cobblestone stage by falling. In view of the classification, it could be Roglic’s turn to come and support Vingegaard.

Two other runners were not up to it this first week: Ben O’Connor, fourth last year, who was 50 minutes behind on the yellow jersey and decided to retire on the first day of injury rest , Caleb Ewan, who didn’t know how to shine in the sprint although the stages which will allow him will not be very numerous before the end of the race.

Van der Poel unrecognizable

Total disillusion also for Mathieu van der Poel, unrecognizable since the start of the Tour. Unable to ignite the stages as he usually knows how to do so well, he was totally vampirized by Wout Van Aert. The Belgian is chaining the Giro and the Tour for the first time, and he does not seem to have been able to recover enough.

Ineos in ambush

Discreet since the start of the Tour, the Ineos team has achieved the feat of placing three riders in the Top 10 of the general classification: Geraint Thomas (3rd, at 1’17), Adam Yates (4th, at 1’25) and Thomas Pidcock (7th, at 1’46). The three Britons could well represent the main threat for Pogacar who will find it difficult to resist if he is caught in a pincer movement.

The French respond present

Admittedly, there has still not been a French stage victory since the start of this Tour, but two French riders are clearly doing well: David Gaudu (5th) and Romain Bardet (6th). Both ideally placed in ambush behind the ultra favourites, they were able to resist all the traps set by this first week. Thibaut Pinot, who ignited the 9th stage in the Alps before finishing 4th, could continue to gain momentum.

And next?

This second week promises to be just as breathless as the first. Taking place largely in the Alps, it will culminate on July 14 with the return from Alpe d’Huez. But a shadow is starting to grow bigger and bigger: that of the Covid. Several runners have already been forced to retire after testing positive, such as Guillaume Martin. Relief this Monday morning, however, since all of the 165 runners still in the running tested negative.

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