Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France summit duel with Jonas Vingegaard
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UAE Team Emirates' Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar cycles to the finish line to win stage six of the 110th edition of the Tour de France.
PHOTO: AFP
CAUTERETS, France – Tadej Pogacar unleashed a devastating turn of speed to win Stage 6 of the Tour de France on Thursday as defending champion Jonas Vingegaard took the overall race lead, 25 seconds ahead of the Slovenian.
On the Tour’s first summit finish, Team UAE leader Pogacar went for broke with 2km to go and beat Vingegaard by 24sec ahead.
On the 144.9km run from Tarbes to Cauterets in the lush Pyrenees, the Dutch Jumbo-Visma team looked to have the X factor in Wout van Aert acting as Vingegaard’s sherpa with Pogacar isolated from his teammates.
But with 4km to go, van Aert peeled off and almost keeled over after his efforts on a 10 per cent gradient section.
Vingegaard and Pogacar powered ahead alone after dropping everyone from the day’s breakaway on the high Tourmalet pass.
When Pogacar made his move with the roadside crowds leaving the narrowest of passages, Vingegaard desperately clung on as the Slovenian pulled away for victory.
“I would not say revenge, but it does feel sweet to take some time back today,” said the 24-year-old, who became the fourth youngest rider to make it to 10 stage wins after Francois Faber, Mark Cavendish and Bernard Hinault.
“Yeah, I was a bit worried yesterday. The display that Jonas showed yesterday was incredible. I was thinking when he was pulling on Tourmalet that it was the same again, and maybe we could pack up our bags and go home. But I hung on.”
Pogacar dedicated his victory to his girlfriend and fellow professional cyclist, Urska Zigart, who crashed yesterday in the Giro Donne, the women’s Tour of Italy.
“She’s not racing today. I got all of my power from her,” he said.
Vingegaard and two-time winner Pogacar were billed as the stars of the Tour and so it is proving to be.
Pogacar started the Tour strongly, but Vingegaard struck back in Stage 5 before this new enthralling instalment of their internecine duel offered up some more gripping fare.
Hindley’s 15 minutes of fame were sealed on the 17km slog up the highest peak of the Tour so far, the Col du Tourmalet. The Australian paid for his efforts in the breakaway on Stage 5 and dropped off the pace as Vingegaard put the hammer down.
Hindley finished sixth in the stage and now sit in third place overall.
One interested onlooker was French President Emmanuel Macron, who joined Tour director Christian Prudhomme in the car following the race leaders. AFP
