On Friday, the Tour de France’s stage 7 time trial drew to a detailed within the race’s first week. In the method, the stage additional clarified a GC image that many had anticipated earlier than the race’s nice Tuscan jaunt kicked off three weeks of motion en path to Nice.
The 25.3km take a look at in opposition to the clock, run in opposition to the backdrop of the vineyards of Burgundy, introduced starring roles for the ‘large 4’ Tour de France contenders – yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar, world time trial champion Remco Evenepoel, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, and 2020 runner-up Primož Roglič.
Evenepoel could have triumphed on stage 7, according to most predictions forward of the half-hour blast south of Dijon, however the order on the high of the general standings is as listed above, because it was on Thursday night time.
Vingegaard, winner of the previous two Tour de France editions and a person who has crushed Pogačar within the two most up-to-date time trials on the race, could have shed extra time – 22 seconds – to his nice rival of latest summers. Still, he insisted later that he was very happy together with his journey.
“To be sincere, I believe it was a very good time trial for me,” Vingegaard stated. “I’m pleased with my efficiency and to solely lose 37 seconds to Remco on a time trial that fits him very well is fairly good for me.”
The Dane has spent a lot of his season battling again from a laundry listing of accidents suffered at a mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country in April, and his kind, and talent to dive again into racing instantly at this excessive degree, was in some doubt main into the Tour.
Indeed, earlier than the race began in Florence, he stated “Everything from here’s a bonus”, having made it to the beginning line.
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Now, he is using excessive and, barring a 50-second time loss to Pogačar on stage 4’s high-mountain meet atop the Col du Galibier, all the things goes to plan.
“I would not say it is a large hit however relatively the other – that I anticipated to lose extra time,” Vingegaard stated of stage 7, “It’s a time trial that is far more beneficial for [Pogačar]. It’s good to lose solely 25 seconds to him right this moment. Last yr I took seven-and-a-half minutes in two levels, so the ability is there, and we simply must imagine in our plan.”
Vingegaard had handed by way of the levels’ three intermediate checkpoints – on the base of the mid-stage hill, on the peak, and following the descent – in third place, reaching the third after 19.5km with a 22-second deficit to Pogačar, and an extra three to Evenepoel.
He was up on Roglič by 4 seconds, although a slight fade on the flat, straight closing run to the road noticed him shed extra time. He closed out his journey 37 seconds behind the winner, 25 down on Pogačar, and 4 down on Roglič.
“I felt good on the climb,” Vingegaard stated. “Especially within the first a part of the time trial, I felt actually good. I died slightly bit earlier than the tip however I believe I had some good energy so I may be pleased with that.
“As I stated earlier than the beginning, all the things is a bonus. Of course, I’ve ambitions and I wish to do effectively. But no matter occurs, occurs and I can’t change it.”
Despite the time loss on the day, which, if latest Tours are something to go by, will possible be minor within the grand scheme of issues, Vingegaard stated that the day wasn’t the one which induced him most fear earlier than beginning the race. Neither was the Galibier day, he stated.
“I believe San Luca was in all probability the day I anxious essentially the most about. There, I did not lose time.
“Today I misplaced solely 25 seconds on a course that fits Remco and Tadej far more than it fits me. So, to solely lose that it is a good day for me right this moment.”
One closing query posed to Vingegaard probed how he has felt about his performances because the race has progressed.
Is it rising because the levels cross and he will get totally into the swing of racing after such an extended layoff? His reply was brief and unequivocal.
“Yes.”
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