In the first hilltop finish of the 2022 Tour, on the Superplanche des Belles Filles, Tadej Pogacar once again demonstrated his desire for victory and his intention to mark the hierarchy to unsuspected limits. It seems that his rivals are beginning to fear his reaction and only Vingegaard dared to stand up to him. The Slovenian from the UAE Emirates managed to catch up with the Dane in the final metres, driving him over the line and giving him a challenging look before taking victory, his eighth in three Tours.
He was the best among the favorites in the time trial, again on the cobbles and now in the first hilltop finish of the 2022 Tour. Who can threaten Tadej Pogacar and, above all, where? Yesterday he showed a cannibalistic instinct not to allow anyone, least of all a direct rival, to step on the finish line ahead of him. Maybe on a sweltering hot day...
Hierarchy is no longer discussed in the Jumbo: if anyone can tickle the leader it's none other than Vingegaard. At La Planche he was the only one who dared to dispute Pogacar's superiority, but he drowned a handful of meters from the finish. When he crossed the line he practically collapsed, exhausted. And shake. But the Tour needs these brave men.
He already warned that his thing is not to attack madly and less because the press or social networks demand it. But he pays for his gray initial time trial, but remains faithful to his little ant tactic and has already slipped into the top 10. At the moment the list of contenders for the podium is still very high. Will have to keep stocking.
The winner of the 2018 Tour keeps intact the illusion, the capacity for suffering and the intelligence in the race. Four of the top ten in the general standings belong to Ineos, team leader in a tough fight with Jumbo, but the best placed is this 36-year-old Welshman who is reluctant to move to a second level.
He defended excellently on the cobblestone and in the first uphill finish he held on with the stronger ones almost to the end, when he had to bow his head and give in slightly. It seems that he is very alone in the team, although the Colombian veteran has always known how to move on his own.
