Carcassonne, France, July 19 (BUS): Jonas Weinggaard holds the lead ahead of the final week of the Tour de France, but with the Dane having an accident and losing two of his key teammates, Tadig Bogacar took on new momentum. Pyrenees Mountains.
Defending champion Pojacar was ousted last week on a grueling stage in the Alps after coming under fire from Vinggaard and his Jumbo Visma teammates, but the Slovenian has vowed to fight to the end, Reuters reports.
Despite trailing by 2 minutes 22 seconds, the 23-year-old could still win a third straight run.
Winggaard hit the deck on Sunday and bruised his left side while Stephen Kreuzvik crashed and left Primus Roglic after failing to recover from a back injury.
Jumbo Visma left fewer than six passengers and with one of them, Tiesge Bennott, bruised and bruised after Sunday’s crash, the Dutch side may struggle to control the aggressive Pojjar.
“I need to take every opportunity, use every opportunity to go up. I need to try to attack,” Pojjakar told reporters on Monday.
“I will give everything and hope I have no regrets.”
Last Thursday Pogacar tried to climb up to l’Alpe d’Huez but, having greatly helped his team’s quick tempo in the first part of the climb, Vingegaard easily followed.
With Kruijswijk and Roglic out, the 25-year-old will be less protected.
“It’s going to be a crazy third week,” Groupama-FDJ sports director Philippe Moduit, whose leader David Gaudeau is chasing a fifth-place finish in Paris, told Reuters.
Tuesday’s 16th stage includes a brutal Category 1 climb before stages 17 and 18 take the peloton to some of the toughest climbs of the Pyrenees.
Vingegaard said he felt good after his crash.
“I slept well,” he said on Monday. “Small bruising, but I’m fine. It’s a little stinging, but it’s not in pain.”
“I still have a lead of 2 minutes 22 seconds so we’re good, even if losing two teammates isn’t a good thing.”
Behind the leading duo, 2018 champion Geraint Thomas, who can’t match the explosiveness of Vingegaard and Pogacar, but the Briton has so far managed to limit damage and the Ineos-Grenadiers team has three riders in the top 10.
“I think up to this point Jonas has been the strongest, he’s been able to respond to every attack as well and he’s been riding smart,” Thomas said.
But it’s a three-week race, not 15 days.
Will the Ineos-Grenadiers clash with the Pogacar to destabilize Vingegaard?
“It’s not like Poojacar is going to ring me and we’re going to make a plan tonight, but once you’re on the road if the situation comes up where it works for both of us, it’s like any other race,” Thomas explained.
“But it’s not like revenge against Jonas or Jumbo, but it’s a bike race, so anything can happen.”