The Tour de France will resume on Tuesday with only 10 seconds between Jonas Wingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. Photo: Reuters/Benoît Tessier
The current generation of cross-disciplinary cycling phenomena led by Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock may be uncompetitive «well over 30», such are the demands they place on their bodies, former Tour de France winner Andy Schleck believes.
This year's tour was one of the most exciting and brutal in recent years. Just 10 seconds ahead of the final week, yellow mayon Jonas Vingegaard is behind overall runner-up Tadej Pogacar, and cyclists around the world are caught up in the duo's daily races, first across the Pyrenees and now across the Alps.
It's not just the two best riders. Their respective teams, Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates, are also head-butting each other day after day in an attempt to deliver a knockout blow on behalf of their leaders.
Was it Van Aert almost falling over in exhaustion after a sharp turn on behalf of Wingegaard in the Col de Joux plane on Saturday only to miraculously reappear up front a few minutes later, or Briton Adam Yates racing after Pogacar deep into the mountain stages , and so closer to the last place on the podium currently held by Ineos Grenadiers' Carlos Rodriguez, the action was relentless.
Tour de France: Top 10 of the general classification after stage 15
Schleck, the 2010 champion, believes we should enjoy this golden generation while we can, as they won't be able to maintain this level forever. “I think you have a lot of riders of this class now,” said the Luxembourger. «You look at them and think, 'This is not fair.' They are born with a bike and have never done anything else — pedaling, getting out of the saddle. They are phenomenal. You've got a lot of guys out there now that have gone from juniors to pros, Remco Evenepoels, Tom Pidcock…
“I'm raising the question and we don't have an answer yet, but we don't know the long-term side effects. Will they walk up to 35-36 like we do? Or will their careers get a little shorter?»
The decline may have already begun. Neither Van Aert nor Van der Pool have yet won a single event this year. They still remain key players. Van Aert has excelled again, though he doesn't seem to be quite where he was in 2021 when he won three stages including a double ascent of Venta on stage 11, the penultimate day time trial on stage 20, and then group sprint on the Champs Elysees on the last day.
Or last year, when the Belgian also won three stages and at times seemed to bend the race to his will, even stopping his bike to wait for Wingegaard on one memorable occasion. Meanwhile, Van der Poel has mostly had to settle for a flashy lead role with sprinter Jasper Philipsen (although the Dutchman says his main goal this year is to prepare for the rainbow jersey in Glasgow next month). ).
Other virtuoso talents, such as two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe, now 31, also seem to have excelled in a game that is increasingly becoming the domain of young people. Pogacar, who just a few weeks ago won the main spring classics, is still only 24, Wingegor 26, Pidcock 23 (the Brit's decision to enter the general classification has certainly blunted his attacking spark, but he will learn from the experience).
Tom Pidcock suffered because of his decision to ride GC. Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
Schleck is not surprised. “Honestly, I know how stressful it is,” he said. “I'm actually surprised to see that Van der Pool and Van Aert are still racing at the same level because they don't break down anymore. They jump into cyclocross from a young age, go pro, do everything, and yes, they have success in what they do – Van Aert has been exceptional in the last [few] years. But I'm not sure that my career will last longer than 30 years.
Their lack of stage success has certainly not diminished this year's race. The battle for the yellow jersey in particular has been exciting from the moment Wingegaard dropped Pogacar on the first mountain stage of the Pyrenees race 10 days ago, only to have Pogacar strike back on the Tourmalet stage the very next day. Since then, it has been a case of scrambling for bonuses and extra seconds here and there, with Pogacar slowly but surely making up his deficit. Combloux will give the Slovene another great opportunity to turn back the clock, while the Courchevel leg on Wednesday includes a Col de la Loze appetizer. “I think there will be gaps in the time trial and also in the [Courchevel] stage after one of the hardest climbs in the world,” Pogacar predicted on Sunday, where this race will be won and lost. “I think they will be decisive. Can't wait.”
Cyclists too. They may burn less these days given the way they drive and the huge sums they take on, but you can't blame this generation for having fun.
Andy Schleck is a spokesman for Skoda, who points out his 20th birthday. as the main sponsor of the Tour de France. Visit Skoda Cycling | Skoda UK for more information
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