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There was a moment on stage 18 of the Tour de France, after the leaders had reached the top of the Montèe du plateau de Glières, when the man in yellow, Primož Roglič, put his hand on the back of his young challenger and compatriot Slovenian, Tadej. Pogačar, and said something. When asked at the end of the stage, Roglič claimed not to remember what he had said, but it is not an exaggeration to imagine that it was something whose subtext could have been: “Nice try, you have years ahead, better luck next.”
Roglič’s lead seemed impregnable after the last difficult stage on the road; He certainly looked stronger than a fading Pogačar on the ridiculously hilly stages 17 and 18. He had a 57-second lead, and there was no way he was going to ruin that in a time trial that was supposed to suit him, right?
It wasn’t until 4 km to go that things became distressingly clear for Roglič and Jumbo-Visma. I was losing the Tour de France. Usually so smooth, with a regular cadence, Roglič rocked from side to side, rising from his seat on the climb and trying to grab onto a yellow jersey that now looked like sand in his hands.
Meanwhile, Pogačar, a man nine years his junior, on his first Tour, his second Grand Tour, was fading in the saddle, making La Planche des Belles Filles look like a small bump in the road, focused on crushing the final. . kilometres.
When Roglič reached the finish line, after 6pm local time, he looked like a broken man. His streamlined helmet thrown back on his head, his pale taut complexion clear for all to see. He had given it his all, but sent almost two minutes to Pogačar. This was not supposed to happen.
Television cameras clipped Jumbo-Visma’s teammates Tom Dumoulin and Wout van Aert, who before Pogačar’s effort were first and second for the day, standing in shock and in disbelief at the finish line. Van Aert, arguably the best cyclist in the world at the moment, told reporters afterwards: “It hurt my eyes as Primož got into more and more difficulties … We did our best every day. We gave everything and did everything to perfection. We were ready to celebrate. ” This was not supposed to happen.
Roglič and Pogačar – Rog and Pog – are very different cyclists and people, despite coming from the same small country (one is forced to say that Slovenia is roughly the size of Wales, with a smaller population of about two million). They are from completely different generations, to begin with, Rog was born before the world web, Pog was born after the founding of Google.
Roglič came late to cycling, at 22 years old, and with a lot of effort and effort, he has reached the top. He is a linchpin in Jumbo’s plan to challenge Ineos’s hegemony in the Grand Tours, and he appeared to be on track to complete that goal, which in part began with his first Grand Tour stage victory, in a time trial at the Giro from Italy. in 2016. Remember, Roglič is good at time trials.
His victory at the Vuelta a España last year confirmed that he was one of the few riders who could win the Tour, and the return to racing after the lockdown this year only pointed in one direction: Jumbo’s dominance. The yellow and black team, dubbed the Killer Wasps, took the lead and controlled the pre-Tour races, and they have done the same job on the Tour for their leader.
Dumoulin, the former Giro champion, put himself fully at Roglič’s service, and one wonders what someone like Van Aert could have done if his team strap had come loose. Considering that the Belgian managed to win two stages, the mind is confused.
Pogačar, on the other hand, is a precocious talent, a unique specimen in a generation. At his winner’s press conference, he said, “It’s genetic. I have my parents to thank for that.” He became the youngest winner of a WorldTour race when he won the Tour of California last year, and rose to fame when he finished on the Vuelta podium in 2019, winning three stages along the way, aged 20. He will be the youngest Tour de France winner since 1904 if he avoids disaster today. Not a bad way to celebrate your 22nd birthday, which comes on Monday.
The Slovenian couple ran The big loop also in completely different ways. Roglič, with the absolute dominance of Jumbo, raced defensively for most of the last three weeks, and almost seemed regretful and reticent when he took the victory at Orcières-Merlette on stage 4. He looked incredibly consistent and very insane. control. Jumbo might regret not putting Pogačar under more pressure.
The young Slovenian, on the other hand, did not have a strong team to lean on. His two most trusted climbing allies in UAE-Team Emirates, Fabio Aru and Davide Formolo, deviated from the pace and then dropped out of the race. The team had divided loyalties, with Alexander Kristoff there for the sprint stages, and was unable to offer any constant support for Pogačar. This was most evident in the Lavaur stage, where the group was divided by crosswinds, which took more than a minute. But in the high mountains, it didn’t seem to matter, with Pogačar glued to the back of the Jumbo train, following the movements. In the first fortnight, he also managed to win two stages, at Laruns and the Grand Colombier, regaining vital seconds over Roglič and looking like the strongest climber in the race.
Pogačar didn’t need a strong team, he won the Tour with strength, power and aggression. When it came to man versus man at the Planche des Belles Filles, he had all the answers and Roglič had only questions. During this Tour, Pogačar set new climbing records at Col de Peyresourde, Col de Marie-Blanque, Pas de Peyrol, Grand Colombier and La Planche des Belles Filles.
When Egan Bernal won last year, aged 22, some predicted that this would be the era of Bernal’s hegemony. Twelve months later, this prediction seems shaky. Imagine what Pogačar could do with a strong team behind him, and it’s easy to think that this could be his time to dominate. The pair are joined by other young riders, such as Remco Evenepoel, and another revelation on this year’s Tour, Marc Hirschi, in an incredible generation who may already be better than their elders.
If that conversation between Pogačar and Roglič on the Montèe du plateau de Glières happened now, and Roglič said something like “you have years ahead of you,” Pogačar could tell him that his time is now. Welcome to Pog’s time.
Adam Becket is the editor of Procycling magazine
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