🇫🇷 #TDF2024 What a day 😶🌫️ @rogla finishes today’s rollercoaster stage in the yellow jersey group, maintaining fourth in GC.
Visma and Vingegaard's tactics save Primoz Roglic's dream of winning Tour de France - "At my age you are too old to be nervous"
CyclingTuesday, 09 July 2024 at 10:43
Stage 9 of the Tour de France turned out to be an all-time classic. Whilst almost the entire field of GC riders arrived to the finish line in Troyes together, in no way did that reflect the insane day of action from start to finish. Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar attacked Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike countless times, but the Dutch team's defensive strategy kept the race together; and Primoz Roglic saved a day of a lot of tension.
“Of course my experience helps. At my age you are too old to be nervous. I mean: you have to stay calm. And everyone did a great job. The stage is behind us now, now we have to look ahead to the next stages," Roglic said in words to FloBikes. “I once started cycling on the road. Now we sometimes do cobblestones, sometimes even gravel. There are always new experiences. It is nice to be part of that.”
The Slovenian was dropped on the second sector and immediately all alarms rang. The German team was under pressure and burned all matched to bring him back to the front - with Roglic himself closing the gap in the intermediate sprint. He was lucky that a full Visma did not commit in the front peloton not to distance him, but instead focused fully on Tadej Pogacar. Throughout the day Evenepoel and Pogacar attacked on several occasions and Roglic was on the back foot several times. But with Vingegaard not collaborating with the front groups, the GC riders would come back together for the final flat kilometers.
Roglic thus managed to save a day where Red Bull - BORA was not able to match rival teams and where minutes could've been lost if at any moment Visma or UAE fully dedicated themselves to leaving the Slovenian out of the fight for the race win. Into the second week, 1:36 minutes separate Roglic from the yellow jersey.
“I am certainly happy and proud of where I am. I gave everything I had. The guys ahead of me are simply stronger at the moment. But there are still two weeks to come, right? I just have to stay healthy. Then there will definitely be more opportunities," he concluded.
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- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
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- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024