Laurens Ten Dam saw a 'worn-out' Pogačar, but warns Vingegaard: 'Don't put your head on the chopping block'

After a few flat stages and a day for the breakaway riders, we’ll head back into the tough mountains this weekend. Two stages in the Vosges are expected to create significant gaps in the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar seems unbeatable so far and could extend his lead once again, but former pro Laurens ten Dam is on the lookout for any cracks in the yellow jersey wearer’s form.

Shortly after the rest day, Pogacar immediately won the stage to Le Lioran, where he once again left the competition in the dust. The Slovenian rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG seems unbeatable, but on the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast, Ten Dam says he didn’t see the same Pogacar there as he did in the first week. “I thought Pogi looked a little worn out,” he analyzes.

Of course, he once again gained a lot of time on his competitors, but the former pro still saw a sign of weakness after the race. “I saw the interview, and normally there’s this really spry guy who makes you think, ‘This guy didn’t suffer at all.’ But now he was just staring off into space with a bit of a glazed look. His face did look a little less fresh than on other days. It might be nitpicking, mind you, but it did strike me.”

That’s right up Jonas Vingegaard’s alley, isn’t it? The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike is already more than 3.30 minutes behind his rival, but if the yellow jersey wearer isn’t as strong as he used to be, something obviously needs to be done about it. The Dutch team says they’re ready for battle. “I don’t know if I believe that,” Ten Dam counters, however.

Because even on the Killer Bees team, not everyone is in top form. Vingegaard is racing with a severely depleted squad. “If you’ve been riding for two weeks with relatively weak legs, like Victor Campenaerts, it’s definitely tough. And Jorgensen is sick, and Armirail is completely battered.... It’s really hard to keep morale high,” the Dutchman sums up.

Of course, he does believe that Visma | Lease a Bike will remain competitive, and that they won’t admit defeat until Paris. But according to Ten Dam, the past few weeks have taken a heavy toll. “It’s hard for them to say they don’t have morale, but I think it’s a lot lower than it was during the team time trial in Barcelona. Morale was really high there.”

The Dutch team will have a chance in the Vosges to see if they can break Pogacar. If they manage to do so here, Vingegaard will still have four stages left to catch up to his rival. More than enough time, of course, but it could also backfire completely. “You shouldn’t put your head under the guillotine against your better judgment,” says Ten Dam, looking back in time.

He points to the Plateau de Beille, where Vingegaard attacked but ultimately lost minutes to the world champion. “A few years ago, Vingegaard also tried to ride out a climb from the bottom with Pogacar on his wheel. But then you know you’re going to face that counterattack. You shouldn’t provoke that counterattack now either.” That’s why he might be better off waiting.

Because UAE Team Emirates-XRG has indeed shown signs of weakness. “A few days ago, there were cracks in the UAE team; they were all dropped quickly.” Isaac Del Toro, for example, lost a significant amount of time on the climb to Le Lioran. “And maybe you’ll see a crack in Pogi’s form. Just wait for the third week, for those two climbs up Alpe d’Huez. This time gap could be erased in a single mountain stage.”