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Primoz Roglic ought to discover a way to end his Slovenian rival Tadej Pogacar from winning the Tour de France for the third straight time.
While Pogacar continues to be the business race favorite, Roglic eyes a hat trick of French wins this 12 months when the three-week race commences in Denmark on Friday. It finishes in Paris on July 24.
Roglic won the Criterium du Dauphine stage race this thirty day period to increase to his spectacular victory at the Paris-Nice in March.
Roglic was brilliantly aided at the Dauphine by his Jumbo-Visma teammate Jonas Vingegaard, a climbing ace who is also fast. Vingegaard was visibly moved when Danish lovers chanted his name at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen on Wednesday. They will cheer him all over again in Friday’s opening time demo about Denmark’s funds city.
Jumbo-Visma has Vingegaard, past year’s Tour runner-up, as a co-leader in case Roglic fades, while Pogacar stays the outright No. 1 on the UAE Staff Emirates lineup.
“It is a big difference obtaining two compared to 1. A lot can transpire in the Tour, you will find so much stress,” Vingegaard stated. “We seriously want to go with two leaders and we consider we can challenge Pogacar.”
They bonded at the Dauphine by sharing beers following phases on the hotel balcony.
“Jonas is super robust, we’re strong independently, and so the whole staff is solid,” Roglic insisted. “We are tremendous fantastic friends.”
Roglic winner of 3 straight Vueltas
Roglic has received the past 3 Spanish Vueltas, but is extensively remembered for his soul-crushing defeat to Pogacar on the 2020 Tour.
Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk and American Sepp Kuss will pull in the mountains to assistance Roglic. Meanwhile, teammate Wout van Aert eyes the inexperienced jersey for most effective sprinter. But the one particular-working day classics professional and former cyclo-cross globe winner is nursing a sore kneecap.
“Every thing associated to pedalling is not definitely excellent,” reported Van Aert, who received a prestigious phase up the overwhelming Mont Ventoux on final year’s race.
One more danger is Australian rider Ben O’Connor, who concluded fourth in 2021 and is not hiding his ambitions.
“Very last 12 months was a breakthrough, now it really is crystal clear which route I’m aiming for,” the AG2R Citroen rider reported.
Route
The race options the return of Paris-Roubaix’s cobblestones and six mountain levels with 5 summit finishes, together with the famed Alpe d’Huez ascent with its 21 hairpins.
Prior to reaching the heights, the peloton discovers Copenhagen’s Tiny Mermaid throughout Friday’s 13-kilometre clock race.
“I’m super very pleased to be here,” Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang reported. “Happy to show my teammates and other riders what great folks are listed here in Denmark.”
The next stage is for sprinters, 202 kilometres from the port city of Roskilde to Nyborg in central Denmark.
It could be windy, like Stage 3, which begins from Vejle on the Jutland Peninsula and ends in Sonderborg in southern Denmark after 182 kilometres of flats.
Right after a vacation working day, riders deal with on Tuesday five little climbs on the route from the French coastal town of Dunkerque to Calais.
Treacherous cobbles follow on Phase 5 and then a mountaintop end at the Planche des Belles Filles awaits on Phase 7. Pogacar grabbed the yellow jersey there in 2020 by crushing Roglic in a remarkable time demo on the eve of the finish.
The Pyrenees have daunting climbs to Peyragudes ski resort and Hautacam.
The penultimate stage is an fascinating 41-kilometre time demo to the clifftop village of Rocamadour in south-central France.
The women’s Tour commences from the Eiffel Tower on July 24 and has 8 levels, together with a prestigious complete at Planche des Belles Filles.
Annemiek van Vleuten of the Movistar workforce will be amid the contenders. She has three planet championships and an Olympic gold medal in time demo, alongside with lots of one-working day titles.
COVID chaos
COVID-19 triggered chaos at the Tour de Suisse two weeks back with 3 groups and about 30 riders pulling out.
Among the them was British rider Adam Yates, the Ineos Grenadiers crew leader. He’s racing in this article but nonetheless regaining his energy.
“I experienced a appropriate fever and chills,” he said.
Riders and workers experienced to present a adverse antigen take a look at two days before the start out and ought to choose an antigen test on relaxation days.
In a tough blow for Pogacar’s staff, Matteo Trentin — who has won at least one particular phase on each and every of the 3 Grand Excursions — examined beneficial. He was replaced by Marc Hirschi.
Jumbo-Visma supervisor Merijn Zeeman also tested positive on Wednesday and is isolating just before signing up for up. However, two or more beneficial assessments no more time guide to computerized staff exclusion.
“Groups will be a lot less pressured,” 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas said. “Visualize possessing the [yellow] jersey, two go optimistic, and you all have to go residence.”
The QuickStep-AlphaVinyl group changed Tim Declercq just after he examined beneficial. French winner Florian Senechal took his slot around Mark Cavendish.
Despite the fact that Fabio Jakobsen previously had the sprinting slot, it seemed a snub for Cavendish, who received four stages and the environmentally friendly jersey previous 12 months. He needed one particular far more get to shift past Eddy Merckx and established an all-time document of 35 Tour stage wins.
QuickStep will also be without having two-time globe champion Julian Alaphilippe, but that is since he has not entirely recovered in the two months due to the fact his horrific crash at Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Meanwhile, the Bahrain Victorious group was raided by law enforcement for the next time this 7 days on Thursday.
The workforce explained hotel rooms and autos of riders and personnel in suburban Copenhagen were searched by Danish officers, and they totally cooperated. Immediately after two hrs no things have been seized.
