Can I admit that I’m not usually excited about a Time Trial? Yes, I know that marks me out as not a cycling purist, for whom the Race of Truth would be the ultimate test, but man vs. clock doesn’t really cut it for me. Of course there’s the razzmatazz of the Grand Départ, but with the India Test Match, the FIDE Candidates and “Gingham Glastonbury” (Wimbledon) there is some competition for sporting spectacle. And when is a Time Trial not a Prologue? It’s when it’s longer than 8 km apparently, though it does have the same function as a Sorting Hat stage: it decides who gets the first yellow jumper and which team gets their support car nearer the front of the queue.
Nevertheless, the stiff competition for the first stage win brought rising tension through the afternoon, yet certainly none of us picked the winner: it was Belgian Yves Lampaert (former national time trial champion, so not a complete surprise), even though most of the 16 minileague teams were packed with potential TT champions
Team of the Day
Well what about this for the start of a new minileague?! Two teams take the joint velopoints honours for Stage 1 each with a whopping 579 points, yet with (almost) completely different riders – just one Van Aert in common. Chapeaux to David and Mike.
It’s great to have sixteen teams in the mix this edition – welcome everyone – and look out for YOUR team featured in this section in the days to come.
Stat of the Day
A postcard from the Tour
Fredag den 1. juli 2022. København.
It’s always useful to have a few phrases in the local language, to fit in with the locals.
Min cykel er meget langsom.
My bicycle is very slow.
Good luck with pronouncing that one (or anything in Danish actually). I once lived next door to a Danish doctor, who explained to me that “In Denmark we don’t have a language – we have a throat disease!” And the [r] in “throat” sounded like he’d swallowed his tongue.
Big cheers today for Denmark’s finest Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma who is in the form of his life coming into this race. He was second in the Tour last year and was second in the Critérium du Dauphiné but did you see how he did it? He nursed his team leader Primož Roglič up the mountains, reminiscent of Froome when he was held back to pace Wiggins in the Vuelta way back (2011?). Jonas the trusty lieutenant could win it himself this time.
There is historically a strong showing of Danish riders in the Tour de France, but sadly it is a story of notoriety: Mogens Frey was awarded a stage in 1971 after a physical tussle with his team leader; Kim Andersen’s results in the 1980s included several positive drug tests; Bjaarne “Mr 60%” Riijs was the undisputed EPO king in 1996 and Michael Rasmussen was doing great until bundled out of the 2013 tour for a few too many chemical cocktails. We all hope Magnus Cort, Mads Pedersen, Jonas Vingegaard and fellow-Danes enjoy some unsullied success.