Tour de France: Second thriller goes into the final week

Tour de France

15 of 21 stages of this year’s Tour de France have already been completed. In the overall standings, a real thriller is announced for the final week, because the Danish overall leader Jonas Vingegaard goes into the last six stages with a wafer-thin lead of ten seconds over his Slovenian opponent Tadej Pogacar.

17.07.2023 22.20

Online since today, 10.20 p.m

The fight for seconds is almost reminiscent of the legendary duel between Frenchman Laurent Fignon and American Greg Lemond, who won the Tour in 1989 by eight seconds. It is difficult to predict who will be at the top of the podium in Paris. On his Instagram account, Pogacar illustrated how tactically the duel between the favorites has become with a drawing by a fan showing the two opponents playing chess.

From the six stages to the end, three stand out where a preliminary decision could be made. Vingegaard will start later in Tuesday’s time trial and can adjust his pace at any time due to Pogacar’s split times. The steep climb towards the end should suit both climbers. “Tuesday and Wednesday will be crucial,” said 24-year-old Pogacar.

AP/Daniel Cole The final days of the tour will be a showdown between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard

On Wednesday, the arduous ascent to the Col de la Loze is on the agenda. It goes up to almost 2,300 meters. This could possibly be the kingmaker leg of the tour. After flatter stages, the 20th stage in Alsace one day before the award ceremony in Paris should bring a decision at the very latest.

Families as sources of strength

On the rest day, the two protagonists rely on the family factor. “My parents have been here for a few days and my fiancee has also been here since the Grand Colombier stage, which gives me extra motivation and confidence for the coming days,” said Pogacar, who is on his way to his third Tour victory after 2020 and 2021 hopes. It will be hard work to get there. “I had the feeling that Jonas was super good and I knew that I couldn’t really outperform him,” explained the Slovenian about the exchange of blows in the Alps.

Defending champion Vingegaard, who is staying with his team in a hotel on Mont Blanc, drew strength from his time with wife Trine and daughter Frida. When asked what he was doing, he replied with a smile: “Just relax.” However, he also relied on the psychological factor and reportedly told his opponent that he would explore the course of the individual time trial on Tuesday. The message to Pogacar: he will be prepared.

110. Tour de France

rating

Standing after 15 of 21 stages: 1. Jonas Vingegaard DEN 62:34:17 2. Tadej Pogacar SLO + 0:10 3. Carlos Rodriguez ESP 5:21 4. Adam Yates GBR 5:40 5. Jai Hindley AUS 6:3 6. Sepp Kuss USA 9:16 7. Pello Bilbao ESP 10:11 8. Simon Yates GBR 10:48 9. David Gaudu FRA 14:07 10. Guillaume Martin FRA 14:1

Felix Gall

AUT