Jonas Vingegaard has responded to Remco Evenepoel’s accusations that he didn’t have ‘the balls to race’ throughout Sunday’s gravel stage on the Tour de France, saying with a smile that he was centered on ‘driving good.’
Vingegaard and his Visma-Lease a Bike group rode defensively by the stage over the 14 gravel sectors close to Troyes in central France, eager to restrict the danger of shedding time or going mano-a-mano together with his greatest Tour rivals, particularly Tadej Pogačar.
On the gravel roads, Pogačar and Evenepoel tried totally different assaults. Vingegaard was capable of reply however by no means labored with them to distance different GC riders.
Evenepoel surged away with 77 km to go on the gravel of the fourth-category Côte de Chacenay. Pogačar and Vingegaard joined him however the Dane refused to work.
With 20 km to race, Vingegaard caught Pogačar due to some very good work by teammate Matteo Jorgenson. Evenepoel and Primož Roglič have been distanced however once more Vingegaard refused to work.
“Tadej and I weren’t glad as a result of possibly the entire Tour might have been determined,” Evenepoel mentioned of the long-range assault.
“We have to simply accept race techniques and race conditions, however typically you additionally want the balls to race, and sadly possibly Jonas did not have them.”
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Vingegaard was anticipating the query in the course of the Visma-Lease a Bike press convention on the remaining day close to Orleans south of Paris and hit again at Evenepoel, who typically races aggressively relatively than good and defensively.
“We have been primarily centered on not shedding time,” Vingegaard mentioned.
“If I had gone with these two and so they had left me behind on that sector the place I needed to let Pogačar trip a bit later, I’d have misplaced the Tour yesterday. It wasn’t a scarcity of “balls”, I simply rode good.”
Vingegaard suffered a punctured lung, damaged collarbone and a number of other damaged ribs in his severe accidents within the Itzulia Basque Country crash in early April and has claimed he has solely educated severely for six weeks.
He has been attempting to restrict his time losses, particularly to Pogačar, within the first week of the Tour, within the hope he can discover his greatest type for the ultimate week, maybe when the Slovenian is fading.
Vingegaard misplaced 50 seconds on the stage to Valloire and an extra 25 seconds within the Cote d’Or time trial. He is now 1:15 down on Pogačar within the GC standings, with Evenepoel between them at 33 seconds and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) fourth total at 1:36.
“I really feel like I’m rising,” mentioned Vingegaard, maybe enjoying thoughts video games together with his rivals and himself.
“I’m getting higher and higher. I’m at a excessive degree, a lot greater than I ever anticipated with only a month and a half of preparation.”
Vingegaard described the opening 9 phases as a ‘comparatively straightforward opening week’ however stays cautious about how a lot time he can afford to lose and maybe nonetheless win the Tour de France, maybe even within the ultimate time trial to Nice.
“I can not put a quantity on that. Last 12 months I took seven minutes in two days. Now we do not understand how I’m going to react within the third week. We’ll see day-to-day,” he mentioned,
“Of course, the nearer I’m, the higher. But I trusted our plan final 12 months. That labored. I belief the plan this 12 months too. If I win, that is good. Otherwise, life simply goes on. That crash modified loads in that respect.”
Pogačar appears obsessive about gaining time on Vingegaard at any time when he can however the Dane is searching for allies to assist him management Pogačar’s aggression.
“No, I do not see Pogačar as my solely rival. I’m cautious of your complete high 10, possibly much more riders,” he instructed.
“It’s additionally to my benefit that there are a number of rivals. Then we may help one another to make it a tough race.”
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