Two “monstrous” days in the mountains lie ahead for the weary riders of the Tour de France – and could the looming poor weather play a part in the destiny of the yellow jersey?Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) survived a sodden finale in Valence on Stage 17 to keep his lead of 4:15 over second-placed Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike), but the Slovenian will need to summon all his remaining reserves to hold off his Danish rival, who appears to be improving as the race goes on.
And with rain forecast for Thursday afternoon, there was also a weather-related admission from Pogacar that hinted at a possible new dynamic in the pair’s latest GC head-to-head.
“The bad weather is here, I think also the next days won’t be good as well,” Pogacar said after Stage 17, dressed in multiple layers and a thick beanie.
“Normally it suits [me] well the coldish weather, but the older I get, I prefer sunshine.”
Cycling judges are now seeking to work out who will be the stronger rider as the culmination of the 112th Tour comes into view.
Do Pogacar’s early-season exertions mean he might be over-raced? Did he go too hard in the earlier stages to establish his four-minute lead?
“These are two monstrous days in the mountains. We’re going back towards the scene of the capitulation of Pogacar a few years ago,” McEwen said, in a nod to Pogacar’s infamous “I’m dead” radio message in 2023.
TDF flashback: ‘I’m gone, I’m dead’ – Pogacar cracks on Col de la Loze in 2023
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“He’ll have that one marked down in the diary. We saw he was facing a similar situation when he went back to Hautacam, where was undone by Jonas Vingegaard, and he made amends there.
“He’ll be looking to make his mark, but I think more than anything, more than looking to win the stage or looking to conquer any places that he’s suffered before, like the Glandon, he’ll be looking to keep the yellow jersey safe.”
But could a lead of over four minutes really be gobbled up on a stage like this?
“It could be,” ex-Ineos Grenadier Luke Rowe added.
“I don’t think we’re trying to dramatise it by saying ‘anything could happen’.
“5,500 metres of climbing is outrageous, also adding in 67 kilometres worth of categorised climbing.
“The Col de la Loze, it’s the highest point of the Tour de France at 2,300m (2,304m). Altitude can affect different riders in different ways.
‘Superglue!’ – Vingegaard attacks three times, Pogacar responds in thrilling Mont Ventoux battle
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“Of course we’ve seen Pogi deal with high performance and racing at that altitude time and time before, so it’s not saying that he’s not adequate, he’s not used to that – he is.
“But at the end of a day like that after two and a half weeks of racing, anything can happen.”
Thursday’s stage starts in Vif at just 294m, and ends 171.5km later atop the Col de la Loze at 2,304m, taking in two other mythical climbs along the way; the Col du Glandon and the Col de la Madeleine.
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