Tadej Pogacar pulverises opposition at Tour de France Stage 15
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Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finishing line to win the 15th stage of the 2024 Tour de France cycling race.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
PLATEAU DE BEILLE – Tadej Pogacar extended his overall lead at the Tour de France to more than three minutes on July 14 with a convincing second straight stage win in the Pyrenees.
The Slovenian dropped the last of his rivals with 5km to go after five more Pyrenean peaks.
A valiant Jonas Vingegaard could finish only 1min 8sec adrift in second, with Remco Evenepoel in third, 2min 51sec behind the leader.
As Pogacar crossed the line at the magnificent Plateau de Beille deep in the Pyrenees, resplendent in his yellow jersey, he racked up a second straight iconic mountain-top triumph and a 14th Tour de France stage win aged just 25.
He said: “I would never imagine this kind of outcome after the second week. I’m super happy with my shape.
“Today was super hot and it was a really hard day.
“I always struggle with the heat and today the team did a super good job with cooling me down and everything. It was an incredible day.”
The UAE Team Emirates leader’s audacious bid for a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia double in the same season seemed closer after a third stage victory on the 2024 Tour lifted him comfortably clear.
There are two murderous mountain slogs to go in the Alps, where the weather will likely be much hotter, which Pogacar dislikes.
The final-day lottery is a fearsome 34km individual time trial on the corniche between Monaco and Nice.
For now, the sun shines on the Slovenian as he leads the two-time defending champion Vingegaard by 3min 9sec. Tour debutant Evenepoel is third, 5min 19sec behind Pogacar.
Vingegaard and Evenepoel were both involved in a nasty crash in March, and it remains to be seen how their stamina stands up in the third week. After the July 15 rest day the race rushes back to the Alps, where the Tour is traditionally won.
Meanwhile, a roadside spectator who threw potato chips in the faces of Pogacar and Vingegaard was arrested and held overnight in a police cell, according to media reports.
The incident, which was caught on film and swiftly did the rounds on social media, happened in the heat of the Stage 14 struggle on July 13 as Pogacar was breaking away from the defending champion.
The bare-torsoed spectator appeared to toss the potato chips into the faces of both riders, with witnesses saying he was removed by police within five minutes of the incident.
“I do not understand people who go to a bike race to throw potato chips,” said Vingegaard at the finish.
Professional riders union CPA says it intends to sue the spectator.
He was too drunk to make a statement, so police held him overnight in order that he could do so on the morning of July 14.
In other news, the Tour stepped up protective measures on July 14 to “limit health risks” in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19, which has affected several riders in recent days.
Masks must now be worn by everyone, including organisers, guests and journalists, who may be “in contact with the riders and members of the cycling teams” before and after the stages, said organisers Amaury Sport Organisation.
Several riders, including Britain’s Tom Pidcock and Spain’s Juan Ayuso, teammate of Pogacar, have already retired after testing positive. AFP
