Where will the Tour de France fairy tale of Onley and Vauquelin end? "A discovery for my body"
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Follow us on GoogleOscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin continue to impress in this Tour de France. The 22-year-old Brit from Picnic PostNL and the 24-year-old Frenchman from Arkéa-B&B Hotels have never shown themselves in a Grand Tour classification, but so far they have the legs to compete for a top ten finish. Even after the climbing time trial to the top of Peyragudes, the two did not disappoint, so it is fair to ask: Where will this fairy tale end?
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Onley finished seventh in the short time trial, just over two minutes behind winner Tadej Pogacar. This put him back among the big names, as he had already finished sixth, fourth, and third in the punchy stages in the first week and fifth on the Hautacam on Thursday. "I think it went okay. I was suffering a bit after yesterday, which is normal, I think. Looking at the times now, I think we’ve all suffered a bit out there, but I did what I could," Onley analyzed.
Going full throttle day after day will take some getting used to for the Brit. He may have finished third in the Tour de Suisse, but three weeks of the Tour de France is something else. "With the steep runway at the end, you really had to hold back a bit, which is quite difficult because the rest of the climb was an uncomfortable gradient actually. You saw some guys on road bikes and others on TT bikes. For me, it was a good choice to go on the road bike because I could put down my power better on a climb like this on the road bike rather than in TT position."
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Vauquelin regrets starting too fast
Vauquelin also finished in the top of the stage results, although eleventh place at 2.35 was perhaps a little less than he had hoped for. "Perhaps I started out a bit strong in this time trial," he said afterwards. “It's the first time my body has had to work as hard as it did at Hautacam on Thursday. I may have suffered the after-effects of that day. I think I've limited the damage. It's better to experience this little setback now than tomorrow.”
On Saturday, Onley and Vauquelin will be in action again when we head to the summit of Luchon-Superbagnères in stage 14. Along the way, we will also cross the Tourmalet and Aspin and tackle the Col de Peyresourde. With more than 5,000 meters of climbing, will the two young riders survive? “It'll be a stage that can create a lot more gaps. It's a discovery for my body, and it's normal to have moments like that. I need to let my body assimilate and recover from these efforts,” said Vauquelin.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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