The Tour de France circus has ended its performance in Denmark, which seems to have wisely saved every euro from the tens of millions spent on producing the world’s largest Grand Tour.
The fourth section will open today (Tuesday, 14:00, Eurosport) in historic Dunkirk - a twin city of Gaza and Ramat Hasharon, if you ask - and will stretch along 172 km to the city of Calais, better known as the city from which you board a ferry to London.
The Israel Premier Tech Group has met its main goal - to go through the three opening sections without excessive accidents, without terrible injuries and without unnecessary punctures.
accomplishments?
Victories?
Given the recent French columns, it is hard to believe that anyone in the Israeli team expects a bigger event than survival.
At least for now.
Yesterday, the riders took advantage of the day of transition back to France in favor of a rest, which mainly reduced the intensity of the opening sections.
Guy Niv, who jumped into the Premier Tech lineup in the 90th minute, told Israel Today yesterday: "The trips were relatively easy, but I'm definitely happy that it was a day of rest. Although we only went through three stages, and there is no terrible fatigue, but as one who arrived "Just 24 hours before the jump, I carried more fatigue with me from the trips. It suited me that we got the day to recover."
How is your personal feeling after the segments in Denmark?
"I still do not feel sharp and good enough. There is a situation that it has to do with my late arrival here, or it may be because the first days in Denmark are just not the kind of days for me - with flat sections, with winds and with a lot of pressure on the platoon."
When can we talk about raising the demands beyond survival?
"I'm looking forward to later stages in the column. Anyway, I believe I will start to feel much better tomorrow."
The platoon is speeding.
Today he will start rolling on French soil,
The forecast for tomorrow: A nightmare
One of the projects underway alongside the Tour de France for the Israeli team is its main sponsor - "Riders to Change", which aims to raise money for the establishment of a unique riding center in Rwanda, Africa.
The center, to be called the "Dream Field," will be built in the heart of the Bogasara region, a backward area made up of many hundreds of villages inhabited by 120,000 youth and children.
The question of why in Africa and not in Israel has often arisen in conversations with the group's members, but it seems that the global look - as well as the embrace the group received in its performances in the Rwanda column - decided the matter in favor of the project.
Yesterday, the group's owner, Sylvan Adams, raised another standard in fundraising when he undertook to compare dollars for every dollar donated to the project outside the group's members.
In addition, the group has adopted a women's riding group in the country, with a future vision of establishing a professional women's group in addition to men.
Back to the current column - after succeeding in the fourth section, the riders will jump into the city of Lille for one of the most intriguing and dangerous sections, probably in the first week, when we get an abbreviated version of the Paris Classic - a rifle with no less than 11 cobblestone blocks.
Do not miss.
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