Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 9 - Troyes to Troyes - Troyes, France - July 7, 2024 UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar in action with riders during stage 9 REUTERS/Molly Darlington
TROYES, France (Reuters) - Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard's diametrically opposed strategies to this year's Tour de France were for all to see on Sunday as the maverick Slovenian was left frustrated by the defending champion's risk-averse plan on the gravel roads.
Since the start in Florence, Pogacar has been trying to put the hammer down, attacking whenever it was possible, while Vingegaard has been content with following his rival, surely hoping to make his move in the final week.
Pogacar, riding the wave of his Giro d'Italia form, attacked on a short climb during the second stage, in the first high mountain trek and again in Sunday's ninth stage on treacherous gravel sections, managing to open a gap of one minute and 15 seconds on the Danish rider.
Vingegaard, who entered the race having not raced for almost three months after sustaining a collapsed lung in a crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, has just been looking to limit his losses.
On a couple of occasions on Sunday, he could have gained time on second-placed Remco Evenepoel and fourth-placed Primoz Roglic, but safety came first, especially after he was forced to ride on a teammate's bike following a puncture midway through the stage.
When Roglic was dropped some 80km from the finish, he refused to collaborate with Evenepoel and Pogacar. Further down the road, he again refused to help the 2020 and 2021 champion extend the lead over the other two members of the "Big Four" after the Slovenian's brutal attack had left them stuck on the gravel.
"I wanted to have teammates around me, it was our goal. On the other end, it could have made sense to ride (with Pogacar) with Remco and Primoz not there, but we were there not to lose time," Vingegaard told reporters.
Pogacar was irked by this approach.
"I think Visma (Vingegaard's team), they look at me, they underestimate the others," the 25-year-old, looking to become the first rider to achieve the Giro-Tour double, said.
"It could backfire. We would have taken time and consolidated the podium. They're obsessed with me but it could cost them.
"Yes, I think he (Vingegaard) is scared of me. If he wasn't scared of me he would have pulled with his teammate."
Overall, Pogacar leads Evenepoel by 33 seconds with Vingegaard in third place 1:15 off the pace and Roglic in fourth, a further 21 seconds back.
(Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
