Thijs Zonneveld sees stage 6 as "a very good opportunity for Jumbo-Visma to give Pogacar another slap"

After the fireworks of stage 5 at the 2023 Tour de France, stage is poised for more of the same as the race takes on another day in the Pyrenees. According to Thijs Zonneveld, Jumbo-Visma should be looking to land another blow on Tadej Pogacar.

"It's shorter, there are more altimeters and the mountains are closer together," says the 42-year-old on his podcast, In Het Wiel. Before stage 5, Zonneveld pointed out that Pogacar's Achilles heel, if he has one, is the longer climbs and that proved true on stage 5. "The Aspin and the Tourmalet come immediately after each other and the Cauterets also arrive very quickly after the Tourmalet. So it's even worse for the sprinters. I think they're lucky to have at least some run-up. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to arrive on time."

Looking ahead to another day of battle for the Maillot Jaune, Zonneveld wants to see Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma pick up where they left off on stage 5. "This stage is a very good opportunity for Jumbo-Visma to give Pogacar another slap on the ears," he proclaims. "We have seen that Vingegaard is a lot better than Pogacar."

"BORA-hansgrohe has the jersey, so Jumbo-Visma does not even have to lead," he continues. "Moreover, they can also simply send riders to the front again. And on the other hand, it is always an option to ride hard in the front of the peloton and then choose the attack when everyone is completely broken."