Tadej Pogačar could also be sitting comfortably on the high of the Tour de France basic classification, however his group administration at UAE Workforce Emirates have warned that stage seven’s time trial may all of the sudden see the tables turned on the Slovenian.
After successful in Valloire on stage 4 with an assault on the slopes of the Col du Galibier, Pogačar at the moment has a buffer of 45 seconds over Soudal Fast-Step’s Remco Evenepoel, the wearer of the white jersey, and 50 seconds over final 12 months’s Tour winner, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard.
Pogačar dropped Vingegaard like a stone on the Galibier’s descent, though the Slovenian’s group administration worry that Vingegaard – and Evenepoel particularly – may claw again handfuls of time within the 25km race in opposition to the clock between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin.
“I feel the favorite is Remco Evenepoel for the time trial, he’s a rider with the situation for this course,” DS Matxin Fernandez instructed Biking Weekly in Dijon after stage six.
“Tadej will likely be combating for the perfect end result,” Fernandez added. “He has labored and labored and labored on his time trialling, he’s received the situation, he’s received a snug place, however I don’t know the way he’ll go compared to the favourites. I belief in Tadej however how he’ll fare in opposition to the remainder, I don’t know.
“I feel Remco appears good, motivated, I feel to be with the highest two on the Galibier will inspire him for a time trial, terrain he’s extra suited to.”
Pogačar had no hassle through the stage seven time trial within the Giro d’Italia, placing virtually two minutes into his rivals on the time, however Evenepoel – the reigning World Champion – was not current in Italy.
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Fernandez defined {that a} good day for Evenepoel may all of the sudden see Pogačar’s time hole drastically lowered.
He stated: “I feel 29-Half-hour for the winner. I feel round this margin [15-20 seconds between Remco and Pogačar] if all goes nicely, if there’s not any drawback, it ought to be round there. However a great day and good sensations for Tadej, he might be nearer; a extremely good day for Remco and it might be larger for him.”
Evenepoel on the San Luca climb throughout stage two in Bologna
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Evenepoel made clear that the group can be concentrating on the stage win on Friday, nothing much less, with Sunday’s stage on the gravel round Troyes to come back.
“I’m not eager about time gaps but,” Evenepoel instructed Biking Weekly. “I simply have a stage win in my thoughts. I’m simply absolutely targeted on the stage win after which the massive objective of this Tour de France will likely be achieved and after that if I get the win then we are going to see concerning the gaps. We’re specializing in the stage win.”
“For certain I’m higher than within the Critérium du Dauphiné. The final two days helped me to get better a bit from the onerous begin. At present was good to have some velocity within the legs, a bit like motor-pacing coaching, so I feel till right here it has been a reasonably good begin for us and tomorrow is the primary day I actually must attempt to go for the stage.”
“Remco has already performed the course, we all know the course, it’s no secret however everybody who’s bold for this course tomorrow has performed it,” Fast-Step DS Tom Steels instructed Biking Weekly. “It’s all about going as onerous as you possibly can and feeling your legs. It has already been a really powerful week however it’s the identical for everyone.
“I feel we’re going to go for the win, however as I say it’s as much as Remco to do as he at all times does in a TT – he has to remain calm, doesn’t must give attention to a Tour win or no matter, it comes or it doesn’t come. He simply has to do his TT as he at all times does after which he’s going to be superb.”
In the meantime Vingegaard will solely see the course for the primary time in particular person on Friday morning. Visma-Lease a Bike had been unable to recon the course with the Dane earlier this season resulting from his horror crash at Itzulia Basque Nation which left him closely injured.
Vingegaard additionally highlighted Evenepoel as the apparent favorite for the stage win.
“I have not seen the course but, solely on video,” the two-time winner stated. “I ought to have been there to do a recon of it however then I crashed and I could not do it. I’ve solely seen it on a video and I feel it is barely hilly, not so technical, however will probably be fairly a quick time trial.”