Sassenage (France) (AFP)
Six days before the end of Paris, the Tour de France is getting used to Slovene, the language of the top two in the standings, Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, who have flown over the race so far.
Much more than the moderate differences on the 3rd in the general classification, the Colombian Rigoberto Uran (at 1 min 34 sec from the leader), substantially identical to the Tour of last year at the same period, the domination of Roglic, yellow jersey at the lead a ruthless Jumbo block, and de Pogacar exercises every downbeat.
But there are still several unknowns to overcome before the attack on the Alps, from Tuesday in the Vercors stage.
The health question:
The last wave of Covid-19 detection tests took place on the second day of rest, Monday, in Grenoble and its surroundings.
With, as on the first day of rest in Charente-Maritime, an increase in stress for all the teams, likely to be dismissed if they present two positive cases in their workforce of around thirty people.
No runner has been excluded from previous operations.
But the presence of large numbers of spectators during the stages of the second week, excluding places closed to the public (the Sunday passes in particular), the general increase in the number of cases in the country, further aggravate the tension.
No one is immune to a dismissal which would be a great first in the history of the Tour, from which director Christian Prudhomme himself had to withdraw last Tuesday for a minimum period of seven days.
Impassive, Roglic seems impervious to the threat.
Since his seizure of power at the exit of the Pyrenees, the Slovenian offers the same discourse made of distance, equal mood and caution.
Nothing seems to move him, not even a question about the suspicion that has surrounded his country's cycling since the Aderlass affair and which is fueled by the lack of doping controls over a long period, this year, because of the pandemic. .
"I have nothing to hide," he said calmly on Sunday evening after another collective demonstration of his training.
The unknown Pogacar:
Revelation of the 2020 Tour, Pogacar has established himself from the start as Roglic's number one rival.
His UAE Emirates team, weakened by two withdrawals (Aru and Formolo), is far from being able to compete with the all-powerful Jumbo.
But, the strategy of the Dutch team had the effect of isolating Roglic in the standings and, in the man-to-man struggle, Pogacar held up.
For the only grand tour experience, the young Slovenian only has the Vuelta which he finished with a bang last year to reach the final podium (3rd).
In the Tour, he has no benchmarks on the third week.
Should he play the watch, wait for the end of the mountain stages, especially the terrifying Loze pass (Wednesday), or even the time trial scheduled at La Planche des Belles Filles (Saturday)?
"I think I should be on the reserve and see what I'm up to," he replied cautiously about it.
Without needing to recall that he was ready to jump on the first signs of weakness from his elder brother, less impactful than expected on Sunday at the top of the Grand Colombier but still equipped with a 40-second mattress.
In other words, most of the remainder of the Lavaur stage, where Pogacar was delayed by a curb.
To his credit, the youngest Slovenian can boast of a success over his elder, at the end of June, in the time trial of the Slovenian championships.
"The course (of La Planche des Belles Filles) pleases me", he slipped about the meeting on Saturday, twenty-four hours before the arrival in Paris.
The Tour could be played in the Vosges, on the land of Thibaut Pinot, very unhappy this year like French cycling whose hopes were shattered by the falls.
© 2020 AFP