“I thought my speedometer had misfired because I was going so fast. Jonas Vingegaard took a serious option on a second Tour de France victory by crushing the clock on Tuesday at Combloux in proportions that no one, not even him, could have imagined.
They were inseparable, holding each other in 10 seconds after two weeks of scrapping shoulder to shoulder. A world now separates the Dane from his Slovenian rival Tadej Pogačar, who lost a minute and 38 seconds to the yellow rocket in an alpine time trial that enters the history of the most dazzling performances.
“I had the best day of my life on a bike. I felt it right away, as soon as I left, I was sending very high watts, when I wanted to keep some under the pedal. I even thought that my power meter had misfired so fast I was going, ”said the leader of Jumbo-Visma.
Leaping like a cheetah, the Dane swallowed the 22.4 kilometers of the course at breakneck speed, relegating his teammate and time trial specialist Wout van Aert to nearly three minutes, an incredible gap over such a distance.
“I am the best of normal people,” said the Belgian, who took off his hat, or more precisely his cap, leaving, with a huge smile, the “ hot seat on which the provisional winners of the stage are waiting.
“It is impossible to understand such discrepancies. Finally yes, it is possible. These two are so above everyone, ”added the Belgian, while the third in the general classification, Adam Yates, points to almost … nine minutes.
A kick in the wing
In fact, even dominated, Pogačar did not have a bad time, also finishing far ahead of the others. But the strategy of swapping his chrono bike for a lighter machine at the foot of the Domancy hill backfired, as he continued to lose time on the climb compared to Vingegaard, who stayed on the same bike. .
“It cost me a few seconds, maybe, but that’s not what changed the game today. It wasn’t my best day. I couldn’t do anything more, ”launched the Slovenian, winner in 2020 and 2021. Is the Tour played? “No, assured Vingegaard. There are still a lot of very difficult stages. We must continue to fight. »
On paper, there are two stages left in Pogačar to try to turn the tide. First on Wednesday, during the queen stage of this 110e edition, between Saint-Gervais and Courchevel, which includes the terrible Col de la Loze, where the slightest failure is paid for in minutes. And Saturday, in the Vosges, with a succession of passes conducive to a major offensive, on the eve of the arrival in Paris.
“Pogačar will attack us as far as Paris, and even on the bus between Paris and Slovenia”, warned the boss of Jumbo-Visma, Richard Plugge.
But the prospect of a third victory for Pogačar has taken quite a hit in the wing, and the Slovenian himself does not hide it.
“It’s not over yet, but he’s made a big gap, it’s going to be difficult to fill it,” said “Pogi”, whose livid face and haggard gaze contrasted with the cold determination of his competitor, whose the thighs rose like pistons, molded in an all-yellow jumpsuit.
In the own camp of Vingegaard, it was difficult to recover from the stratospheric performance of the Dane, who assured Sunday not to dope, a question which inevitably arises so much he goes fast.
“Ugh, I don’t know what to say, it’s huge, we didn’t expect such a difference at all,” said Mathieu Heijboer, performance manager at Jumbo-Visma and responsible for the chrono, at the France Media Agency.
“The legs have spoken,” he added. Now the gap is made. I’m not saying the trick is done. But the race will change, that’s for sure. »