Tadej Pogacar moved a step closer to claiming his third Tour de France title after outsmarting his main rival, two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, to clinch victory in the penultimate stage on Saturday.
The Slovenian cyclist secured his fifth stage win in this year’s race by overtaking Vingegaard in a thrilling sprint finish at the end of the 132.8-kilometer mountain stage from Nice. Despite Vingegaard’s efforts to solidify his position in the general classification, he couldn’t keep pace with Pogacar’s decisive move in the final 250 meters.
“I enjoyed it very much. I couldn’t be happier with another stage win,” Pogacar said after the race. “Just one more day, and tomorrow I think I’m going to enjoy it as well. If you had told me this before the Tour, I would not have believed it.”
Pogacar, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021 before being dethroned by Vingegaard in the last two editions, now leads his rival by five minutes and 14 seconds in the overall standings. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel sits in third place, trailing by an additional two minutes and 50 seconds.
The stage ended in disappointment for Vingegaard, who had aimed to distance himself further from Evenepoel. An earlier attack by Evenepoel on the Col de la Couillole backfired, allowing Pogacar and Vingegaard to break away from the pack.
“Vingegaard showed today he was not easy to crack and he did a good ride today,” Pogacar acknowledged. “Tomorrow let’s stay safe.”
The Tour de France concludes on Sunday with an individual time trial between Monaco and Nice—the first time in the race’s 121-year history that it will not finish in Paris. The change is due to the upcoming Summer Olympics, set to begin on July 26 in the French capital.
Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz, who animated the day’s breakaway and secured third place in the stage with a bold ride, ensured he would take home the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification. Meanwhile, Biniam Girmay of Eritrea secured the green jersey for the points classification.
Evenepoel attempted a bold move eight kilometers from the finish line, but his effort was short-lived. Vingegaard countered the attack, with only Pogacar able to follow, leaving Evenepoel behind.
In the final moments, Pogacar remained strategically positioned behind Vingegaard before unleashing a powerful acceleration to cross the finish line first, leaving his rival to finish with his head bowed.
Reference(s):
Merciless Pogacar puts hammer down to top Vingegaard again in Stage 20
cgtn.com
