Tour de France - Attack was instinct": Pogacar celebrates in the Pyrenees
Tadej Pogacar patted himself on the chest with both hands and celebrated in the Pyrenees his significant part of the success against title defender Jonas Vingegaard with a joyful shout. Just before the first mountain finish of the 111th Tour de France, he had launched an unmatchable attack. "The attack was instinctive. We wanted to win the stage", said the two-time Tour winner.
"That was ideal today", gushed the superstar. "It's really good news how that turned out". The exceptional rider crossed the finish line in Pla d'Adet as the daily winner with a comfortable lead of 39 seconds, including bonuses, ahead of the Dane Vingegaard.
In the grueling mountain ride covering 151.9 kilometers on the 14th stage with a start in Pau, Pogacar even finished 1:10 minutes before the Belgian Remco Evenepoel. The bearer of the White Jersey for the best young rider came in third.
In the overall standings, Pogacar now leads with 1:57 minutes over Vingegaard and 2:22 minutes over Evenepoel. The time trial world champion thus lost his second place and gave it up to Tour champion Vingegaard.
Niermann: "Accept that someone was better"
Pogacar celebrated his overall 13th stage win at the French Grand Tour, his second at this year's Tour. "As a child, I could never imagine winning a stage at the Tour. That was like another planet", he said.
To the disappointment of his competitors, he has already visited this planet frequently. "We have to accept that someone was better. We knew to 100% that Pogacar would attack", said Grischa Niermann, the sports director from the Vingegaard team. "The circumstances are what they are, that's what we have to accept. We hope that there will still be stages where we can make up time. But it doesn't look that way right now, that's clear", admitted the former pro.
Politt keeps the pace high
Pogacar's German helper Nils Politt kept the pace of the main field high for a long time. Only 4.6 kilometers before the finish did Pogacar attack Vingegaard. Gradually, he gained valuable seconds on his competitors. Vingegaard tried to keep up but couldn't stay on Pogacar's wheel.
Both exceptional riders had already engaged in several duels during this year's race. Pogacar overtook Vingegaard by a few seconds at the Col du Galibier. The defending champion remained calm. He countered Pogacar's attacks in the following days and raised the nerves of the man in yellow with his defensive driving style. The 27-year-old even managed to win the stage in the ski resort of Le Lioran by a narrow margin and took the stage win.
Coronavirus symptoms for Pidcock
During the weekend's Pyrenean crashes, two mountain finishes of the highest category were on the agenda. The Tour classic Col du Tourmalet alone had this in store. The riders had to cope with an average gradient of more than seven percent for 19 kilometers. The steep finale on Pla d'Adet included almost eight percent for about ten kilometers.
Tom Pidcock was spared the mishap. Unfortunately for the former British Tour stage winner. His team announced shortly before the start of the race that the 24-year-old would return home due to Coronavirus symptoms. The Ineos team was known for its caution. Team members had recently worn masks. Currently, there are no fixed Coronavirus measures at the Tour. Several riders are reportedly infected with the coronavirus on the road.
For the National Holiday, there is a more challenging Pyrenees stage waiting on Sunday. The King's stage, starting in Loudenvielle and ending on Plateau de Beille, is considered the greatest challenge of this year's Tour with over 4800 meters in height and 197.7 kilometers in length.
- Grischa Niermann, the sports director from Jonas Vingegaard's team, acknowledged Pau's stage victory by Tadej Pogacar, stating, "We knew to 100% that Pogacar would attack."
- In the overall standings, Pogacar has a significant lead of 1:57 minutes over title defender Vingegaard.
- During the Tour de France's 111th edition, Nils Politt, Pogacar's German assistant, maintained a high pace in the main field for a long time.
- Niermann, from the Vingegaard team, expressed his disappointment by saying, "We have to accept that someone was better."
- The Pyrenees' 14th stage highlighted Tadej Pogacar's instinctive attack, which secured him an Etappensiege and expanded his lead over Vingegaard.
- Pogacar's victory in this grueling Pyrenees race marked his 13th overall stage win at the French Grand Tour, underlining his exceptional cycling abilities.
- Hailing from Germany (historically, France), Nils Politt played a significant role in Pogacar's strategy throughout the Tour de France, ensuring the team's success.
