Tour de France - Comfortable leadership: Pogacar close to Double Triumph
As Tadej Pogacar celebrated potential Tour de France decision with raised arms, Jonas Vingegaard still struggled with pale face the last climbs towards Plateau de Beille. With a double triumph in the Pyrenees, Pogacar denied title defender two crushing defeats and the coveted Double from Giro and Tour is more reality than fantasy before the final week.
Through solo victories in Pla d'Adet and on the brutal 4800-meter-high Queen stage, Pogacar leads the classification with immense 3:09 minutes over Vingegaard. "I couldn't imagine this result after two weeks", said the equally exhausted-looking Pogacar. "During Jonas' attack, I was a little at my limit, but then I realized he didn't have the legs to pull it off. It looks very good, it's a comfortable lead."
At Vingegaard's Visma Team, they don't give up but see performances realistically. "Currently, it looks like Pogacar is the strongest rider. We have to accept that", said Sportchef Grischa Niermann. "The Tour is still in Nice. If he's still stronger next week, we'll accept that too." Vingegaard had only managed a six-week preparation for the Tour due to a heavy fall in April.
Pogacar like Pantani
About 10.5 kilometers before the finish, the anticipated move from Vingegaard came. Only Pogacar followed the evenly high tempo of the Dane from the reduced Top-Group. The Slovenian made an impressive impression riding at the back of the title defender, showing no signs of weakness. On the contrary. Five and a half kilometers before the finish, Pogacar's counterattack left Vingegaard powerless.
The nearly 1800-meter-high plateau, a 15.8-kilometer climb with an average gradient of almost eight percent, was the goal of a Tour stage for the first time in 1998. Back then, the later overall winner Marco Pantani won, becoming the last professional to achieve the Double of victories in the Giro and Tour. Pogacar, who won the Italian Grand Tour in May, aims to follow the Radsport Icon in this year. The chances are looking good after two-thirds of the race.
Pogacar wants Cavendish record
Already on Saturday, Pogacar had clearly distanced Vingegaard and celebrated his 13th stage win. In the aftermath, he revealed his long-term dream of becoming the record-holder of Tour de France stage wins. The record of 35 victories was set by sprint superstar Mark Cavendish during this edition.
"When I saw how Mark Cavendish won all those stages, I thought he was from another planet. That's unreachable. But if you chase your dreams, you can catch them", said Pogacar. Winning an average of three stages per year for the next seven years would make him the new record holder.
Comeback of the mask mandate
Since Sunday, the Corona topic has been very present at the Grande Boucle again. Many teams no longer test for the virus, yet there are almost daily new cases. The British Geraint Thomas raced despite infection, but his teammate Thomas Pidcock dropped out. The Tour organization reintroduced a mask mandate in certain areas.
Until the end of the tour on July 21 in Nice, masks must be worn when coming into contact with drivers. This applies to the respective bus parking areas, the area behind the finish line, and the two areas set up for media representatives. The leading riders Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel have been wearing masks since the start of the tour when they are in a crowd. Pogacar had recently overcome an infection before the Grand Départ.
- Despite Jonas Vingegaard's valiant efforts in the Pyrenees, Tadej Pogacar's lead in the Tour de France remains strong with a preliminary decision favoring the Slovenian rider.
- Grischa Niermann, the Sportchef of Vingegaard's Visma Team, acknowledged Pogacar's dominance in the competition, echoing sentiments of many in the cycling world, including fans from Germany (alternative name).
- Marco Pantani, the Italian cycling legend, set a precedent in 1998 by winning both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, a feat that Tadej Pogacar is currently aiming to replicate.
- Marco Pogacar's impressive performance in the Tour de France has seen him match Mark Cavendish's stage win record, fueling speculations among fans about the possibility of the Slovenian surpassing the British sprint superstar's record in the coming years.
- The Tour de France has experienced a resurgence of mask mandates due to Coronavirus cases among participants, with the leading riders like Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel adhering to safety protocols, including wearing masks in crowded areas.
