With Jonas Vingegaard being more than three minutes in arrears to race leader Tadej Pogačar, the expectation has been that Visma-Lease a Bike would go on the offensive in the final two mountain stages of the Tour de France, aiming to repeat their team masterclasses of the past two editions which isolated Pogačar, ultimately leading to his defeat.
So when three of the team’s riders – Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot – were present in stage 17’s various large breakaways, a medium mountain stage in the Alps, there was surprise: were the Dutch team about to catch UAE Team Emirates off guard and claw back time on Pogačar earlier than they had anticipated? After all, they would no doubt have seen Pogačar’s rest day comments that he believed Visma would only attack on one of the three mountain days in the Alps.
What transpired, however, was nothing of the sort: Visma didn’t win the stage, that honour went to EF Education-EasyPost’s Richard Carapaz, and Vingegaard actually lost time. Only two seconds to Pogačar, and a further 12 to Remco Evenepoel in third, but still, the defending champion lost time when he’s meant to be reducing his three minute-plus deficit. If Laporte had not dropped back to aid the Dane when Pogačar attacked towards the top of the penultimate climb, it could have been much worse. Probably would have been.
“It’s a good question and it’s hard to answer,” Pogačar said when questioned by CW if Visma had failed to capitalise from having a numerical advantage up the road. “They waited for Jonas, and in the end they did a really great job, but like you said, maybe they could also try to launch an attack for Jonas, because he had Tiesj Benoot and Wout van Aert in front which would have gave them a great chance to have a gap.”
Benoot explained the plan behind the day’s tactics: “It was good to have someone in the break to either go for the stage, or what we did in the end: to help in the quite explosive final [because] it was maybe a bit less good for Jonas. And it was good that we still had some guys in the front to pull behind Remco.”
Asked if it was a disappointment that Visma didn’t win the stage, nor attacked Pogačar, Benoot said: “Of course. When you’re there with four guys [in the first group on the road], 1:40 on the big group behind us which was working well together, I had a chance to win a stage. But when the climbers flew by I knew it wasn’t [possible to win] the stage anymore and I was happy to help Jonas and the team in the final.”
Though Visma were unable to take stage honours, Laporte was crucial in ensuring that Vingegaard’s final gap to Pogačar after the stage was not greater, the European champion dropping back from the break and pacing the two-time winner back to the yellow jersey on the road leading to the final climb. “I tried to be at the top and wait for Jonas if there was a gap between him and Pogačar and Evenepoel. That was the case, and so it was lucky I was there to close the gap.”
So Visma’s tactics weren’t a failure? “No,” Laporte responded. “We were in the break to try and win the stage with Tiesj and Wout, but Wout spent a lot of energy, me as well, and it wasn’t a good stage for me. I was sure I wouldn’t win the stage and that’s why I waited at the top in case Tadej attacked. And that was the case.”
Pressure is building towards stage 19. Visma have to start racing aggressively, something they did so well in the past two years, and attack if Vingegaard is to win a third successive Tour. “I think today we already tried,” Benoot said. “We keep trying every day.”
