"Everything that could go wrong went wrong, summed up van Aert. I crashed (at the start of the stage), Jonas (Vingegaard) had a mechanical problem and Primoz (Roglic) fell."

Shaken by the cobblestones of Flanders, the classification of the Tour de France delivered its first sentences and Primoz Roglic appears as the main of the big names condemned: a fall, about thirty kilometers from the line, inflicted a dislocation of his shoulder and two minutes and eight seconds of disbursements on the great favorite Tadej Pogacar.

Difficult to detect light in this table and yet... The team with the best cards in hand at the time of distribution with two Flanders of first choice, Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte, came close to losing everything.

The two Jumbo riders Tiesj Benoot (left) and Primoz Roglic (right) during the 5th stage of the Tour de France on July 6, 2022 between Lille and Arenberg Marco BERTORELLO AFP

"So many things happened in ten to fifteen minutes," whispered the Belgian on arrival.

In order: WVA himself left behind, Vingegaard victim of a mechanical incident and Roglic caught in a fall, all in about ten kilometers.

"It was a shitty day", synthesized the yellow jersey.

At that time, team manager Richard Plugge would probably have signed with both hands for the final addition: only thirteen seconds dropped on Pogacar by Vingegaard, second in the 2021 edition, none on the rest of the competition.

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An episode of hesitation when troubleshooting the Danish leader, who changed bikes three times in a few seconds, boded for the worst.

"Communication was difficult, admitted the team's road captain, van Aert. I saw in front of us that Jonas and Nathan (van Hooydonck) were changing bikes. But Nathan is 1.90 meters tall. I told Sepp (Kuss) to give him his but he understood that he had to stop right away when we weren't at Jonas' level yet. When (Jonas) stopped, the car (troubleshooting) was there."

Belgian Wout Van Aert, leader of the general classification of the Tour de France during the 5th stage, in Lille, July 6, 2022 Marco BERTORELLO AFP

Suffice to say that at this moment, the horizon for Jumbo was black from the old surrounding heaps.

"I did not know that I could save my jersey (yellow), delivered the Belgian. It was really not the goal of my effort. In the middle of the stage, I was even sure to lose it. I didn't couldn't keep up with the best."

Yet a third twist of fate struck the Dutch outfit when Primoz Roglic was caught in a fall caused by a knocked over signal straw bale on the road.

"I didn't see well, but I think a motorcycle hit the protection. It found itself in the middle of the road, and then there was a fall", describes the Slovenian, who had lost the Tour 2020 during the final time trial of the Planche des Belles filles.

"I couldn't put my shoulder back in place right away on the road, he explains. I sat on a spectator's chair, I have a technique to deluxe it."

The races in France follow each other and look alike for the Slovenian subscriber to bowls.

Two had deprived him, in the last stage, of a coronation in Paris-Nice in 2021. Last year, a fall from the third stage arriving in Pontivy had turned his first part of the Tour into an ordeal until his abandonment .

© 2022 AFP