Pogacar overtakes Vingegaard at Plateau de Beille
Impressive Pyrenees Show by Tadej Pogacar: The Leader of the Tour de France wins the spectacular stage up to Plateau de Beille. During this, the Slovenian also countered an attack from his major rival Jonas Vingegaard.
Double Triumph in the Duel of Tour Giants: Tadej Pogacar once again proved his overwhelming form with a solo win on the King's stage and likely decided the race in the 111th Tour de France. The Slovenian distanced title defender Jonas Vingegaard on the extremely demanding stage with five mountains and unfathomable 4800 altitude meters. He goes as a sovereign leader into the final week. Already the day before, he had shown his dominance in the Pyrenees with a win ahead of his major rival.
The 25-year-old Pogacar is already 3:09 minutes ahead of the Dane in the general classification, whose hopes for a third consecutive overall victory are now realistically over. Two heavy Alpine stages on Friday and Saturday and the concluding time trial on Sunday remain for Vingegaard for the chase - but there's a lack of imagination for a Tour miracle. "I couldn't even imagine that it would come like this - it was a very hard day. It looks good now, but we have to stay focused in the last week," said Pogacar at the finish: "I was indeed at my limit when Jonas attacked, but with my form I am very satisfied."
Pogacar like Pantani
Approximately 10.5 kilometers before the finish, the expected attack from Vingegaard came. From the group of six riders, only Pogacar followed the even high tempo of the Dane. The Slovenian made an impressive impression, showed no signs of weakness. On the contrary. Five and a half kilometers before the finish, Pogacar's counterattack followed, to which Vingegaard had nothing left to respond.
The nearly 1800 meter high plateau, a climb of 15.8 kilometers with an average gradient of almost eight percent, was the goal of a Tour stage for the first time in 1998. At that time, the later overall winner Marco Pantani won, who managed the double of victories at the Giro and the Tour that year. Pogacar, who won the Italian Grand Tour in May, wants to follow the Radsport icon in this year. The chances are good after two thirds.
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 one day becoming the record holder of Tour 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 not reachable. But if you chase your dreams, you can catch them," said Pogacar. If he wins an average of something more than three stages per year in the next seven years, he will become the new record holder.
Comeback of the Mask Mandate
Since Sunday, the Corona topic has been very present again at the Great Loop. Many teams no longer test for the virus, but 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 requirement 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 media zones set up for them. 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.
Pogacar's dominance in the Tour de France continued as he clinched another stage victory on the King's stage, solidifying his lead over rival Jonas Vingegaard. This win was reminiscent of Marco Pantani's double triumph in the 1998 Tour de France, marking another milestone in Pogacar's cycling career.
In pursuit of Mark Cavendish's record of 35 Tour de France stage wins, Pogacar expressed his aspirations, aiming to catch the elusive record with his relentless pursuit of victories in the sport.
