The 2023 Tour de France has more than lived up to the hype so far with just 10 seconds all that separates Maillot Jaune, Jonas Vingegaard and his closest rival, Tadej Pogacar. Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma teammate Tiesj Benoot however, has criticised the amount of bonus seconds that have been available throughout the race.
As mentioned, just 10 seconds are between the two main contenders for the Yellow Jersey. Had bonus seconds not been involved however, this gap would stretch to 28 seconds in Vingegaard's favour. Not a massive difference admittedly, but when every second counts, those 18 extra seconds gained by Pogacar could prove incredibly vital.
"In my opinion bonuses are not necessary for an attractive Tour. Sometimes I think they are even a brake on an attractive course, especially on the road. There are days when we tried to give away those bonuses," says Benoot in a rest day interview with Sporza. "For the spectators it is very nice and exciting that there is practically no difference. It is of course more pleasant for us to go into the last week with a bigger lead."
Next up for the riders is a potentially decisive individual time-trial, followed by a mountainous challenge on stage 17. "We're going to see differences in that anyway. And on Wednesday too, those differences can be greater than the last mountain stages," evaluates Benoot. “It will be by far the hardest ride I will ever have done. Not only in the Tour, but in all the rounds that I have already ridden. It really is a monster stage."
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