JAKBOB FUGLSANG

Have we had Jakob Fuglsang all wrong? Have we, and he, been labouring under the misapprehension that his best side is as a stage racer when in fact he’s more suited to one-day racing? Yes, he’s finished seventh in the Tour and won the Dauphiné in 2017. But in grand tours, his next best results are 11th in the 2011 Vuelta and a brace of 12ths in the 2016 Giro and 2018 Tour. His career is best described as punctuated with good results in other weeklong WorldTour stage races – he’s finished in the top five in nine stage races, but that’s hardly prolific.

Now consider Fuglsang’s dramatically improving oneday credentials. Prior to this year, he had seven top-five finishes in one-day races. Just two of those were WorldTour level and a third was at the 2016 Olympics, when he took silver. But then 2019 happened. He’s won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but

was also on the podium at Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold and Flèche. That represents the Dane’s best body of work.

So what’s changed for the 34-year-old? Dmitriy Fofonov, Astana manager, insists the improvement is down to “more confidence” and growing into a leadership role. It’s the third year he’s been a captain at the squad. His long-time coach Rune Larsen left over the winter, too, meaning Fuglsang is now coached by head trainer, Maurizio Mazzoleni.

“If we analyse it, normally he likes a very hard race with a big selection - they’re the good ones for him,” Fofonov says.

So Fuglsang: belated oneday star or rejuvenated allrounder? We may get more clarity at the Tour in July.