Zonneveld and Bakelants gear up for the Dauphiné: "Could easily turn into power struggle and ego contest"

"The big three are here, and all three are at least 95 percent of their potential. After that, you can improve by a few percent, as Evenepoel proved last year, but a 180-degree turn is no longer possible. The Dauphiné doesn't lie," Bakelants said in HLN. And so the big Tour contenders will have to prove which of the three has the best legs going into the summer.

Bakelants mentions Evenepoel as a dark horse because he has noticed that the Belgian from Soudal-Quick Step is working hard towards the Tour, where last year he had to rush to recover from a crash in the Basque Country to be ready in time. "It's remarkable how much serenity has descended on Remco. I think he's had an excellent preparation."

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The Belgian analyst saw Evenepoel win a time trial in the Tour de Romandie, but he could not keep up with the best climbers and finished fifth overall. "It would be a bad sign if that happened again. I expect Evenepoel to be ranked below Pogacar and Vingegaard but well above the rest, as in the 2024 Tour. It is not until July that Evenepoel will have to show that he can really compete with Pogacar and Vingegaard on the climbs if that is even possible."

Like Evenepoel, Vingegaard will also be much better in the upcoming Tour. However, according to Bakelants, this is only because the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike has had a normal training period, even without the Basque Country crash. The Dauphiné is the perfect place to make Pogacar a little nervous. "Mentally, it would be a huge boost for Vingegaard and Evenepoel if they can really make it difficult for him."

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According to Bakelants, everyone is counting on another display of strength from Pogacar in the Dauphiné, which he believes could have far-reaching consequences. "If they lose by minutes, I fear for the Tour. Those two will automatically feel less challenged by Pogacar in July. I fear that they will then mainly look to each other for second place and try less to challenge Pogacar."

"But think about the opposite: imagine that the difference is small next week, then Evenepoel and Vingegaard will go home as moral winners," he concludes. "And who knows, Pogacar might start to doubt himself. It would be the first time in two years that he gets challenged."

In the podcast In De Waaier, Zonneveld refutes Bakelants' statement that the Dauphiné is indicative of the Tour. "The Dauphiné isn't indicative of everything," says the Dutchman. But: "This year, all the top riders are competing against each other, which makes it very special. Knowing their egos and their desire not to lose, this is a special race. Normally, I take the Dauphiné with a pinch of salt; it remains a strange race to base your predictions on."

Zonneveld expects that none of the three big names will let a day slip away. "The chance of a scenario where they try to wear each other down and measure their egos is quite high. Who is most willing to let his ego go? Vingegaard. His ego is the smallest, while Pogacar is only here with this Dauphiné team to intimidate, right?"