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Was it purely sportsmanship by Jonas Vingegaard or also good tactics?

When Pog crashed, the Dane waited

July 22, 2022
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On Thursday, the Tour’s final mountain day, Stage 18, did not disappoint with a thrilling victory by yellow jersey-wearer Jonas Vingegaard. With 39 km to go the action got hot with Tadej Pogačar attacking and Vingegaard marking him. Geraint Thomas would catch back on, but Pogačar attacked again and again. Then. the Slovenian and the Dane caught and dropped Meintjes.

Jumbo Visma’s Wout Van Aert, now with only Thibaut Pinot and Dani Martinez, were up the road.

With 30-odd kilometres to go. Vingegaard came very close to wiping out early on the descent. However, it would be Pogačar who crashed. As Pog got back on the bike, you could see the Dane soft-pedalling, waiting for him. It was an amazing scene. Was it purely sportsmanship? Or was the Dane also using smart tactics?

There was still 27 km to go, and a tough climb to the finish. Pog would most likely keep attacking on the descent, creating a risky situation for both riders. Time was running out for the Slovenian to make up time. The descent was a hairy one as well, with sections of it with gravel.

But by Vingegaard waiting up, he essentially created a truce on the downhill. Pog, grateful for the gesture, would not try to attack again.

On the other hand, the UAE rider might have been a bit too unsettled following his crash to go on the offensive. Furthermore, the yellow jersey had a teammate up the road, so there was no reason to go solo and risk it all. He could ride with Pog to the finishing climb and make his move.

Which he did, with a beautiful victory. It’s common for cyclists to wait for their rivals when they fall or have a mechanical–almost an unspoken code, like when Lance Armstrong waited for Jan Ullrich. Ullrich would also do the same when Armstrong and Iban Mayo crashed into a fan. (Although, famously Alberto Contador did not wait when Andy Schleck dropped his chain, instead attacking.)

Whether or not Vingegaard realized that waiting for him was good tactics is unclear, but either way, it definitely shaped the race.