It’s always a good barometer of success at the Tour de France to check out the vibe around the team buses. You could do a lot worse than just standing still and watching riders, journalists, team staff and fans interact to see where a team positions itself. UAE Team Emirates, the team of Tadej Pogačar, obviously, were always popular, with many a scrum beyond the gilded rope. Visma-Lease a Bike and Soudal Quick-Step, with Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel respectively, weren’t too far behind in the demand stakes. Even Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, with their new livery, had quite a bit of interest, despite their disappointing race, with leader Primož Roglič abandoning after his stage 12 crash.
Ineos Grenadiers, once the team of the ‘death star’, and the most popular bus in the peloton, didn’t have the same vibes. By the end of the Tour, there was little clamour for the riders or the team, and the only interviews happening were post-mortems of a Tour which did not hit the heights expected. The squad were posting things about Carlos Rodríguez being a “fighter” by the end on social media; there were few celebrations, and things seemed quite flat.
