After a first “week” very intense, the time has come to draw up a first picture of the forces present and the riders and formations to follow for the rest of the Tour in the fight for the yellow jersey.
Primož Roglič, the big boss
There is no doubt after these 9 first steps that the leader of the yellow and black of the Jumbo Visma is in excellent condition. Never put in trouble, whether at Orcieres Merlette where he won, but also in Peyresourde or this Sunday in the Col de Marie Blanque, it is above all the mastery and control that have marked the spirits on the side of the Slovenian. Delaying the taking of the yellow jersey as much as possible in order to avoid exhausting protocols after each stage, it is now a very solid leader who leads the dance, supported by an exceptional team, with above all a dazzling Wout Van Aert on all terrains. The other great information at Jumbo Visma, of course, it is undoubtedly the sacrifice of Tom Dumoulin for his teammate, became its leader by force of circumstance. Probably too short, the Dutchman has chosen collective play to ensure victory for his team, a very humble choice on his part. Clear, the hierarchy is now well established and the team seems perfectly capable of supporting the weight of the race, something that she finally already started doing even before taking the yellow jersey. But the cautious attitude of the Slovenian champion could also play tricks on him, if the form were to fail him in the last days, which would not fail to make him regret his lack of aggressiveness in the first week.
Tadej Pogacar, the neophyte without complex
It is another Slovenian who distinguished himself on the key stages of this start of the Tour. Tadej Pogacar discovers the Grande Boucle, but don't have cold feet. Second at Orcieres Merlette after a superb comeback in the last kilometer, before going on the offensive in the Col de Peyresourde, and to do it again the next day by triggering hostilities in the Col de Marie Blanque, with a stage win. An almost perfect start to the Tour, with the only downside its big loss of time on the curb stage, which ultimately may have given him more freedom to express his attacking temperament. A temperament and a sparkling form that seem to make it the number one rival 1 the Primoz Roglici, despite being behind in the standings (7and to 44 seconds). One of the key men in the scenario of this Tour without a doubt…
Guillaume Martin and Romain Bardet, the French at ease at home
We were expecting Julian Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot, it is finally Romain Bardet and Guillaume Martin who will have to be followed on this Grande Boucle. The two men never cease to amaze on the mountainous courses, with a very successful move to Orcieres Merlette for Guillaume Martin, 3e of the step. A sensation that was quickly confirmed on the slopes of Peyresourde, where Guillaume Martin seemed to have ants in his legs, while Romain Bardet, marked by his fall, still managed to keep up the pace to finally regain a few seconds in the yellow jersey Adam Yates. Things got tough on Sunday, with the stratospheric start of the Slovenians, accompanied by Mikel Landa and Egan Bernal, which put the two men in difficulty, without collapsing. A management that allows them to place themselves in 3rd and 4th places in the general classification after the Pyrenees, about thirty seconds from the yellow jersey. An ascending shape could well allow one or the other to do well on the alpine crossing.
Colombians in the know, Bernal advances under the radar
Colombia will be one of the three major nations to follow on this Tour, no doubt. If the Slovenians and, to a lesser extent, the French, seem perfectly in tune, Colombia completes the table and plays in excess. Egan Bernal, in the lead, finally holds the course at Ineos, while concern reigned after his Dauphiné completed before its end. Grimacing and head down in Orcieres Merlette and in Peyresourde, he wasted no time in the end, while it is a metamorphosed Bernal who stood up on the pedals in Marie Blanque alongside the best. White jersey on the back, We'll probably see him again later., although his team is not as sharp as in the past. Facing him, his compatriots Rigoberto Uran and Nairo Quintana font figure of beautiful surprises. Nairo's fall had raised some concerns ahead of the start, and Rigoberto's references since the covers did not necessarily suggest such a state of form. The leader of the Arkea team managed to accompany the best on Saturday in the Col de Peyresourde, staying further back in the Col de Marie Blanque. For the leader in EF training, discretion is an asset that he knows how to use to his advantage, evolving at its own pace but very close to the best. Three Colombians therefore at the forefront, a nice group shot just waiting to be completed.
Landa, Yates, Lopez, Porte… Outsiders ?
The talent of Mikel Landa is well established. Excellent as soon as the road rises, he again showed himself to his advantage in this first week, despite his loss of time on the edges. Only runner able to accompany the Bernal trio / Roglic / Pogacar this Sunday, there is no doubt that Spanish is on point, with a position that can be advantageous in the general classification (10e at 1’42”). Du côté by Miguel Angel López, it is a more mixed opinion that one can issue, because we did not necessarily expect to see him in difficulty in the Col de Marie Blanque. A decent but not necessarily impressive start to the Tour, hard to imagine him playing the leading roles, unless you get in good shape over the days. Adam Yates, when with him, has been “constrained” to play the overall game after the penalty imposed on Julian Alaphilippe, which allowed him to wear the yellow jersey. Quite comfortable the first few days, his loss of time yesterday seems to mark a setback for the British, who do we remember, had announced its desire to play the stages. Finally, Richie Porte, somewhat outdated in recent years, showed an excellent level yesterday, only rider able to catch up with the leading men on the final climb, before being caught by the pursuers. A man to follow with attention, especially when you know his qualities against the clock…
An already clear hierarchy ? Hard to say…
How to summarize this first intermediate point ? It's finally simple, the big fight hasn't really started yet. Everyone seems to want to hide their game, leave the responsibility to another, despite a first test on Sunday. Primož Roglič, Egan Bernal and Tadej Pogacar seem the most comfortable at the moment, more Mikel Landa, Guillaume Martin, Romain Bardet and Nairo Quintana can't be ruled out on a race that looks pretty open at the moment. Rigoberto Uran, Miguel Angel López and Richie Porte still seem able to play spoilsport, just like Adam Yates, but could quickly disappear from the radar when hostilities are launched.
The big losers
The list of losers is finally quite short. 9 difficult stages that will have done damage, especially with this terrible first day which will have been marked by many falls. First runner knocked out in the race for the general, Emanuel Buchmann had announced before the Tour that he was not at the start in the best conditions after his fall on the Dauphiné. No surprise therefore for the German, nor finally for Thibaut Pinot, fell the first day in the final and marked on the back since, forced to let go of the best on Saturday. But Henry, but also Tom Dumoulin and Richard Carapaz were forced to withdraw from the fight by force of circumstance, with a level of form that does not allow them to nurture great ambitions. A first selection which will also have dismissed Pavel Sivakov, not really a leader but who could have given his condition, allow the Ineos team to cover their tracks. Julian Alaphilippe, great animator of the Tour 2019, has also chosen to favor the stages, probably to preserve themselves for the worlds.
