Escrevo esta crónica no berço do primeiro dia de descanso do Tour. A organização bem tentou desenhar um traçado que promovesse a competitividade, mas a verdade é que o primeiro lugar parece estar 90% decidido. A não ser que haja algum azar para o esloveno - batam três vezes na madeira.

2 minutos e 42 segundos não são a eternidade, mas depois de ver Vingegaard envergar a primeira amarela, Pogacar desferiu um forte golpe que certamente abalou as esperanças do dinamarquês. Bastou uma incursão ao mítico Tourmalet para que um Tour Mau É chegasse aos dias de Jonas Vingegaard: o olhar que tem no final da etapa 6 revela tudo.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Das0uixFyLO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Das0uixFyLO/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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Juan Ayuso, Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas e companhia: ninguém teve pedal para Pogi Star. O mexicano Isaac del Toro ajudou e bem o líder, que também já lhe tinha cedido uma vitória. Candidato ao segundo lugar? Veremos.

Está um calor infernal em França, e não são os suores frios que há por lá quando pensam no Éder. Pogacar tem de se entreter com alguma coisa durante o Tour e pediu revisão total do calendário. De forma mais séria, numa era em que as alterações climáticas também andam em fuga, acredito que talvez esteja na hora de proteger mais os corredores. No entanto não acredito que tão cedo vá acontecer.

Trago-vos desta vez algumas notas que achei bonitas.

Torstein Træen esteve de amarelo dois dias, caiu e desistiu. Mas quem vence um cancro e já liderou uma Vuelta e um Tour pode ir para casa descansado, não acham?

Michael Matthews estava em fuga, mas tinha o rádio de comunicações estragado. Eis que uma equipa rival da Jayco, a Decathlon, pede aos corredores que tinha na mesma fuga para avisarem o australiano (um dos melhores amigos de Pogacar) de que o carro de apoio da equipa dele já estava perto. Para mim isto é de valor. Querer ganhar mas definir limites que não se passam.

Gostei de ver Kelland O`Brien terminar a etapa onde tinha caído, já fora do tempo limite. Honrar o Tour é isto!

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DanBQRTNr6e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DanBQRTNr6e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DanBQRTNr6e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">Uma publicação partilhada por Kell O'Brien (@kellobrien)</a></p></div></blockquote>

Desportivamente, sinal mais para Mads Pedersen, que anda de verde e já ganhou uma etapa, para Tim Merlier, que está a ser o sprinter mais rápido, com Kooij a querer ser protagonista. Van der Poel venceu pela terceira vez no Tour e logo num dia em que o avô Raymond Poulidor tinha vencido também há muitos anos. Juntemos Vingegaard (no dia arraçado de crono coletivo), Del Toro e Pogacar e tiramos a conclusão: no Tour não há espaço para brincadeiras: aqui vencem os melhores.

Em fuga, digo-vos que teremos a UAE confirmada na Volta a Portugal! Boa notícia. Mesmo que não traga a nata da nata, voltamos a ter cá uma equipa World Tour. Não acontecia desde 2021, quando a Movistar por cá andou.

O TOUR E AS SAUDADES DE JOÃO ALMEIDA

Começa a Volta à França. Será Tadej Pogacar contra os outros líderes humanos, com Portugal a sentir falta de Almeida.