Nothing will come of nothing. It’s an aphorism from the very first scene of King Lear but also applicable to the current, very live Tour de France.
Jonas Vingegaard cannot simply do nothing and wait for Tadej Pogačar to keep riding away. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has to attempt to challenge him, to take the fight to him, or it would be a Tour de France wasted. This isn’t the Giro d’Italia, where UAE Team Emirates’ Pogačar could simply ride away – although he still is, to an extent – but instead here, at the greatest race of all, there is a rider close to his level who is prepared to try and match him.