Twenty-one shades for twenty-one stages… Back on three very colorful weeks between Lille and Paris via the Pyrenees. So it’s not just yellow in life.
1.- Yellow> “The “color of the Tour of course, not the only one, but … the only one. Tadej Pogacar, younger runner to have won four times (26, 10 months, 6 days, Merckx had to wait 27 years, 1 month and … 6 days) carried his number of yellow jerseys at 54; which places him, in the meantime, in the 5th row of the story (behind Merckx 111, Hinault 79).
2.- Red> The Slovenian world champion will not try this summer to add the Vuelta to his record. UAE communicated yesterday that its leaders from… Turin would be Joao Almeida and Juan Ayuso.
3.- Blue> In the sky of France, the disappointment of no longer being able to “play” for the final victory but good satisfactions too. Kevin Vauquelin (hit in the ankle while falling on the stairs, the Norman could be stopped at least six weeks!) Torn off for a 7th place that counts. Same observation for Jordan Jegat, the surprise guest of the Top 10. And then there was this perfect Parentre Valentin on Mont-Ventoux.
4.- VERT > The new scale had projected a little too quickly Pogacar towards the head of this prestigious classification. Jonathan Milan for his first round was able to succeed the only two Italians of the charts, Franco Bitossi in 1968 and Alessandro Petacchi in 2010.
5.- ROUGE > The peas of the mountain of course, brought from the entrance by Benjamin Thomas, coveted and then walked by Lenny Martinez (before Vingegaard!) But won by Pogacar for the third time.
6.- BLANC > Like that of best climber, the best young tunic celebrated its half-century. Florian Lipowitz winner in front of Onley and Vauquelin is obviously very far.
7.- ROSE > The favorite color of Ben Healy who still tasted yellow by the way!
8.- GRIS > Mathieu Van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen (a stage and the yellow jersey for everyone), Kaden Groves, the “little gray” of Alpecin animated the end of end.
9.- ORANGE > After the success and raids of Van der Poel, the Dutch people were happy to see Thymen Arensman win two of the most beautiful stages, in Superbagnères and La Plagne (170e victory for his country that day).
10.- Black and yellow> The shade of the Visma-Lease in Bike, winners of the team ranking as two years ago. The end of 34 years of waiting (PDM 1989) for the Netherlands.
11.- AZUR > A nice sky on the way but rain anyway in the north, the Pyrenees, the Alps and of course in Paris!
12.- feet> The color in the army, of the first pro jersey of Bruno Armirail author of his most beautiful tower. Copy for the team he is about to leave and 4e from Caen’s time. There is only a little e-tap at a shortage …
13.- SANG ET OR > You had to invite them! The UNO-X faithful to their temperament have escaped a lot, won in Toulouse with Abrahamsen and Tobias Johannessen finished 6e…
14.- Purple> The cheeks of Roglic, Brave, at La Plagne.
15.- OR > Second “victory” for Pavel Sivakov with “Pogi”.
16.- ROUX > Quentin Pacher the combative of Valence and too bad for Madiot!
17.- hazelnut> Wout Van Aert’s eyes winner for the second time on the fields (after 2021) but really otherwise!
18.- Prince of Wales> Good bye M. “G”. Winner in 2018, Geraint Thomas finished 58e of his last round.
19.- CITRON > The price shared between Rickaert and Velasco, not very nice …
20.- Chocolate> Girmay, so green last summer.
21.- Scarlet> The color of Simone Constonni’s lantern, general of the general.
