Tour de France - Everything perfect: Pogacar acclaimed historical Tour victory
Tadej Pogacar disappeared into the sunset on the Côte d'Azur in a white-yellow jubilee pile and let himself be passionately cheered for his historic triumph at the 111th Tour de France by his teammates. "I am very happy. I cannot describe how happy I am after two hard years in the Tour. This year everything went perfectly", said the 25-year-old, after he had perfectly completed his third overall victory at the three-week country road race in Nice.
Pogacar achieved the rare Double Success at the two Grand Tours as the first cycling professional since Marco Pantani did it 26 years ago. Only seven riders had managed this before, including cycling legend Eddy Merckx.
"No bad day" for Pogacar
"That's incredible. Winning the Tour is another level. And to win the Double is still another level", said the visibly happy winner. "This is the first Tour where I was full of confidence every day. I had no bad day."
The Slovenian showed his full class also in the final stage. And he confirmed why many experts consider him the best cyclist in the world. At the 33.7 kilometer long Individual Time Trial between Monaco and Nice, Pogacar won the race against the clock in another power demonstration ahead of the previous year's winner Jonas Vingegaard and Belgian Time Trial World Champion Remco Evenepoel. Pogacar celebrated his sixth Tour stage victory this year, his 17th stage victory in total.
In the General Classification, Pogacar sat on the throne with 6:17 minutes ahead of his big rival Vingegaard. Evenepoel ranked third with a deficit of 9:18 minutes. For the first time in Tour history, the finale was not held in Paris. Preparations for the Olympics were underway in the capital.
Vingegaard couldn't hide a smile despite being dethroned from the Tour summit. Hand in hand with his pregnant wife Trine and daughter Frida, he strolled through the finish area.
Pogacar beats Vingegaard again in the duel
In the big Tour duel with rival Vingegaard, Pogacar took the lead again and now leads in the General Classifications with a 3:2 margin. The Dane had won the two previous Tour triumphs for himself, Pogacar was successful before that. Cycling fans worldwide had longed for a duel of titans between Pogacar and Vingegaard at the final Time Trial. However, the tension remained due to Pogacar's significant time advantage.
It looked different in 1989 when it came to a final Time Trial. Back then, the American Greg LeMond defeated the Frenchman Laurent Fignon spectaculary with a minuscule lead of just eight seconds.
Pogacar prevented such tension. He was simply too strong. Vingegaard put up a better performance than many had expected after his serious injury in the spring, but he could hardly counteract his opponent. In essence, it was a creeping defeat. Pogacar, who had sovereignly defended the Yellow Jersey since the fourth stage, took time from the competitor regularly - and built up his lead gradually.
In the third week, the hoped-for breakthrough of Pogacar's team failed. On the contrary: On the mountain challenges in the Pyrenees and Alps, he beat Vingegaard again clearly. Sport Director Grischa Niermann from Vingegaard's team admitted: "Pogacar is the strongest."
Eritrean Girmay best sprinter of the 111th Tour
The final stage started in Monaco with the challenging ups and downs, including a steep descent. All eyes were on Pogacar in his hometown. "He knows every corner, he knows the course very well," said Pogacar's German teammate Nils Politt.
A big applause for the Eritrean Biniam Girmay both in Monaco and in the finish area. Georg Zimmermann, teammate of the German rider, finished as the best sprinter of the 111th edition in Nice in front of many fans from his homeland. Girmay had won his first Tour stage sensationally this year. He then went on to win two more stage victories. The Olympic champion Richard Carapaz from Ecuador finished the prestigious race as the strongest climber.
Cavendish ends Tour as Last
Simon Geschke had worn the polka-dot jersey for nine days in 2022. On Sunday, the native Berliner said goodbye to the Tour after his twelfth and last stage. The 38-year-old veteran will retire at the end of the season.
Top sprinter Mark Cavendish is also likely to no longer participate in the Tour. After winning the fifth stage and securing the sole Etappensieg-record with his 35th stage victory, he finished the Tour on Sunday as the last rider. In response to the question whether this was the last race of his career, the 39-year-old answered: "Very likely."
- The victory celebration for Tadej Pogacar was reminiscent of the triumphant rides of other professional bicycle riders, such as Marco Pantani and Eddy Merckx.
- Pogacar's dominance in the Tour de France was evident in his victory in the Individual Time Trial, beating Jonas Vingegaard by a significant margin.
- The Tour de France saw a strong performance from international cyclists, with Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel among the top contenders.
- As the sun set over the French Riviera, the Doppler effect of the cheering crowds could be heard as they celebrated Pogacar's historic third overall victory.
- Pogacar's success in the Tour de France marked a new chapter in the history of the race, taking place on iconic routes like those in Nice and the Côte d'Azur.
- The final stage between Monaco and Nice was a challenging one for the cyclists, with steep descents and difficult terrain, but Pogacar and his teammate Nils Politt were undeterred.
- Tadej Pogacar's dominance in the 111th Tour de France was an impressive demonstration of his cycling skills and his ability to handle pressure in a high-stakes competition.
- Mark Cavendish, the renowned sprinter and record-holder for the most stage victories in the Tour, completed the race as the last rider, bringing his illustrious career to a close.
- The final stage was also a triumph for the Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay, who had won his first Tour stage earlier in the competition and went on to win two more.
- The Tour de France showcased the best of cycling talent from around the world, with riders like Tadej Pogacar, Pavel Sivakov, Nathan Haas, and Koen Bouwman making their mark on the historic race.
