Tour de France: Lafay wins stage 2 - Pogacar collects seconds
DPA
· 02.07.2023
Eleven seconds in a duel with Vingegaard and the yellow jersey on his team-mate's shoulders: superstar Tadej Pogacar has made a perfect start to the 2023 Tour de France and has dispelled any doubts about his form.
Tour de France 2023: Poker of seconds between Tadej Pogacar & Jonas Vingegaard
In the seconds poker in the Basque Country, an aggressive Tadej Pogacar put his great rival and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard under a lot of pressure. On the super-difficult first two stages of the 110th Tour de France, the two-time champion from Slovenia collected eleven bonus seconds with two third places and wiped away all doubts about his form after the two-month break.
In addition, Pogacar's team-mate Adam Yates took the yellow jersey with his opening victory, which he successfully defended on the second stage on Sunday when Frenchman Victor Lafay won the stage in atmospheric San Sebastian. A perfect start for Pogacar and Co.
Pogacar satisfied with his form
"The hand felt good. My engine is starting slowly. I'm very happy with my form," said the 24-year-old professional cyclist, who had fixed his wrist with a black tape due to the still unhealed scaphoid fracture. However, the injury, which he sustained at the end of April in the spring classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège, has obviously not hindered him. Pogacar immediately went on the attack on the rollercoaster ride through the Basque mountains, even though Vingegaard showed no weakness on the steepest ramps and always stayed on the back wheel.
Vingegaard stays cool
Vingegaard, who is at a disadvantage in the direct duel with Pogacar due to his lack of explosiveness, reacted accordingly calmly. "The Tour will probably not be decided by seconds. We are on course. You can't always win," emphasised the 26-year-old at the start. He sees his chance on the long climbs in the high mountains.
Until then, Pogacar took every opportunity to make up some time. He secured four seconds on the second stage over 208.9 kilometres from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian by finishing third behind Lafay and the Belgian Wout van Aert, and he also won the mountain sprint on the Jaizkibel ahead of Vingegaard, which earned him a further three seconds over the Dane. Pogacar had already finished third in Bilbao on Saturday.
However, the German professional cyclists only played a minor role at the cycling party in the Basque Country. Georg Zimmermann narrowly missed out on the mountain jersey at the start and refrained from further attacks on Sunday. He had not done his homework, complained Zimmermann, who was too late in the sprint for the mountain points on the decisive climb. The best German in the overall standings is former Tour fourth-placed Emanuel Buchmann, who finished 15th with the group of favourites on Sunday.
Emanuel Buchmann attacks in the finale of stage 2
The German champion even attacked for a short time. "I wanted to see if anyone was riding with me. The stage confirmed that my legs are quite good," said Buchmann, who currently has to make do with the role of helper for Australian captain Jai Hindley in the Bora-Hansgrohe team.
The 2022 Giro d'Italia winner is aiming for the podium in Paris, which under normal circumstances would mean third place. Two rivals in this endeavour have already had to say goodbye after the opening weekend. Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) suffered a fractured kneecap in a crash, while Vuelta runner-up Enric Mas (Movistar) broke his shoulder blade.
Cycling enthusiasm at the Tour de France in the Basque Country
However, the feared mass crashes did not materialise. After the death of Swiss rider Gino Mäder, who fell into a ravine during the Tour de Suisse in mid-June and died a day later, the Tour de France start was accompanied by safety debates.
The Tour was also accompanied on its guest appearance from Spain by hundreds of thousands of cycling fans, who created a great atmosphere on the climbs, such as in Alpe d'Huez or on the Tourmalet. "I rode up with a big grin and goose bumps," said veteran John Degenkolb.
Tour de France 2023 comes to France on stage 3
On Monday, the Tour will then set course for France on the third stage over 193.5 kilometres from Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne. This also increases the Tour organisers' security concerns. The unrest in France could also affect the most important sporting event in the Grande Nation by the time the seventh stage ends in Bordeaux on Friday. "We are monitoring developments closely and are in constant dialogue with the Ministry of the Interior," said Tour Director Christian Prudhomme. Security measures will then be increased during the stages.
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