Why Tadej Pogacar did not defend his yellow jersey, taken up for a second by Mathieu Van der Poel

After grabbing the yellow jersey at the end of the 5th stage in Caen, Tadej Pogacar lost it for a second, without defending it on the 6th stage, between Bayeux and Vire.

For any cyclist, wearing the yellow jersey is a dream. Supreme happiness. But Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) is not just any cyclist. At 26, the world champion broke out the legendary knitting for the 41st time in his career, Thursday, July 10, after his coup on the Caen time trial, the day before. But he will have to wait a few more days to bring this figure to 42, since the Slovenian lost the yellow jersey without fighting, between Bayeux and Vire, for a small second. A reflected decision with numerous advantages.

“I am very happy to be yellow, but the race is very long by Paris, said the Slovenian on Wednesday, barely the yellow jersey put on. We will see if I keep the yellow tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The most important thing is to have it on the Champs-Elysées. ” This is how Mathieu Van der Poel recovered the leader's jersey, after carrying him from 3rd to the 5th stage, after his victory in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

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While Tadej Pogacar's teammates have long filtered the breakdown candidates in an damaged start to the stage, they gave a release voucher to Mathieu Van der Poel and other harmless runners in the general classification. The reason? The Dutchman does not represent, ultimately, a threat to the final victory. Clever, Raymond Poulidor's grandson had felt the right shot.

For Slovenian, the important thing is the purpose: “It will be a difficult tour of France, this year's journey is really intense. We must be careful all the time, because each step is nervous “, he said again on Wednesday.

“For the moment, our priority will be to keep the advance on our rivals in the general classification, and not necessarily the yellow jersey. We must remain calm and especially in control.”

Tadej Pogacar, after the 5th stage

“I don't know what can happen tomorrowanticipated the Slovenian in the streets of Caen. It could be a day for escaped, and maybe someone could come and take the yellow jersey “. A call of the foot perfectly heard by Mathieu Van der Poel. “This scenario, with Van der Poel ahead, went very well to UAE, especially since Pogacar and Van der Poel get very well in their privacy, even if they are rival during the classics”, Recalls Lilian Calmejane, consultant for franceinfo: sport.

“Pogacar wanted to leave yellow, but there is also a question of friendship between him and Mathieu van der Poel. If it had been a Visma runner who helped Vingegaard beat him two years ago, Pogacar would not have had the same reaction.”

Lilian Calmejane, former runner

In Franceinfo: Sport

At the end of forces in the final, the Dutchman, however, hoped, however, more than a second in advance to the general. Regardless for Tadej Pogacar: the result is the same. After getting rid of the polka dot jersey in Dunkirk, by sending his teammate Tim Wellens to take it, to escape the media protocol, the Slovenian gave this for yellow. “The yellow jersey implies a lot of pressure: to control the race every day, to be an end to all the press conferences for more than an hour each evening. It was an opportunity to spend three quiet days”, summarizes Lilian Calmejane, “UAE had decided to let the yellow jersey spin to be a little less under pressure for three days.”

“It is true that it is a little more responsibility, but not much either. Anyway, when you are on the Tour with Tadej Pogacar, the responsibility is already there. It's the outgoing winner, it's like that. And then it's better to be before being forced to attack”Nuanca Mauro Gianetti, sports director of Slovenian, in Caen on Wednesday. Before, too, to announce that his troops would not defend yellow between Bayeux and Vire: “The most important thing is to keep this advance on Evenepoel and Vingegaard. Afterwards, we don't have to keep yellow every day”

By voluntarily sacrificing his yellow jersey, Tadej Pogacar also left the field open to the other teams for the stage victory. One way, too, to buy social peace in the peloton, explains Lilian Calmejane: “For the overall well-being of the peloton, it's good to leave the other teams to win a bit. It is finely played. And with the yellow jersey at Alpecin, they have made allies for the next few days”. This voluntary passivity has also allowed him to save his teammates, they who will have to work to protect him from opposing attacks when the road will built up in the mountains. And in particular those of La Visma-Lease A Bike by Jonas Vingegaard, who (already) sent his teammates to the attack on Thursday.

“UAE had no runner in difficulty today. They were in a very comfortable position for choosing. For the moment, Pogacar is content from the minute taken the day before in Caen, and surely awaits Mûr-de-Bretagne and especially the Monday stage in Auvergne to go back to the attack”warns Lilian Calmejane. Because if he has abandoned the jersey, the Slovenian intends to put it back in the coming days. On the 2024 Tour, after adorning yellow at the evening of the second stage, Tadej Pogacar had already made this choice, leaving Richard Carapaz to take the leader's tunic … before recovering it the next day, for the benefit of a mountain route in the Alps. A scenario that could be repeated, with the double ascent of Mûr-de-Bretagne on Friday.