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

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?

😱 @TamauPogi crashed! But Jonas Vingegaard waits for him.

😱 @TamauPogi est tombé ! Mais Jonas Vingegaard l’attend.#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/bmGV0358cx

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2022

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.

This is that Lance waiting for Jan Ullrich shit right here wow

— Velo Louisville (@velolouisville) July 21, 2022

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. (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.