Euskaraz irakurri: Vingegaard eta Pogacar, faboritoak Tourra irabazteko; 31 urteren buruan, lasterketa Euskal Herrian hasiko da

The team’s Danish cyclist Jumbo-Visma Jonas Vingegaardwinner of the 2022 Tour de France, and the Slovenian rider of the UAE Team Emirates Tadej Pogacarwinner in the 2020 and 2021 editions, are the big favorites to claim victory in the 2023 Tour de Francethat starts this Saturday, July 1in Basque Countryin Bilbao. The race disputes its first three stages, Bilbao-Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz-San Sebastián and Amorebieta-Etxano-Baionain the Basque Country, 31 years later of what, in 1992began for the last time in a Basque town, specifically in the Gipuzkoan capital.

This is the Tour with the most scoring climbs, 70, for the Mountain Grand Prix since 1995, which places the maximum attention of the event on the hardness Of the same; with only one time trial stagethe sixteenth, of 22.4 kilometers, the sprints are another of the strengths of the race, given that the Briton from Astana Mark Cavendish, who, at 38 years old and in his last season as a professional, already has 34 stage victories in the Tour de France, opts to break the record for stages won in the event; since 2021, he is tied for that first historical position with the legendary Eddy Merckx.

For Basque cyclingis a very special Tour: on the one hand, because the start, known as “Grand Department”, takes place at home, in Euskal Herria; on the other hand, because the aspirations of the seven Basque runners who are going to be at the starting line in Bilbao are high and ambitious. Michael Landain his sixth Tour, and bilbao hairwho is participating for the fourth time, lead the Bahrain-Victorious; Gorka Izagirre and Alex Aranburuwho are running the Tour, respectively, for the tenth and second time, will seek to shine in the Movistar; INEOS has omar friar (fifth Tour for him) and Jonathan Castroviejo (ninth participation); and Jon Izagirrewho runs for him cofidisbegins the tenth Tour of his sporting career in the Biscayan capital.

The fight for the general classification

The duel to wear the yellow jersey after the last stage, scheduled for July 23 in Paris, seems reserved for the last two winners of the event. In 2022, Jonas Vingegaard won his first Tour, after a nice fight with Pogacar; the Dane, with a strategy executed to perfection by his team, Jumbo, beat the Slovenian, not so well supported by his UAE teammates; the Jumbo brings to Bilbao, in addition to Vingegaard, cyclists like Wout van Aert, Wilco Kelderman or Sepp Kuss, but the UAE also has a very strong block, with, among others, Marc Soler, Rafal Majka or Adam Yates.

Vingegaard has run four races this year; he has won the Itzulia Basque Country, the Critérium Dauphiné and O Gran Camiño, but in Paris-Nice he was clearly surpassed by Pogacar; The latter comes at a somewhat difficult time, after an impeccable start to the year, with victories, in addition to Paris-Nice, in the Tour of Andalusia, in the Tour of Flanders, in Paris-Roubaix and in the Amstel Gold Race , but a fall in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on April 23, in which he fractured his scaphoid, disrupted his entire preparation for the Tour.

The list of candidates for the final victory is completed with the Australian Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe)who was the winner of the 2022 Giro d’Italia, the French David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education) or the Colombian Egan Bernalof the team INEOSwinner of the 2019 Tour.

Other riders who aspire to achieve a good place in the final general are the Danish Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), recent winner of the Tour of Switzerland, and the Spanish Enric Mas (Movistar), fifth in the 2020 Tour and second in the Tour of Spain in 2022.

They also participate Wout van Aertalready cited as a companion to Vingegaard in the Jumboand the Dutch Alpecin-Deceuninck Mathieu van der Poelspectacle guarantees practically on all terrains.

Cavendish can make history

As has been said, another of the attractions of the race will be to see if Mark Cavendish, who retires at the end of the year, can break the record for stage victories in the Tour. Cavendish, who won the last stage of the 2023 Giro d’Italia a month ago, is tied, at 34 victories, with Eddy Merckx, but in the sprints he will have high-level rivals, like the Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)the French Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)the danish Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)the dutch Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-Quick Step) or the also Dutch Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco Alula)in addition to the Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny). The forecasts indicate that the best opportunities for the stage victory to be decided among the sprinters will be in the finals in Baiona, on the third day, in Nogaro in the fourth stage, in Bordeaux, in the seventh, and in the final arrival to Paris, on the Champs Elysees.

From the start in Bilbao to the last finish line in Paris, the participants will cover 3,406 kilometres, divided into 21 stages, eight of which are mountain and among which there will only be an individual time trial of 22.4 kilometres. , between Passy and Combloux, on stage number 16. The mountain, on the other hand, will be very present, since the race will cross the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Alps and the Vosges. The highest point of the race will be the Col de la Loze, at 2,304 meters in stage 17, and, in addition, there will be five other special category passes: Soudet in the 5th stage, the mythical Tourmalet, in the 6th stage, the Puy de Dôme, in the 9th stage, the Grand-Colombier in the 13th stage, and Joux Plane, in the 14th day of the race.

Source: Eitb

Kingston

Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.