The destination of the yellow jersey could be more or less assured, even with nine stages left, but the real intrigue in the Tour de France is the final make-up of the podium. If we’re to assume Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard will finish one and two, guessing who’ll be third is far harder.
Remco Evenepoel occupied that spot last year and is third again right now, but the Belgian ceded 3:35 to Pogačar on the Hautacam on stage 12 and was distanced on the penultimate climb. Though he did mount a spirited comeback, the signs from the first day in the high mountains is that the Soudal Quick-Step rider’s position on the podium is vulnerable.
His Picnic PostNL sports director, Matt Winston, has been preaching patience throughout this Tour, and he continues to do so. “We always said we weren’t going to throw time away,” he said, “and if we did lose time we’d focus on stages as our main goal.
