Tadej Pogacar has extended his overall lead in the Tour de France after another dominant victory on a mountainous stage 14 course, lined by thousands of fans.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of team-mate Isaac del Toro of Mexico, with France’s teenage sensation Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA-CGM third on the same time on the 155.km stage from Mulhouse.
Pogacar’s main rival for the yellow jersey, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike, finished fourth, 44 seconds down.
The leaders – which also included impressive breakaway riders Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno X Mobilty and Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost – carved their way through fervent fans who lined the narrow tarmac roads up Le Markstein in the Voges mountains near the German and Swiss borders.
While Vingegaard has come into this three-week race in his best form since his debilitating crash in 2024, it was a chastening day for the man who has twice won the Tour over Pogacar, in 2022 and 2023.
For a while it looked as if Vingegaard would be able to hold on to the wheel of Pogacar after the Slovenian launched his attack with about eight kilometres to go – the 29-year-old Vingegaard having set the pace himself just a few kilometres before.
But Pogacar’s super-high cadence and sustained power was, yet again, far superior to every other rider.
Vingegaard now trails Pogacar by four minutes 30 seconds overall after this and Pogacar’s three other stage wins in this three-week Grand Tour.
Pogacar, 27, is aiming to become the joint-most successful rider in the Tour’s history with five wins, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
“Thanks to all the fans who came to the side of the road,” said Pogacar afterwards. “It was really something unforgettable to see all the crowds on the top of the mountain – I’ve never seen something like this [before].
“All the cyclists and riders… we have massive respect for each other – it’s great to put on this show and nice to see this kind of racing. There is so much crowd that it gives you [an] additional boost.”
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe remains third in the general classification, five minutes and four seconds down.
Denmark’s Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek remains in the green points jersey, while the King of the Mountains jersey belongs to Pogacar.
Source:
www.bbc.co.uk
