Tour de France: Roglic, the public wants to believe it
Audio 01:20
The yellow Primoz Roglic jersey flies over the Tour de France 2020 with performances that question some.
RFI / Thomas-Sean from Saint-Léger
Text by: Thomas-Sean de Saint Leger Follow
6 min
If he does not crack this Saturday, September 19 in the time trial to La Planche des Belles Filles, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic will be sure to see Paris with the yellow jersey.
An expected coronation but which could make one cringe.
Publicity
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The Jumbo?
“
Flying elephants
”, their performances?
"
Abnormal
".
With his words, the former yellow jersey Romain Feillu writes on social networks what others think very strongly behind the scenes of the Tour.
The images of the yellow train of the Jumbo-Visma recall those of the US Postal of the Armstrong years.
WHEN I THINK SOME ARE OFFENDED THAT AN 80 KILO GUY CLIMBERS FASTER THAN PANTANI ...
THE MAGIC
JUMBO
THE FLYING ELEPHANTS JERSEY, IT'S NOT NEW !!!
SIMPLY TO BELIEVE
😃 pic.twitter.com/uJwUH76HyW
Feillu Romain (@FeilluR) September 14, 2020
At the top of the passes, in the thin pack of favorites, Primoz Roglic regularly found himself surrounded by three or four team-mates, against none for his rivals.
We even saw Wout Van Aert, 78 kilos on the scales, sprint specialist and winner of two stages in this exercise, let go of the pedal several confirmed climbers.
"
It makes me smile,
" quips Pierre, a practicing cyclist but little believer, present at the finish in Champagnole, "
When you see Roglic's very rapid progress, you can ask yourself questions because you are regularly disappointed with the Tour de France and its doping cases
: we think that the best wins, then we realize that this is not always the case… It spoils the fun a little
”says the young man, one of the only ones we have. let us say we are really embarrassed by the seizure of the Slovenian and his training.
Roglic, much less hated than Froome and the Ineos
Is it because this Tour, in the health context, is first and foremost a necessary celebration for a suffering population?
Or because the French see Primoz Roglic, a runner little known to the general public, from a large country like Picardy, a nice alternative to the ultra-domination of the Sky / Ineos in recent years?
Still, the Slovenian aroused relatively little hostility in the public, when Christopher Froome received whistles, insults and jeers at the time when he crushed the Tour.
►Also read: Tour de France: the Alps in the colors of Slovenia
“
Of course, I would have preferred to see the French in front,
” comments Pascal, from Haute-Marne, “
but this year, it must be recognized that Roglic and his young compatriot Pogaçar are stronger.
I hope they are not doped.
I think they are especially better prepared than our runners, who had to stop longer with our confinement regime
”.
For him, the party is far from wasted.
And there are even others for whom Roglic is a new "
darling
": "
I find him reserved but very nice
", attacks Jeremy.
This fan of Frenchman Nans Peters met up with the rider's relatives a few days ago: “
It was on arrival at Villard-de-Lans, we wrote messages for Nans on the road, and then they
gave
us asked to write
"Rogla"
, Roglic's nickname.
There was his wife and some friends.
We hit it off and they even offered us beer and some weird, but super tasty, Slovenian biscuits
”.
“
Weird
”
cookies
, maybe that's the secret of Primoz Roglic, mysterious champion who could offer us his first smile on Sunday in Paris.
A yellow smile for some.
►Also listen: Debate of the day - Does the Tour de France have to reinvent itself again and again?
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