Ripping the band-aid off Stage 15 right away, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar’s top competitor, has crashed out of the Tour de France.
Anyone who follows cycling knows how deep a wound this is for the competition. As Jonas Vingegaard was the only competitor to steal not one but two Tour de Frances from Tadej Pogacar’s powerful yet tyrannical reign.
What seemed like a simple enough day for the breakaway, turned ill, as before the final climb, the Tour’s second-place rider hit a curb on a simple right turn while leading the peloton.
Even as Jonas Vingegaard was over four and a half minutes behind the first-place Tadej Vingegaard, strategy was always on his side. Jonas and his team Visma had outwitted a young Tadej Pogacar before, so there was always hope for a comeback strategy.
Today we saw a valiant effort from the American Quinn Simmons who reached the early mountain peaks all alone, just to get caught by Tadej Pogacar, Isaac del Toro, and Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe with 4km’s to go.
Remco Evenepoel has had plenty to say about his competition throughout the years, only showing his power off at the Olympics, where Tadej Pogacar was absent.
Today in the final showdown between Tadej Pogacar, Isaac del Toro, and Remco Evenepoel, Tadej wanted Isaac to have the win, alas he was not strong enough. Remco flexed his powers to win an important victory.
Does Remco’s victory show a shift in competition ? Is there a threat to Tadej ?
