So the Tour endgame is coming! The weekend everybody has talked about and every GC rider fears. Two hard Alpine stages and a difficult ITT. It will produce big gaps and even Pogacar can't be sure of his GC win. Tomorrow probably the hardest one: including the highest climb used in pro-cycling (Bonette) and long MTF at 2000 m.
The certain thing is that Visma and Vingo will attack. They are too far back to calculate and Vingo will maybe have his first try on Bonette already. Visma will try to send strong guys into a breakaway (to potentially help Vingo between the climbs) but UAE will want to catch them obviously. If they don't attack on Bonette (or fail to drop Pog) then Vingo will try in the first part of Isola. If he can't distance Pog the Slovenian will likely counter and gain more time (Visma realize it but they have nothing to lose at this point of the race). If Pog is vulnerable (for the first time in this Tour, everybody can have a weaker day) and Vingo feels very well then he can get a significant gap and keep his Tour chances alive. The Dane is kinda inconsistent in this Tour and great performances are mixed with worse (it could be associated with his rushed preparation) so it's not a given he will be super strong OFC.
It will be very hot BTW (heat test for Teddy, he would prefer a different weather surely).
Agree with most, but I'd think stage 11 was a bit of a stinker for Pogacar, he lost a sprint to Vingo, and somehow got swallowed up by him again after having a very decent gap. Compared with PdA and PdB it can be considered a bad day.
I still have the fear he'll somehow explode himself, but than again we might as well see him winning by 3 minutes.
If he doesn't bonk I think Vingegaard won't be able to drop him, Pogis level is too high and the climbs may be long and high but are really not that steep. He won't outkick him to get him out of the slipstream either.
My prefered scenario is this:
On Bonette everything explodes and Remco goes, but Vingo doesn't follow to begin with. Than once Ramco has a good gap, Pogacar bridges and we see the Bromance ride away into the horizon to deliver Ramco's secod place.