This
story broke recently but I’ve only just caught up with it.
World
Road Champion Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates XRG team have had
exclusive use of a new nutritional drink which it is claimed will dramatically enhance
performance and recovery as riders approach the most demanding part of the race.
The
story (see link) Pogacar’s
new Tour fuel sounds like doping - but it is not banned - Lentedesportiva
is all
over the internet news feeds.
Yet I’ve
yet to see it included in any reports of the Tour de France Pogacar is on
course to win for a record-equalling fifth time on Sunday.
And it
is not illegal. It is not considered doping.
But
does it explain why Pogacar, acknowledged as a supremely talented athlete, can
so often ride everyone off his wheel and win when he chooses too?
Is it
this drink I saw him copiously pouring down his throat on Friday’s stage,
moments before he attacked?
The drink
is made by Enervit and is said to be a powdered mix containing sodium lactacte.
When mixed with water it aims to provide extra fuel providing immediate effect.
Meanwhile,
back on the road.
We have been
enthralled by two of the most dramatic stages of Le Tour, stages 19 and 20 over
the steepest alpine roads, both taking in the feared ascent of L’Alpe d'Huez.
Pogacar
wiped out the opposition to win stage 19 and take his first win at L’Alpe d'Huez..
It was mid stage when Pogacar and he UAE Team Emirates-XRG team began to
dismantle the seven minutes plus lead established by a 40-plus breakaway group.
The most active of that group was Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) the
USA's Sepp Kuss of Visa-Lease-a-Bike and Carapaz of EF Education.
All of them looked set to battle for victory as they began Alpe d'Huez's legendary
twisting ribbons of tarmac lined by tens of thousands of mad fans running into
the road.
But Pogacar killed that idea, when he launched himself in pursuit at the foot of the
21-hairpin climb, beating the Italian legend, the late Marco Pantani’s record
for the ascent, with a time of 35 minutes 27 seconds, dodging fans and sweeping
past everyone ahead of him.
When he caught his team mate Adam Yates, who had been riding as a “satellite”
in that lead group, Yates immediately took up the pace-making for a couple of kilometres,
to allow Pogacar some respite before going on alone.
Pogacar finished six seconds ahead of France's Lenny Martinez of
Bahrain-Victorious, with Ecuador's in-form Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost,
who won
Thursday's stage to Orcieres Merlette, third a
further three seconds behind.
That increased Pogacar’s overall advantage to seven minutes 11 seconds
ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenpoele of
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Pogacar's
Mexican team-mate Isaac del Toro remained third and in the white young riders'
classification leader's jersey - nine minutes 42 seconds down.
On stage
20, won by Ricard Carapaz, Pogacar
instead of challenging for the win paced and encouraged his Mexican team-mate
Del Torro to make sure Del Torro conceded no time to France’s revelation, the
19-year-old Paul Seixas lying one place
behind overall, fourth.
This was the “Queen Stage” which had an extra 2000 metres of climbing –
including the highest, the Col du Galibier before the field again climbed the
dreaded Alpe. Most expected Pogacar to go for back to back wins.
It didn’t turn out like that, as Carapaz took a deserved and thrilling
victory after the leader on the road the American
Sepp Kuss fell on a bend in the closing kilometres.
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