Zonneveld sees Visma as the moral winner in tactical game with UAE and Pogacar: "Crawling to stage 18 like half-dead riders"

We are only seven days into the Tour, but according to Zonneveld, the number of taunting events and lashing out between Visma and UAE can no longer be counted on one hand. “They're complaining about each other in every interview. That's not a game; it's more than irritation. You can see it in the way they ride next to each other in the peloton. They're throwing punches, Soler cut someone from Visma off so he couldn't grab a water bottle, and they're bickering all day long.”

For cycling fans, it's exciting to watch, and Zonneveld agrees that UAE Team Emirates-XRG had an answer for everything Visma | Lease a Bike threw at them in the first week, both on and off the bike. “If someone from Visma drops back, UAE goes after them hard, and if UAE slows down for a moment, Visma takes over. It's a constant battle, which is why it's been so tough for a whole week, and there's hardly been a moment of rest in the peloton.”

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On paper, UAE seems to have the upper hand, with the yellow jersey for Pogacar and already two stage wins for the Slovenian. But: “After the first week, we haven't seen any mountains yet, but we have seen so many small hills and so much hard work that it has been a really tough week. UAE has countered everything so far, but Visma will get what it wants somewhere. They want it to be a kind of Last Man Standing, where they arrive at stage 18 looking like half-dead riders.”

Because, according to Zonneveld, it's all going to happen in the third week. "Stages 18 and 19 are what this Tour is all about for Visma, so you really have to think ahead all the time. Those two days include 10,000 meters of climbing, with stage 18 being the toughest stage in a Grand Tour in 25 years. That's coming soon, and Visma wants everyone to have exhausted legs at the start of that day. And then another 5,500 meters of climbing on day 18 and 4,500 meters the day after."

With the past in mind, where Vingegaard often seemed to be able to handle more than Pogacar, UAE would do well to be cautious. “Visma | Lease a Bike is trying to create something all the time, and for now, UAE is countering that pretty easily. But that's how UAE has already lost two Tours, by turning every day into a classic and not thinking about saving energy over three weeks.”

In Friday evening's podcast, In Het Wiel, the same conclusions were drawn. However, Roxane Knetemann rightly pointed out the strength of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, which is sometimes forgotten in the tactical spectacle. “The acceleration past the peloton and Tim Wellens' Visma train, and the quick move with which he then brought Pogacar into position... That was so incredibly clever, and everyone was already lost there. It was truly phenomenal, Wellens' move of the day.”

Knetemann was less enthusiastic about Pogacar's comments to Visma | Lease a Bike. “I found Pogacar quite irritating on Thursday. Why is the first thing you say to van der Poel after stage 6 that you didn't chase him for his yellow jersey?” Marijn Abbenhuijs thinks he knows the answer: “Because they can't stand each other. It's nice to have a bit of controversy, isn't it?” Knetemann: “Oh, all that nonsense. Pogacar is a tough guy, and he's bullying his competitor. He doesn't need to do that at all.”