Pogacar stronger than the Jumbo-Visma machine

2020-09-19T18:01:52.656Z

The Dutch team carried their Slovenian leader Primoz Roglic but the victory in the Tour de France ended up eluding them, swept away by the tornado Tadej Pogacar.

Special envoy to La Planche des Belles Filles,

The last time on the Tour de France that a rider was superior to a team was in 1989. That year, Greg LeMond in the modest Belgian team ADR-Agrigel had finished with three team members ( including Johan Museeuw) but had finished at the top of the general classification, 8 seconds ahead of Laurent Fignon who relied on a great Super U team after a stunning time trial.

With a breathtaking time trial in which, this Saturday, he signed a third stage victory on this Tour (with 1'21 '' ahead of Dumoulin and Porte, 1'31 '' over Van Aert and 1'56 '' on Roglic), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) finally managed to get the best of the omnipotent Jumbo Visma formation (still 3 riders in the top 5 of the time trial, Dumoulin 2nd, Van Aert 4th, Roglic 5th).

First yellow jersey of his career

The young Slovenian climber has bought the first yellow jersey of his young career.

He will parade this Sunday as the winner of the 107th Grande Boucle on the Champs-Elysées (with a 59 '' lead over his compatriot Roglic and 3'30 '' over the Australian Richie Porte).

Until La Planche des Belles Filles (20th stage), this Saturday, the Jumbo-Visma team had, day after day, established itself as the team controlling the Tour.

From the start on the ice rink in Nice, as at all the hot spots, especially in the mountains where collective strength, especially during the stage arriving at the top of the Grand Colombier (15th stage) was fully and firmly expressed.

On these portions, Wout Van Aert, Tom Dumoulin and Sepp Kuss escorted and carried their leader at arm's length.

A collective performance which had illustrated that there were the “yellow and black” and the others.

But whenever he could, Tadej Pogacar amused himself by upsetting them, especially during his two stage victories (at Laruns, then at the top of the Grand Colombier).

“Pogacar is a huge talent, it's racing.

Sport is evolving, things are going fast, that's how it is… ”

Richie Porte

But without worrying about the troublemaker, Jumbo-Visma allowed himself, in addition to total control of the general classification, to pick the bouquets with the versatile Wout Van Aert, the sprinter at ease in the percentages (winner of the 5th stage in Privas , then from the 7th stage to Lavaur).

Jumbo-Visma may feed some regrets, when all in its domination the Dutch team did not take care to definitively rule out Pogacar who had already been caught in the edge of Laruns (7th stage) and had dropped 1'21 '' ...

“It's brutal what happens to Roglic, notes the Australian Richie Porte (3rd in the general classification).

Jumbo Visma had a great race, they deserved to win.

Pogacar is a huge talent, it's racing.

The sport is evolving, things are going fast, that's how it is… Pogacar was lucky that Jumbo Visma imposed such a rhythm in the hills.

He managed to follow, he hung on, he tried to attack.

He wasted time and he came back.

Hat.

It will be more marked next year… ”

Jumbo-Visma will have been the steamroller, the train never weakening even in the passes, the dominant team but the Tour 2020 escaped the all-powerful team which, dumbfounded, was crushed by an infernal gear.