• Wout van Aert is 1'48 overall and all the others are over 4'30… The consequences of Tadej Pogacar's attack in the Col de Romme were devastating this Saturday during the first alpine stage.

  • The surprising winner of the Tour de France 2021 clearly stunned the event in the first week, by seizing the yellow jersey.

  • Just like the hardship experienced by Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas after their fall at the start of the Grande Boucle, it is hard to imagine the suspense this year up to the Champs-Elysées.

From our special correspondent in Le Grand-Bornand,

The possible last suspense of this 108th Tour de France may have taken place at the top of the Col de la Colombière this Saturday. We then wondered if the Belgian Dylan Teuns would resist the return of madness from Tadej Pogacar to Grand-Bornand? “I didn't realize that he was only 20 seconds away from me before the last descent,” smiles the Bahrain runner Victorious, winner of the first stage in the Alps, run almost entirely in the rain from Oyonnax. . He is the only one who will not have nightmares from the Slovenian prodigy (finally 4th on the stage) this night.

Imagine: in one day, and even in about thirty terminals, the winner of the Tour 2020 has dismantled all his direct opponents in the general standings, taking over 3'20 from Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Jonas Vingegaard and Alexey. Lutsenko, 4'56 for Wout van Aert, but also 18'06 for Julian Alaphilippe and… 20'58 for the yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel.

Absolute madness, for a first mountain stage, which raises a question: is this Tour de France already fully folded after eight days of racing?

"No, I didn't kill the Tour today, sorry"

We obviously did not count on the person concerned to go in our direction.

“There is still a long way to go, slips Tadej Pogacar.

I'm very confident for the next two weeks but no, I didn't kill the Tour today, sorry.

“There is reason to be sorry, in fact, as the general public is disillusioned, even suspicious, after being overwhelmed by the start of the hypra refreshing Grande Boucle, between the master strokes of Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

On fuel at an average of 32.2 km / h in the last 35 kilometers, despite two formidable first category climbs, between the Col de Romme (8.8 km at 8.9%) and La Colombière (7.5% at 8.5%), Pogacar has indeed delivered an extraordinary number capable of definitively knocking out the competition.

🤍 Tadej Pogacar attacks!

The big battle as begun!



🤍 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi attacks!

The big favorites brawl has started! # TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/vpIrYZbEXE

- Tour de France ™ (@LeTour) July 3, 2021

"I wanted to put pressure on the Ineos"

Sunday morning in Cluses (Haute-Savoie), the 22-year-old rider will therefore spend… the second day of his career with the yellow jersey on his back.

Because if he had waited for the incredible time trial of the Planche des Belles Filles last year to crucify his compatriot Primoz Roglic, he was very impatient this season.

Before the last two climbs I was feeling good and I said to my teammates: "let's try to shake up the race".

I also heard the Ineos talk, and I understood that they were not feeling very well.

I wanted to put pressure on them to see how they were going to respond.

"

Richard Carapaz was indeed the only rider to follow his first attack, at 4:18 pm, but he let go on the second salvo, a minute later, about thirty kilometers from the finish line.

“He went strong, tells RMC Sport the Frenchman Aurélien Paret-Peintre, who escaped and was 7th in this stage in the end.

He's on top of the run for now.

His team had been trapped yesterday and he wanted to score a big blow, to put the church back in the middle of the village.

"

Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic, dropped to 45th and 51st places overall

Since when does a favorite of the event, who is also the title holder, unleash such a sharp attack, so far from the finish, from the first week, to the point of dropping his runner-up Wout van Aert at 1 ' 48 overall, and all the others over 4'30?

Already winner of the first time trial on Wednesday, Tadej Pogacar definitely has the profile to carry around in this edition marked from the outset by the falls of two great rivals, Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic, adrift this Saturday and now 45th and 51st overall.

There was also a part of pride in this monstrous coup by the Slovenian in the Col de Romme, the day after a hell of a battle in the Morvan.

“Yesterday, we saw that everyone was running against us, so there was maybe a bit of a backlash,” said the leader of UAE Team Emirates.

I expected to be attacked again and wanted to create gaps.

Attacking is the best defense.

"

"Paris is still far"?

Yeah ...

Especially when it comes up against competition so dumbfounded.

How could we now imagine the relentless tendency of a

back to back 

by Tadej Pogacar to be called into question, starting with the 9th stage between Cluses and Tignes on Sunday?

“Everyone will fight until the last day and Paris is still far away.

But I think Tadej can defend this jersey until the end, ”says Dylan Teuns, sacred expert in understatement.

Rest assured, one question will unleash the crowds over the next two weeks: who will complete the podium on the Champs-Elysées?

Sport

Tour de France 2021: Pogacar takes the yellow jersey and crushes the competition ... Stage victory for Teuns ... The 8th stage to be relived live

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Tour de France 2021: Among its "Fantastic Four", Ineos will have to find a leader

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