This first day in the mountains has already upset the hierarchy with the loss of the yellow jersey for the British Adam Yates (UAE), the takeover of Jai Hindley and the coup de force of Vingegaard who dropped Pogacar in proportions that we did not imagine given the profile of the stage.
The Dane placed a lightning attack just over a kilometre from the top of Marie Blanque to unhook the Slovenian, unable to keep up and who is now 53 seconds behind the overall titleholder.
Vingegaard gradually extended his lead including in the long descent to Laruns, taking the breakaways of the day one by one. It was too late to catch up with Hindley, who had started in the morning breakaway of 36 riders.
At 27, the Australian, who is new to the Tour de France after winning the Giro in 2022, has taken a significant advantage over all the other contenders for the podium and is 47 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the overall.
For the rest, Vingegaard managed an excellent operation, well helped by his Jumbo-Visma teammates who, after a turbulent start to the Tour, showed themselves at the front all day, like Wout Van Aert, combative of the day.
On the end of Marie Blanque, it was Sepp Kuss, the sherpa of Vingegaard, who exploded the group of favorites, including Adam Yates, by imposing a train of hell.
Once the boss flew away, the American still hung like a leech in the wheel of Pogacar that he marked until the finish.
The Slovenian, winner in 2020 and 2021, will have an opportunity to take revenge on Thursday during the second Pyrenean stage, which includes the Tourmalet. But doubts surrounding his fitness, after his broken wrist on April 23, were largely confirmed Wednesday in Laruns.
© 2023 AFP