In the last few hours, Basque society has been able to gauge the dimension of the Grand Depart Pays Basque, the event that has dominated the local news agenda in recent weeks. The departure of the Tour from Bilbao and the dispute of three stages in Basque territory have caused a real landing that, despite the inevitable drawbacks, generates an unusual illusion. In the midst of this climate of expectation, two riders are in the spotlight in the hours before the start of the race this Saturday: Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. The Dane and the Slovenian acknowledge that they will look at each other "constantly" and set their sights on a promising first week of the race.
The organization of the Tour reserved for both cyclists the time of honor in the press conferences prior to the start of the race, just before the presentation of the teams at the Guggenheim Museum, an event clouded by rain, but full of surprises such as the participation by Miguel Indurain. Pogacar appeared first and wanted to clear up doubts about the physical state in which he arrives after his wrist fracture in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “Wrist feel is good when I'm on the bike. Mobility is 60-70%, and it doesn't bother me during training. The preparation has been a bit different, but I have good legs and I hope to be ready. At the level of mentality, in addition, I feel super good, ”he declared.
Pogacar places Vingegaard as a rival to beat and also as a favorite to be crowned in Paris, although he reiterates that he is prepared for a duel that, he presumes, will start from the first stage: “It is a very explosive stage. I don't think there can be more than 10-15 riders in the leading group. In general, the first week of the race is very demanding and I have been very motivated since the route was known”.
The current champion of the French round, Jonas Vingegaard, appeared accompanied by Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte, colleagues in the Jumbo, and did not shy away from the duel with the Slovenian. “It doesn't really matter who is the favourite, I think we're going to be looking at each other a lot during the race. I can say that he (Pogacar) is the favorite and he that I am. It doesn't matter. I have the feeling that he is going to attack from the beginning, like last year, and I have to be prepared for that and to give my best”, he indicated.
The Danish cyclist pointed out that he arrives "in good shape" after "several months totally focused on training, nutrition and arriving at the Tour in optimal condition". His exhibition last year promises a relentless duel that, with a particularly tough start, will begin to take shape tomorrow.
