Cycling – Dauphiné: falls, tricks and new technology

The tension increases before the final weekend of the Dauphiné. On the one hand, the course keeps a real executioner on Saturday. On the stage, which is only 131.6 kilometers short, the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de fer and the final climb to Valmeinier 1800 must be mastered. That is huge. And the three jags in the altitude profile will also provide further information about the constitution of the favorite trio for the Tour de France.

So far, two patterns have been recognized by Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia), Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium): Pogacar is still a little back, while after their two rivals after their long breaks of competition used the rectification for the tour, especially for moral confirmation.

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Even Evenepoel put a famous time trial on the asphalt in the rainbow jersey of the world champion and thus also conquered the yellow jersey, which adorns the overall leader here on the tour. “I was surprised myself how much time I could get out of the others,” he alluded to the intervals to Vingegaard (20 seconds) and Pogačar (48 seconds) on the only 17 km short route.

The Dane was also more than satisfied with his idea in this special discipline. So satisfied that he was still shoting up a arrow of the challenge towards Pogačar: »I went out a little the corridors. I could have driven a higher translation in the quick sections. I should have installed a larger chainring at the front. «

The two -time tour winner seems to burst with strength and self -confidence. He doesn’t hesitate to show that. That has already given him the call to be a “new Vingegaard”. The Dutch portal “Wielerflits” stroked that it had already attacked at one point on the first stage that had not necessarily invited to this. So far, that has actually been the specialty of Pogačar. The Slovenian then won the stage and played its great explosiveness. Vingegaard’s start, however, had split the field. “Jonas did a great job. He has entered Pogačar’s area of ​​rule. This shows how well he worked primarily on explosiveness, «ex-world champion Mads Pedersen praised his compatriot.

Vingegaard’s racing team also trumps Vingegaards Visma – Lease A Bike in the field of equipment and technology. The Dane drove with a new breathing device, which the UCI had given the release in good time before the tour. VitalPro Strap is called the new toy, and according to its developer Arnar Larusson, it will “revolutionize the sport, as was the introduction of the heart rate meter in the 1970s”. Athletes could now see in real time how their body reacts to the loads and then control them better. “We will surely use the device on the tour,” said Visma’s man for technical developments, Mathieu Heijboer.

Even Evenepoel did not want to be left behind in the competition of the innovations. The Belgian had a new visor mounted on his time trial helmet, which is not only more expensive than the entire time trial helmets of most rivals. It should also guarantee better perspective.

The reluctance of the third party is striking in all of this. Pogačar designed his time trial so conservatively that the first theories about bluffs already made the round. “He simply drove a controlled race because he is still in the development process of his form,” said the American ex-professional Tom Danielson. Pogačar confirmed this indirectly: “I must not forget that I come from a big training block and that we are still adjusting the shape,” he said.

Pogačar is therefore on the tour in athletic preparation mode, while Vingegaard and Evenepoel have already arrived in the mental fighting phase. Maybe that is a little rushed. Evenepoel had to cope with a setback. In the event of a fall on Thursday, he sustained grazes and lost one of his planned tour helpers.