Visma praised for waiting, but there is also criticism: "You can be remembered as a true sportsman, or as a three-time Tour winner"

The crash involving Pogacar was caused by the wheels of Pogacar and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) becoming entangled. “A bit clumsy of Johannessen, but perhaps also a bit clumsy of Pogacar, who wasn't paying enough attention,” analyzed Thijs Zonneveld. “But it's pretty difficult when everyone around you is steering in all directions.”

The former cyclist was immediately corrected by co-host Jip van den Bos, who saw the Norwegian as the main culprit. “Johannessen is attacking him, actually. Johannessen comes from behind; he just never saw him. He came in at high speed and immediately steered to the right, while he was still riding with his rear wheel next to Pogacar.” After the crash, Johannessen received angry messages from fans, after which Pogacar offered him words of encouragement.

Van den Bos noticed that the opponents, especially Visma | Lease a Bike, didn't seem eager to continue. ‘There was little to gain. There were a few seconds to gain on Pogacar, but there was no racing at that moment, which is a big difference.’ If they had kept riding, the Tour would have been very different. ‘Then the battle between Visma and UAE would have become even worse, and there would have been even less respect from Pogacar towards Visma and Vingegaard. If he had crashed, Pogacar would certainly not have waited for him. He might have lost minutes. Now they have a way out if Vingegaard crashes, because then UAE will also respect him.’

Moreover, the former Jumbo-Visma rider cites the Danish climber's kindness. “It's not the way teams, and certainly a rider like Vingegaard, want to win the Tour. If it were the other way around, you would also want a human response. Of course, it's a different story when you're racing flat out, then you never wait, but that wasn't the case at that moment.”

Zonneveld agrees with his colleague. “I think it's great that there is such a thing as mutual respect. Cycling is a dangerous sport, and certainly not a war, as people often claim when things like this happen. We often talk about respect and safety, but there is also a long-term effect that could be interesting for Visma. It could lead to a war with UAE, and you could lose a lot of sympathy with other teams.”

At Live Slow Ride Fast, they think it was Vingegaard who gave the order. “I think this comes a bit from Jonas,” said Laurens ten Dam. “Remember that descent in the Pyrenees, where Pogacar flew off the outside of the corner?” In the 2022 Tour, Pogacar crashed on the descent while trying to put pressure on Vingegaard's yellow jersey: his rival was waiting for him. Remarkably, that was in the stage to Hautacam, where Thursday's finish will be.

However, according to Ten Dam, Lars Boom, and Stefan Bolt, it was Soudal-Quick-Step that wanted to continue. Ilan Van Wilder had taken the lead when Pogacar crashed. “He hadn't ridden at the front of the Tour yet, but suddenly he was there,” laughs Ten Dam. According to the people in the peloton, it was Remco Evenepoel himself who shouted “stop, stop, stop.” “Jonas and Remco consulted each other, and Remco took Van Wilder off the front,” Ten Dam believes.

You might expect Lance Armstrong to have a different opinion, but the American also supports the decision to wait for Pogacar, along with his buddies George Hincapie and Bradley Wiggins, in the podcast THEMOVE. Wiggins explains. "They weren't fighting for the stage win. They would have gained what, 20 seconds? They made the right choice; it was the respectful thing to do. We know Tadej would have done the same if Jonas Vingegaard had crashed."

Armstrong argues that the world champion would have been extra motivated if they hadn't waited: he knows only too well how the world champion's competitive mind works. “If they had taken those 20 seconds, they would have known exactly what Tadej was thinking last night, just before the first mountain finish. I'll leave it at that: you don't want that guy angry on his bike.”

However, Tejay van Garderen felt that Visma | Lease a Bike should not have waited. ‘This was the opportunity they had. I don't want to see it that way, of course, they didn't want him to crash. But it was a Visma rider who knocked him off his bike,’ the American incorrectly judges in his podcast Beyond the Podium. “The opportunity presented itself: you can be remembered as a true sportsman, or as a three-time Tour winner. I would prefer the latter.”

Vingegaard is still a good minute behind the Slovenian, and the former BMC and EF Education First rider doesn't see him making up that gap anytime soon. During the upcoming mountain stages, the dynamics will be the same as in the previous Tour. “I don't see him gaining time on the Hautacam or anywhere else, so this was the opportunity. I would have taken it.”