The Tour de France followers were licking their chops at the dawn of this third week, undecided as rarely with ten small seconds difference between the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard and his runner-up Tadej Pogacar. But that was before the Dane left everyone on the buttocks this Tuesday during the 22 kilometer time trial which linked Passy to Combloux. The many runners questioned after passing gave the Slovenian a slight advantage. Missed. There was no match, the clock turning to a demonstration in proportions that no one had dared to imagine.
In the lead from the first intermediate score with 16 seconds ahead of Pogacar, Vingegaard has taken time, meter after meter. Ultra aggressive in his trajectories, especially on the descents, the Dane left nothing to chance. The gallery of his following car was lined with mounts, just to favor the aerodynamic effect. He also had the merit of adopting the strategy that seemed the right one by keeping his time trial bike, where his rival chose to take a classic road bike at the foot of the Domancy hill – as from other riders, including those of the Groupama-FDJ formation.
“I even thought my power meter was broken”
From there to sticking 1’38” to Tadej Pogacar and 2’51” to Wout van Aert, in just 22 kilometers? “Nobody expected that”, as Marc Madiot admitted on RMC on arrival. “The course, they recognized it in the same way, they have the same tools. It was not the knowledge of the course that could play, explained the former runner Cyrille Guimard on the same antenna. When you look at the gap over 22 kilometers, it’s stratospheric, it reminds me of the gaps that Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault or Jacques Anquetil could make at the time. We are on to something that no one could have predicted. »
The performance blew everyone away. Moreover, ASO had not considered such a pace, Vingegaard having finished three minutes before the fastest time expected by the organizer. A crazy average of 41.227 km / h, against 39.260 km / h for his dolphin. “I was sending very high watts, I even thought my power meter was broken, confided the yellow jersey, also amazed by his performance. It’s the biggest time trial I’ve ever done. I’m really proud. I surprised myself, I didn’t expect to do so well. »
The specter of doubt
The Dane stuck more than four seconds per kilometer to Pogacar. The addition rises to more than seven seconds per kilometer for Wout van Aert, one of the best riders on the planet, who benefits from the same working conditions since he also evolves at Jumbo-Visma. Vertiginous, even stupefying, will say the teasing spirits. “I am the best of normal people,” smiled the Belgian. “I don’t remember any time trial where the winner takes 4.5 seconds per km in second,” tweeted Michael Rasmussen, who admitted to doping between 1998 and 2010.
The former Secretary of State for Sports, Thierry Braillard, was also skeptical on social networks: “The most embarrassing moment of this Tour. No one can find it normal at this level, despite the nutrition, despite the equipment, despite everything you want. The supremacy of Vingegaard and Pogacar, clearly in another galaxy than the rest of the peloton, already raised questions.
The amazing time taken by the Dane will obviously bring up new questions. Pogacar answered it during the rest day: “I understand the suspicions, this question comes up every year. I don’t see any differences compared to other years. We do our best, we give everything at every stage. We know everything that happened a few years ago, so I understand. »
Same story in the mouth of Vingegaard on Sunday. “I completely understand the questions about this because of the past of our sport. It’s even good to be skeptical because otherwise it will happen again. All I can say is that I’m not taking anything,” he said. “Equipment, nutrition, training, everything has changed and that explains why performance is improving. Improvements, of course, but how far? Given the proportions, the yellow jersey will have to get used to being followed by these questions.