The seventh stage of the Tour de France, between Vierzon, in the Cher, and Le Creusot, in Saône-et-Loire, Friday July 2, was the longest of the last twenty-one years. Above all, these some 250 kilometers, on the superb roads of Nivernais Morvan, with a rough surface like a cat’s tongue, gave a new reading of the race a week after its big start.
Today’s stage was won solo by the Slovenian Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), world champion hope on the road, a rather unknown rider, but definitely in the light. Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) retains the yellow jersey. “I’m not here for the general classification, it’s pretty clear, but I’ll try to keep the jersey one day”, the interested party will react after arrival.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) crossed the twenty-sixth row on Friday, 5 minutes 15 from Matej Mohoric. While the Belgian Wout van Aert, who came eighth, is emerging as the new leader of the Jumbo-Visma in the absence of Primoz Roglic – more mummy than ever -, trapped like his compatriot, in the break at the start of the stage, who reshuffled the cards before the two alpine stages on Saturday and Sunday.
Tadej Pogacar, winner in 2020, admitted it: “We made a mistake. In the peloton, we were told that it was up to us to work because I am the strongest… But I am not always the strongest. “ The young Slovenian, to whom only yesterday the final victory seemed promised, accuses a disbursement of 3 minutes 43 in the general: “I know that Van Aert rides very well and Van der Poel too, so don’t give them ten minutes, it’s dangerous…”, he confided at the end of the stage.
Base, pedal stroke and sense of placement
In truth, few had imagined that this seventh stage could modify a landscape that the victory of the title holder in the time trial had however almost frozen, so much was his mastery of power (51 km / h average out of 27 , 2 kilometers).
It was counting without the nerve, the pedal stroke, the sense of placement, even the rage of a man who had in mind to blow everything up: Wout van Aert. The yellow jersey, “VDP”, whose procedures in the saddle are as delicate as those of the Belgian Jumbo-Visma, immediately joined forces.
It must be said that the two men, strong in their common cyclo-cross culture, can submit to one another to martyrdom – they have been doing so since the age of 12 – with the consequence of gradually stretching the group of escaped like a rubber band. Until the break. With an average over the first hour of 51.6 km / h. The Tour was looking for a pair of fireworks. It’s done.
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