It starts to sparkle at the Annemasse exit before the 14th stage of the Tour. But Tadej Pogacar goes to the signature control and the presentation of his team wearing a cooling vest. He is black. He can barely see, below, the white jersey that distinguishes him as the best youngster. Minutes later Vingegaard appears with a similar garment.
Control of body temperature is one of the obsessions of the two Tour champions. In the UAE, Pogacar's team believe that the Danish Jumbo's better tolerance to high temperatures was one of the key details in the 2022 edition, in which Vingegaard defeated the Slovenian.
In the whole of the Emirates they have taken action on the matter like ice tubs just after the stages for their leader. “Every year that passes I perform better in the heat, although it is not something I like. I don't like running at 35 degrees when I have to climb climbs,” she says.
It's not the only way they're beating the heat. In the mountain stages, as the decisive climbs approach, Pogacar's teammates in the peloton are seen throwing water at his head and neck to keep him cool. “I am hydrating and refreshing more. My colleagues help me a lot. There is a great organization to distribute many drums. It is a key in which we have improved a lot”, highlights the Slovenian.
In the UAE they have even given cyclists open water cans so that they do not have to make efforts to pour the contents on their faces and bodies. Pogacar, if the stage ends on a hill, that is to say that there is no danger in a descent, he decides to take off his gloves to be more comfortable.
They are details in which small profits are sought. But above all, a lot of self-criticism has been made about the way in which they managed the duel with Vingegaard last year. After Pogacar's collapse in the Granon, the Slovenian, winner of the 2020 and 2021 Tours, attacked at the slightest opportunity he had. In Alpe d'Huez, Mende, on the Mur de Péguère, going up, down, with more than 100 km to go… “Last years I made stupid moves. This year I am more controlled, I am closer and I am saving all the bombs to launch them in an attack, ”he admits.
"But it is also true that it is a different situation because last year it was much further away." Now the difference is 10 seconds in favor of Vingegaard, who in 2022 left the Alps with 2m22s over his great rival. And it seems that the tactic was working for him (in Cauterets or the Puy de Dôme) until the Alps arrived.
This is the third year in a row that both have met in a period duel. They are not tired of facing each other yet. “I don't think about it, I live in the moment. We are pushing each other, ourselves, our teams. I enjoy the battle with him. It's already three years. I respect this battle with Vingegaard very much, ”he points out about the challenge of having so much equality.
Sometimes it even seems that they are playing with each other, to mislead, to cause an error in the rival or to destabilize it. “It may also be a psychological battle but Jonas doesn't seem very nervous in the pack. He is very strong this year, ”he sums up. This is how Pogacar is on the rest day and before the only time trial of this edition, less heated than ever.
