The presentation of Tour de France was held this Tuesday at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. After discovering the route of the next Tour, the cycling specialists from the Belgian media RTBF discussed the latter in the podcast We know our classics. All experts agree that this is a course made for the Slovenian world champion Tadej Pogacar. Rodrigo Beenkens et Jerome Helguers even talk about “red carpet” for the Slovenian.
Video – Alex Carera, Tadej Pogacar’s agent!
Rodrigo Beenkens: “Looking at the course, I’m actually torn between enthusiasm and disappointment.”
“We roll out the red carpet for him“, starts Rodrigo Beenkens. “I am torn between enthusiasm and disappointment. Enthusiasm, because I think that the first ten days could constitute a nice fireworks display, with Belgian runners capable of shining. Now the 2nd stage can suit Pogacar very well too. Where I am a little disappointed is that I ask myself: what, in this Tour, will make the Slovenian tremble? When we arrive in the mountains, with someone who climbs the Plateau de Beille at an average of 24 km/h… I don’t see what the trap is for him. Something can always happen, but on a regular basis and with this course, it’s a red carpet.
Afterwards, there is always the uncertainty of the race. Although, as I have regularly said in recent months, I increasingly question the glorious uncertainty of sport in the face of Pogacar. It’s a Tour de France made for him, made so that he even has seconds ahead on the morning of the time trial for the 5th stage in Caen. When he discovered all this from home, he must have died laughing! Afterwards, if we have the Pogacar of 2024 and the Vingegaard of 2023 face to face, we will have something very interesting,” concludes Rodrigo Beenkens.
Jérôme Helguers: “Usually, I’m always positive when we discover a Tour de France route. But here…”
“I’m always positive when we discover a Tour de France route, because there is this form of excitement. But I think it’s a perfect journey for Tadej Pogacar. Afterwards, how can we create a course that is not perfect for him? Unless you set two or three 50 km times, in fact, everything suits him. This first week intrigues me and the role that Pogacar will have in these first stages will be important, because he could already get a few seconds ahead of his opponents. All mountain stages will arrive at the summit. No finish will be made after a descent into the valley, which sometimes brings a different racing scenario. When we see what happened last summer with Pogacar and Vingegaard’s teams who locked out all the finishes at the top, it’s a shame,” concludes Jerome Helguers.
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