Visma-Lease a Bike remains combative, but the Dutch team had a dramatic day in the Tour de France on Thursday. Leader Jonas Vingegaard lost a lot of time to an unapproachable Tadej Pogacar, while shadow leader Matteo Jorgenson fell far behind in the standings.
Vingegaard pulls on a dry shirt after the finish of the twelfth Tour stage in front of a battery of cameras. The Dane turns around and starts the way back to the Visma-Lease a Bike team bus. He is not in the mood for interviews for a while.
Three years ago, Vingegaard and his team experienced a highlight on the Hautacam. With a lot of help from Wout van Aert, Vingegaard then took the stage win on the difficult Pyrenean col, securing his first Tour victory.
There were no fond memories on Thursday. Pogacar rode no less than two minutes and ten seconds away from Vingegaard on the Hautacam. In the standings, the Slovenian now has a lead of 3.35 minutes over his big rival.
“Of course we didn’t hope to lose two minutes,” said first team leader Grischa Niermann of Visma-Lease a Bike after the stage to the NOS. “But we have to live with it. The conclusion is that Pogacar was clearly the strongest. He was in a class of his own.”
Fast climbing time Pogacar
Tadej Pogacar took 35 minutes and 8 seconds on Thursday to complete the 13.5 kilometer climb of the Hautacam. In Tour history, only Bjarne Riis in 1996 was faster: 34.40 minutes. In 2022, Jonas Vingegaard set a climbing time of 36.34 minutes. Now he was on top of the Hautacam after 37.18 minutes.
Visma-Lease a Bike collectively has a lesser day
Visma-Lease a Bike did try it in the Pyrenean stage. The team ensured a high pace in the group with favorites on the Col du Soulor, the second to last climb of the day. The problem was that Jorgenson had to let go as a result. The American was number five in the standings and had to play an important role in cracking Pogacar.
“I have no excuses for my performance. I just had a very bad day,” Jorgenson told Sporza. He lost ten minutes to Pogacar and is no longer a threat to the yellow jersey in the standings. “I already knew it from the start. I ran completely empty on the last climb.”
In one fell swoop, Visma-Lease a Bike has a large deficit from Vingegaard in the standings and no extra trump card. There are nine more stages and many tough mountain stages to come, but beating Pogacar already seems an almost impossible task.
“We will certainly remain combative,” said Niermann. “There is still a lot to come in this Tour. But we are facing a considerable deficit today, we have to be honest. The strongest man is currently in the yellow jersey.”
Pogacar’s team was stronger than Visma
Against expectations, Pogacar also had the strongest team in the first real mountain stage of this Tour. Even without João Almeida, who stepped down, the Slovenian still had two helpers (Jhonatan Narváez and Adam Yates) with him at the foot of the final climb. Vingegaard was already alone at that time. Visma climbers Simon Yates and Sepp Kuss, like Jorgenson, did not have their best day.
“We wanted to start on the Soulor today. And then exploit our surplus later,” Kuss told the NOS. “Maybe our tactics were too aggressive for the legs we had, but you can’t predict that.”
“Ultimately, a different strategy wouldn’t have made much difference. Pogacar has shown that he has the power to answer all attacks.”
Pogacar will have another chance to gain time on Friday. The thirteenth stage is a tough time trial of 10.9 kilometers to the Peyragudes ski resort.