Five riders who bossed the Tour de France — and five who flopped

[ASFN Admin]

The riders who soared Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) Though tipped by many to make the podium, few predicted the nature in which the young Slovenian stole a march over his vastly more experienced rivals. Having lost two team-mates — Fabio Aru and Davide Formolo — with 10 stages remaining Pogacar was faced with the unenviable task of going wheel-to-wheel with the might of Jumbo-Visma as the team in black and yellow buzzed around Primoz Roglic in the mountains. No slave to the dogma of the peloton though, Pogacar followed in the wheels and attacked at will. The ease with which he picked off his rivals was terrifying. Calm under pressure, and confident in his ability, Pogacar arrived at the start line in the penultimate stage 57sec in arrears to Roglic. What happened next will go down in the history books. Having overhauled his compatriot on the steep slopes of La Planche des Belles Filles, Pogacar joined a select group of riders — including Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon — who won the race in their first appearance. After taking home three jerseys — yellow as overall winner, polka dot as king of the mountains and white as the best young rider — the comparisons with the great Merckx, though inevitable, were perhaps a little premature. Marc Hirschi (Sunweb) Hirschi arrived at the Tour de France relatively unknown outside the cycling cognoscenti, but wasted little time in announcing himself, on his grand-tour debut. Though he may not have won the second stage in Nice after putting himself in the firing line alongside Julian Alaphilippe and Adam Yates, the way in which the 22-year-old stood his ground against vastly more experienced riders was telling. Here was a young man filled with brio; a fighter. Eight days later, the irrepressible Hirschi produced a breakaway ride for the ages — of Fausto Coppi or Eros Poli proportions. Alas it was not to be and the Swiss was neutralised in the final straight, finishing third behind Tadej and Roglic. In his post-race interview Hirschi dismissed any notion of bravery, instead lamenting, "It's all ended up being for nothing". Three stages later, the man Yates had described as the "little fella" back in Nice, stood tall on the stage winners' podium having claimed the first win of his professional career, with another solo effort. Over three unforgettable stages, the protégé of Fabian Cancellara showed he had it all: he is a strong rouleur, can climb and descends like a demon. Nobody really knows exactly what sort of rider he is just yet, but they know one thing: when Hirschi has the bit between his teeth, anything can happen. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)

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