Countdown to LE TOUR

 

With the Tour de France  due to start next weekend, I know some fans who will be hoping for a more exciting GC battle than they considered was served up in Giro in Italy in May. 

Riders in Le Tour blasting through the streets of Paris

I couldn’t possibly comment on that, being unable to watch every pedal stroke on the box.  But I reckon I caught some key moments on what was a brutal route. Will Le Tour match it?

For the Giro did provide the fireworks in the end, when Slovenian Primos Roglic relieved Wales’ Geraint Thomas of the pink jersey in that stunning penultimate stage, the brutal mountain time trial.

Permitting riders to change machines from tt bike to road bike at the foot of the climb led to some unexpected drama.

First Roglic unshipped his chain and we thought here we go; he’s capitulated just like in the Tour de France he lost in 2020 – but no. He pulled himself together and rocketed the final kilometres.

It was Thomas whom fate sacrificed, his strength suddenly leaching out of him, and with it, the dream of victory as Roglic took the honours by a handsome margin.

Earlier, the race suffered torrential rain which led to shortening of one key mountain stage, and also the loss of two top performers, former winner Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the Belgian world champion Remco Evenepoele when in the overall lead.

Geoghegan Hart crashed out and broke his pelvis on stage 11 when lying third overall to teammate Thomas.  Thomas had stepped up to take the leader’s pink jersey only the day before when overall leader  Remco Evenepoele relinquished it, forced to abandon with Covid.

With those two talented guys out the GC race lost some sparkle. The same couldn’t be said in the battle for daily stage honours.  No lack of excitement there.  Notably there was Irishman Ben Healy’s heroic 50km break to a lone stage victory and Mark Cavendish’s thrilling sprint victory on the final day in Rome.

The battle for top overall positions eventually came down to three men, Thomas, Roglic and eventual third Joao Almeida, each stalking the other.

Thomas valiantly defended his position through the big mountains in the remaining stages until that unforgettable dramatic time trial on the last but one day. 

After the Giro came the traditional succession of three smaller stage races ideal for preparation for Le Tour. In each of them a host of other names got to work - in the Criterium du Dauphine, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Belgium.

The Criterium was dominated by 2022 Tour champion the Dane Jonas Vingegard who seemed to do as he pleased. “Oh, gawd, I’m clear again! Oh, well, might as well keep on going….”

Clearly he is on form to defend his Tour title with this display, winning two stages and cruising to the overall win with studied indifference.

Sadly for the armchair fan, no one else got a look in as Adam Yates took second overall.  Probably reasoned it was no use busting a gut.  Save that for next month! “See you in the Puy du Dom in July, Jonas!”

Afterall, they are playing the long game in these shorter stage races, looking for form rather than to keep me entertained by flogging themselves daft.

We must always read between the lines.

And now here is another Dane on the rise, Mattiias Jensen Skjelmose of Trek, 22, winner of the Suisse tour. It is his first World Tour race win. Second overall was Juan Ayuso of UAE, winner of the final stage time trial.

Evenepoele was second in the TT taking third overall, while Skjelmose placed third in the TT.

Evenpoele also won the previous day’s road stage with a lone breakaway.

And let’s not forget another top Belgian, Wout Van Aert, who took the points jersey in the Suisse Tour.

The Suisse tour, however, will be remembered for the tragic death of a national hero, Gino Mäder who crashed on a mountain descent on stage five and who died from his injuries the day after.

Finally, the Tour of Belgium, providing another Tour contender with a work out, Holland’s Mathieu Van der Poel who took overall victory.

The Belgian race provided the usual cut and thrust attacking and for added tension, the cross winds played havoc and split the peloton asunder, always great TV.

Last but not least there is Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, unbeatable when on form.

Will he bid for his third Tour de France victory after losing last year to Vingegard?

That may be a big ask, for he was been out of racing for a  long time since breaking his wrist in the spring classic Liege Bastogne Liege and will have raced only twice before Le Tour.