"It would be arrogant to say that the Tour has been ridden" - Jose de Cauwer refuses to rule out a Tadej Pogacar comeback

The third edition of the Maillot Jaune battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard turn a potentially definitive turn on stage 5 of the Tour de France as the Jumbo-Visma launched a brutal attack. According to Jose de Cauwer however, the fight is far from over.

"We are still talking about Pogacar, aren't we," Spora analyst de Cauwer tells the website as part of his 2023 Tour de France analysis. "It would be arrogant to say that the Tour has been ridden. But it is of course something that will hit hard mentally. Vingegaard was just stronger today. And the wrist has nothing to do with condition. That's not the story today."

One thing that de Cauwer was slightly critical of in regards to Jumbo-Visma was their tactics to put three riders up the road in the breakaway. "Those men in the front were unable to do what was intended," says De Cauwer. "Tiesj Benoot was the last one in the front, but Vingegaard just passed him a kilometre before the top."

"He was great and shows that he is the only leader in the team," continues the experienced analyst. "And he therefore did not need a master plan from Jumbo-Visma. Man to man, the Dane was simply better than Pogacar."

The Tour de France is no longer all about the Pogacar/Vingegaard dual though. A new horse has entered the race, BORA - hansgrohe's Australian leader, Jai Hindley.

"It's a nice name and a nice yellow jersey. He can certainly become the third dog in the story. But it is also a nice bonus for Jumbo-Visma that they don't have to lead tomorrow," de Cauwer concludes before finally casting his eye towards another day in the Pyrenees on stage 6. "He's going to sting, I think. He'll definitely try something. And the finish is at the top of a climb, so Pogacar won't be able to count on help on the descent like today."