Riders, including Primoz Roglic, found sound asleep during the chaotic crosswinds of the first stage of the Tour de France.
Primož Roglič, the Slovenian cyclist and defending champion, faced a challenging start to the 2023 Tour de France, finishing significantly behind key rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar in the opening stage. The poor performance can primarily be attributed to tactical and positioning errors in challenging crosswind conditions.
Roglič, like other general classification (GC) contenders, was caught out during a critical split in the peloton caused by crosswinds with about 17 kilometres to go. His team, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, failed to place any riders in the leading group that formed, leaving Roglič isolated and forced to finish behind the front group.
The team's lack of alertness was highlighted by their sports director, who noted the group was “asleep” and surprised by the wind and its associated dangers, indicating a lack of readiness or vigilance at a crucial moment. This positioning failure was especially costly because it squandered an opportunity for Roglič to gain time on other GC contenders like Remco Evenepoel.
Roglič's history of bad luck in previous Tours de France, including crashes leading to withdrawals, might have played a part in some instances. However, this particular setback was less about misfortune and more about tactical misjudgment and poor team support in the dangerous crosswind sector on stage 1.
Despite this, Roglič remained competitive and more cautious in the following stage, finishing safely with the lead group, suggesting the stage 1 issues were specific to that day's team and race dynamics rather than a decline in his form.
Meanwhile, other riders also faced challenges. Simon Yates (Visma) suffered an untimely mechanical 75 kilometres from home, while Adam Yates (Pogacar's climbing train) lost 5 minutes and 18 seconds on the opening stage. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) lost the most time among potential GC riders, crossing the line 9 minutes and 11 seconds down in last place.
Jonas Vingegaard expressed disappointment at losing a potential third GC option and attacker, while Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) also lost 39 seconds on the opening stage. Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), returning to the Tour after a successful 2022 season, crashed and lost significant time but was given the same time as the front group due to the 5-kilometre safe zone rule.
Matteo Jorgenson was up in front for Visma and had a very successful day, while Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Enric Mas (Movistar) made great starts to their potential overall bids by getting into the lead echelon.
Enrico Gasparotto, the DS for Roglič's team, stated that they are all aware of the opportunity they wasted, and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) admitted at the finish line that he should have stopped competing in the Tour de France last year.
As the race continues, Roglič and his team will look to regroup and mount a comeback in the remaining stages.
Roglič's team, having demonstrated a lack of readiness and vigilance during the challenging crosswind conditions in the opening stage, faces the task of regrouping and providing better support for their general classification contender in the remaining stages of the 2023 Tour de France. Meanwhile, the disappointing setback in positioning and tactical judgment also affected other GC riders such as Simon Yates, Adam Yates, Carlos Rodríguez, and Ben O'Connor.
