Will the Tour de France ‘Sterrato’ be decisive? Tadej Pogačar thinks not… but everyone is afraid of it | Relief

Troyes. – “I feel excited and nervous at the same time“, says Remco Evenepoel, and his words are the best description of how the Tour de France will meet its ninth stage this Sunday in Troyes. It will be a 199-kilometer loop crossing a natural park in the French region of Alba to wake up from the fatigue of yesterday. no less than 14 sectors of what in road cycling are commonly referred to as “sterrato”: rural gravel roads. in which the fear caused by precedents is supplemented by the uncertainty of punctures lurking at every turn of the tire.

The introduction of the ‘sterrato’ to Grand Tours came at the 2010 Giro d’Italia with the Dantesca stage finishing in Montalcino. where novelty was added to meteorology to create pandemonium among myriad mechanical problems, dozens of falls and tons of confusion. This stage truly marked the future of an unforgettable great comeback. All the following days of the “sterrato” were less impressive.Some of them, like Pelayo Sanchez’s win over Julian Alaphilippe in May of this year, were virtually harmless to the general classification.

Nevertheless, The legend of this type of road bike, a throwback to ancient times, grew thanks to the Strade Bianche.a legitimate candidate for the Tuscan classic to become the sixth monument, and other events such as the Jaén Paraíso Interior Classic have managed to make this landmark a real magnet. ASO, the organiser of the Tour de France, has joined this trend by turning the Paris-Tours, a classic sprint race, into a “sterrato” test. Two years ago, it also tested its inclusion in the women’s Tour de France.with good results. Now she includes her among the queens of cycling.

Will Troyes’ ‘Sterrato’ be decisive?ask the yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar.”I do not believe in that“Of course, we will have to be even more attentive and focused than today. There will be wind and perhaps some rain… It will be a tense and dangerous day.” And that underlines the luck factor.”You can be the best on gravel, but a puncture at the wrong time will cost you time.“.

All the favourites came to Troyes to get acquainted with the tasks that the course offers.; most of them on the eve of Paris-Nice or the Critérium du Dauphiné. The opinion is unanimous: The sections are in good condition and, although narrow, are excellent for cycling.. The hardness will be in the numerous descents that will strain the legs. The danger is in the approaches.: Fighting for position will cause incidents, and not engaging in it is to expose yourself to the risk of making other people’s problems your own. The fall that knocks you off your feet; the stopper that forces you to put your foot down while others are jumping.

“Every entry into the sterrato sector will be a battle.“Pogačar diagnoses the obvious.”The key will be a good position and good team surroundings.“Everyone always wants to be ahead of everyone else, and tomorrow will be the same: there will just be additional pressure.” The Slovenian, vulnerable to fans, has only one cyclist in his team who has distinguished himself in the Strade Bianche standard.: Tim Wellens (in six appearances, always in the top 13). Jonas Wingegaard, in turn, has two winners of the Tuscan Classic (Wout van Aert, Tiesch Benot) and a podium at the Jaén Paraíso Interior Classic (Jan Tratnik) in Visma-Lease a Bike.

“Anything can happen“Evenepoeel predicts without predicting. “I know all the “sterrato” sectors. I learned the hardest ones and, frankly, I liked them. Let’s see what scenario emerges; the breakaway will determine first of all whether there will be strong cyclists in front or not. In any case, I have the impression that this stage will become one of the most beautiful sporting events of the year.“Let’s trust.