Published on June 28, 2024 at 7:22 p.m. / Modified on June 28, 2024 at 8:11 p.m.
Today, the falls no longer break. In the “old bike”, that is to say only 5 or 6 years ago, they always caused breakage, even the most benign ones. An impact against the tarmac and a spring would be out of adjustment, somewhere in the cyclist’s flesh or psyche. It was necessary to follow the law of nature promulgated by the legendary Cyrille Guimard, French sports director with seven victories in the Tour de France between 1976 and 1984: “A rider who falls cannot run.” Corollary of another rule, on the borders of the subconscious or metaphysics: “A runner never falls by chance.”
There were, of course, exceptions. But in yesterday’s cycling, the fall broke much more than a body – it destroyed a goal, a season, a career – when, today, it does not hinder the riders, or even frees them. It is on this strange contradiction that Jonas Vingegaard, 27, injured in the spring, is seeking a third victory in a row in the Tour de France on Saturday, departing from Florence, Italy.
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