(Saint-Lary-Soulan) Tadej Pogacar took a small option on the final victory in the Tour de France after having cracked Jonas Vingegaard on Saturday at Pla d’Adet following a tactical masterstroke.
The yellow jersey had announced that he would simply follow during this first stage in the Pyrenees. It was therefore a bluff, because the Slovenian obviously did the exact opposite to dynamite the race with his seventh attack since the start of the Tour.
Check out the general classification of the Tour de France
Solo winner with a 39-second lead over his great rival, he now has a 1:57 lead over the Dane in the general classification, a cushion that is not yet decisive, but still very comfortable before a second day in the Pyrenees, which is even tougher on Sunday.
PHOTO MOLLY DARLINGTON, REUTERS
Jonas Vingegaard
“It’s excellent news. I’m very happy, it’s better than expected,” he reacted after crossing the finish line with a cry of rage, muscles tensed.
Belgian Remco Evenepoel crossed the line in third position, 1:10 behind the winner and dropped back to third place overall, 2:22 behind the yellow jersey.
This is the 13the stage victory in the Tour de France for Pogacar, overall winner in 2020 and 2021, who dreams of reclaiming his throne after being overtaken by Vingegaard in the last two years.
He hit a big blow for the first arrival at the top of this 111e edition by dropping his rivals less than five kilometers from the finish in the steepest percentages towards the Pla d’Adet.
In a neat tactical move, he had sent Adam Yates, his main lieutenant at UAE, forward a few minutes earlier to support his attack.
“I did it on instinct”
PHOTO DANIEL COLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tadej Pogacar
“When he told me to go, I thought: what do you mean? That wasn’t really the plan at the beginning. But with Tadej you never really know what the plan is going to be,” the British climber reported, laughing.
I went by instinct. We wanted to win the stage, but I was counting on a sprint to maybe grab a few bonuses. It’s much better like that.
Tadej Pogacar
“When Adam attacked, Visma had to ride and I was able to benefit from a relay. The team as a whole was incredible today and I dedicate this victory to my teammates,” added the Slovenian who was able to count on a great Nils Politt leading the entire peloton into the Tourmalet.
Yates, “already quite burned out”, could not help him for long, but this tactical masterstroke paid off.
After swallowing up the last escapee, the Irishman Ben Healy, Pogacar gradually widened his advantage over Vingegaard who, unlike the Lioran stage, did not manage to plug the gap.
On the contrary, the Dane really lost his footing in the last two kilometres, a sign that his form is perhaps not yet so brilliant after his serious fall at the Tour of the Basque Country at the beginning of April.
“Jonas had good legs today, but Tadej was just the strongest,” Visma sporting director Grischa Niermann commented soberly.
After this 13e victory in the Tour, “a dream that we never tire of”, Pogacar now has a nice lead in the general classification and is getting closer to his objective of achieving a Giro-Tour double unseen since 1998.