Analysis An unprecedented Spanish drought on the Tour in almost 40 years
Opinion forced and forced
Josean Fernández Matxin
usually tells
that directing
Tadej Pogacar
is a joy, because he says yes to whatever they propose to him. "You propose an aggressive tactic before a stage and not only does it always seem good to him, but sometimes he wants to take it a little further, risk more," says the head of the UAE. That was what happened at Col de Romme, still in the first week of this Tour, when the Slovenian left the race for sentencing. That day, the original idea was to stay more on the lookout, managing the income earned in Laval's time trial. But
Pogacar
He detected weakness in some of his direct rivals, so he decided to throw his teammates to the ground and then give the Tour a final blow, attacking 30 kilometers from the finish, with the Col de La Colombière still pending.
In a way, the Slovenian has changed the rules that had prevailed on the Tour in recent years. The two-time champion in Paris is the antithesis of control cycling with which
Sky
/
Ineos
governed the best race in the world for almost a decade, from
Wiggins
to
Bernal
through
Froome
and
Thomas
, and to which the
Jumbo
wanted to give continuity to enthrone
Roglic
, mission still pending. Genuine inspiration returns to command this sport thanks to
Pogacar
, but also to
Van Aert
and
Van der Poel
, other of the great protagonists of this Tour, and of course Evenepoel. Even Bernal, a great reference for Ineos today, to a certain extent escapes the traditional pattern of the British group.
Cycling, in short, is changing, at the rate set by the Tour's beats, the heart that keeps this sport alive. A new generation is imposed, precocious and more prepared than ever, which squanders the presumed maturity of its elders. The talented generation of 1989-90, that of
Dumoulin, Sagan, Quintana, Bardet, Pinot
and
Aru
already seems part of the past and of them only Roglic holds the stake of the youngest. From this Sunday, Pogacar stands as the undisputed leader of that devastating new breed. Nobody in history has managed to win two Tours with less than 23 years (he is still 22) and only
Merckx
,
Hinault
and
Fignon
they had scored two wins in a row in their first two starts in the race.
Since 1997 -and not counting the Armstrong years-, only Nibali in 2014 won a Tour with a greater difference over the second classified.
Historical records that show the magnitude of the emergence of Pogacar in the elite of world cycling.
A new dynasty
The birth of new idols like him is essential for the survival of a sport as a mass phenomenon, but it also involves risks. The superiority exhibited by the Slovenian talent has caused the race to be terminated after the first week. Yes, it was surely the best first week of a Tour in recent times -
Alaphilippe
, Van der Poel, Van Aert and the Bahrains contributed to the cause - but it left a scenario in which the emotion was reduced to the partial triumphs, to the podium order and whether or not Cavendish overcame the runaway on the mountain stages, in addition to
Merckx's
record
. Little thing to hold the attention of the casual viewer.
The risk, in short, is that
Pogacar
could continue its supremacy over the next few years with a tyranny similar to that of these weeks, in which it has added three stages. The
UAE
, of course, works with that goal. This year, Matxin has managed, against all odds, that a group of individualists such as
Formolo, Rui Costa, Hirschi
and
Majka form
a solid block dedicated to their leader, but the Spanish director is looking for more suitable profiles to cover the Slovenian in the future . Almeida, Bennett and Soler are some of the names that sound in the cycling bazaar for 2022, also at the expense of the evolution of the promising
Juan Ayuso
.
In other words,
Pogacar
will run the next Tour with one more year of experience and with a more powerful team. Who will be able to question a third Tour of the Slovenian? Roglic, who had to leave after several falls, will return to try his longed-for crown in Paris, but age is already starting to play against him. His teammate
Vingegaard
, second yesterday on the podium of the Champs Elysees, asks for a pass and the Jumbo will have to handle that situation.
Carapaz
, third this year, will hardly grow to the level that such a challenge demands.
Bernal, for his part, returned in the Giro to his best level, but his back pain persists and it will be difficult for him to challenge Pogacar.
And Evenepoel remains a mystery in a three-week lap, as this year's Giro, after nine months out due to its fall in Lombardy, can hardly serve as a reference.
Many aspirants for an iron throne to which Slovenian threatens to screw for a long time, already a clear aspirant to join the five-time champions club.
"Cycling is a game for me," he often repeats.
A game in which only he seems capable of winning.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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