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Fright: Primoz Roglic fought the last meters to the Planche des Belles Filles. The man in yellow had a pale face. As if he had followed the distances in his mind. The first challenger Tadej Pogacar had cut his deficit from 57 to 30 seconds in the flat zone of the time trial. Then came the climb, and Roglic completely collapsed. Pogacar, 21, left the best driver of the tour to date for 1:56 minutes. A burst of performance.
The incredible: Pogacar watched Roglic roll to the end and covered his face with his hands. He will win the Tour de France as the youngest driver since Henri Cornet in 1904. A few meters away, Roglic was sitting on the tarmac, his eyes and legs completely empty. Tom Dumoulin hugged his captain, but he didn’t respond. When Pogacar was sitting in the winner’s interview, Roglic got up, went to his colleague and hugged him.
With all objectivity: Tadej Pogacar won the 36.2 kilometer individual time trial from Lure to the Planche des Belles Filles. Pogacar was 1:21 minutes faster than Tom Dumoulin and Richie Porte. Primoz Roglic finished fifth and lost the yellow jersey to Pogacar. Read the stage report here.
Reality: “I think I’m dreaming. I feel like my head is going to explode,” Pogacar said. “I heard the distances on the radio on the flat part of the track. But when I got to the mountain, I didn’t hear anything because the fans were so loud.” Shortly before the climb, the 21-year-old went from his time trial to his normal road bike. He was even faster on the mountain towards the yellow jersey. “It wasn’t really my dream to win the Tour de France,” Pogacar explained: “I just wanted to be in the Tour de France.”
The record man: As long as he arrives in Paris on Sunday, Pogacar won’t just win the yellow jersey. He will also be the best rider in the mountain and youth category. No one has done that before. On top of that, Pogacar accomplished all of this on his debut. The last driver to win his first Tour de France was Laurent Fignon in 1983.
One man show: Before the tour, there was really only talk of whether Team Ineos or Team Jumbo-Visma would have the best team to lead their captain to tour victory. The result now questions whether good domestic workers are that important at all. In any case, the UAE professional Pogacar often had no helpers in the mountains, but held on to the rear wheel of Roglic and Jumbo-Visma. And in the individual time trial, the one-man show, he clearly beat them all. “We found new heroes on this tour,” said former SPIEGEL expert and professional Marcel Kittel.
About Fignon: To be clear: Primoz Roglic is actually an excellent climber and time trial. The fact that he wastes so much time in Pogacar cannot be explained by his good performance alone, Roglic apparently had a bad day too. “I can’t believe how difficult it must be for him,” Pogacar said: “He must be devastated. But these are bike races.” This end of the tour only seems comparable to that of 1989, when Greg LeMond beat his competitor Lauren Fignon on the last stage, also a time trial.
Wheel change: Even before the stage, there was speculation as to whether the best riders would trade their bikes on the track. There were different approaches: Wout van Aert switched to his road bike in front of the Planche des Belles Filles, Tom Dumoulin stayed on his time trial machine. But the timing of the change varied. Pogacar changed before Roglic, who changed bikes amid the masses of fans, is not a tactically ideal place. In the end, however, it was not just that.
The Shepherd: For Thibaut Pinot it was like a home game, the Frenchman is at home in the Vosges. Here he lives with his goats, to which he said goodbye before the tour with the hope of the yellow jersey. However, they quickly disappeared after a crash in the first stage. In the Vosges, fans still love Pinot, as evidenced by the many letters on the way to the Planche des Belles Filles. That could have given him confidence to start the tour again. Starting Monday, you can look forward to your goats, whose love for Pinot is sure.
And tomorrow? It is a tradition that the yellow jersey is no longer attacked on the way to Paris. Anyone who tries will likely be tarred and feathered on the Champs Elysees. In any case, as long as a bee does not fall or sting in his mouth, Pogacar will win the Tour de France. On the 21st stage of 122.5 kilometers from Mantes-La-Jolie to and through Paris, it is about the prestigious victory in the sprint.
