Cycling | Dauphiné: Crashes, tricks and new technology

The tension is mounting ahead of the final weekend of the Dauphiné. For one thing, Saturday's course holds a real executioner in store. On the 131.6-kilometer stage, almost 4,900 meters of elevation gain must be conquered, including the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer, and the final climb to Valmeinier 1800. That's a formidable challenge. And the three peaks in the elevation profile will also shed further light on the condition of the trio of favorites for the Tour de France.

So far, two main patterns have been identified with Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia), Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium): Pogacar is still holding back a bit, while his two rivals, after their long breaks from competition, used the build-up to the Tour mainly as a moral confirmation that they are on the right track.

Wearing the rainbow jersey of the world champion, Evenepoel put in a fantastic time trial on the asphalt and thus also captured the yellow jersey, which, as later in the Tour, adorns the overall leader. "I was surprised myself at how much time I was able to gain on the others," he said, referring to the gaps to Vingegaard (20 seconds) and Pogačar (48 seconds) on the short 17-kilometer course.

The Dane was also more than satisfied with his performance in this specialty. So satisfied, in fact, that he even fired a challenge at Pogačar: "I was a bit out of gears. I could have used a higher gear ratio in the fast sections. I probably should have installed a larger chainring up front."

The two-time Tour de France winner seems to be bursting with strength and self-confidence. He doesn't hesitate to show it. This has already earned him the reputation of being a "new Vingegaard." The Dutch portal "Wielerflits" highlighted that he had already attacked on the first stage in a spot whose profile hadn't exactly invited it. This had actually been Pogačar's specialty up to that point. The Slovenian then went on to win the stage, demonstrating his great explosiveness. Vingegaard's attack, however, had split the field. "Jonas did a great job. He's entered Pogačar's domain. That shows how well he's worked on his explosiveness," said former world champion Mads Pedersen, praising his compatriot.

Vingegaard's racing team, Visma–Lease a Bike, is also currently showing off its skills in the field of equipment and technology. The Dane rode with a new breathalyzer, which the UCI finally approved in time for the Tour de France after much hesitation. The new device is called the VitalPro Strap, and according to its developer, Arnar Larusson, it will "revolutionize sport like the introduction of the heart rate monitor did in the 1970s." Athletes can now see in real time how their bodies react to stress and thus better manage it. "We will definitely use the device in the Tour de France," said Visma's technical development manager, Mathieu Heijboer.

Evenepoel wasn't going to be left behind in the race for innovations. The Belgian had a new type of visor mounted on his time trial helmet, which is not only more expensive than the complete time trial helmets of most of his rivals, but is also supposed to guarantee better visibility.

What's striking in all of this is the restraint of the third rider. Pogačar, for example, designed his time trial so conservatively that theories about bluffing were already circulating. "He simply rode a controlled race because he's still in the process of building his form," speculated former US professional Tom Danielson. Pogačar indirectly confirmed this: "I mustn't forget that I'm coming off a big training block and we're still fine-tuning my form," he said.

So, Pogačar is in athletic preparation mode for the Tour, while Vingegaard and Evenepoel have already entered the mental battle phase. This may be a bit hasty. Evenepoel has already suffered a setback. He suffered abrasions in a crash on Thursday and, most importantly, lost one of his planned Tour support riders.