Tour route designer accepts 'failure' after Pogacar show on Tourmalet

The Tour’s route designer had hoped the race would build gradually, with the toughest stages creating decisive gaps later in the three weeks. Instead, the first major mountain test left Pogačar two minutes and 42 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, his nearest rival in the general classification.

Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV 2 Sport, Gouvenou conceded that the size of the gap had caught the organisers by surprise.

“We were a little unsure about how difficult Stage 6 would be, because we knew perfectly well that the Tourmalet would be a decisive moment,” he said. “To be honest, we had not expected such a large gap, and we thought the differences at the finish would be much smaller.”

Pogačar had already taken 30 seconds out of Vingegaard by the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. He continued to extend his advantage after the descent and gained another two minutes before the finish.

The performance gave the defending champion firm control of the race far earlier than the organisers had envisaged.

Gouvenou did not attempt to play down what the result meant for the contest.

“As far as the suspense is concerned, you could say it was a failure,” he said. “But that is also part of cycling. That is simply what Pogačar is like. He is so strong that any route suits him.”

The outcome has inevitably placed the route under scrutiny, but Gouvenou rejected the suggestion that the Tour should have avoided its most famous climbs simply to prevent Pogačar from gaining time.

The Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aspin are central to the history of the Tour in the Pyrenees. For Gouvenou, excluding them would have meant weakening both the sporting challenge and the identity of the race.

“The spectators would not understand if, for example, we raced through the Pyrenees with a mountain pass that was not too difficult in the middle of the stage and only flat terrain afterwards,” he said.

“We decided to take the route over the Tourmalet and hoped the gap would be smaller. But there was a big difference.”

Gouvenou acknowledged that he would have preferred Pogačar and Vingegaard to remain closer after the first mountain stage.

“Yes, I would have preferred the race between them to be much closer,” he said.

But his final assessment placed the emphasis on the rider rather than the course.

“The problem is not the route,” Gouvenou said. “The problem is the difference between Pogačar and the others.”