It was supposed to be a breakaway stage, where names such as Romain Bardet, Enric Mas, Wilco Kelderman or Richard Carapaz made it. By winning the two peaks of the first category, he secured the dotted jersey, the first in the history of Ecuadorian cycling.
He tried to attack the second stage lead as well, but the lead of the leading group fell below three minutes before the final climb on the Col de la Couillole. At the head of the main group, Soudal Quick-Step kept a great pace even with the only Czech representative, Jan Hirt. When Mikel Landa, the fifth man in the running order, took over from him, it was clear that the refugees were out of luck. “Quick-Step drove at a high pace. In the end, that played into my favor,” Pogačar realized.
At the front, at that moment, Carapaz was fighting a breathtaking battle with the Spaniard Mas, who wanted to break the woes of the traditional Movistar team. Both drivers were almost the same and despite several starts, they might not break away.
Remco Evenepoel also tried to attack Vingegaard’s second place, but also failed. After his second attack, on the contrary, he took the reigning champion for it and definitively decided on his second place. Only Pogačar, the reigning champion of this year’s Tour, might hold on to him. The 25-year-old Slovene remained calm, used his rival’s pace, and both star cyclists caught up to the leading pair in three kilometers.
Vingegaard was unable to break his opponent, so the decision was made only in the final meters. “I hoped for a moment that he might dedicate the win to me. But I don’t blame him at all. I would probably do the same,” confided the 27-year-old Dane.
⚔️ The final battle between the last two Tour winners goes in favour of the @MaillotjauneLCL Tadej Poagacar, who wins the last mountain stage.
Relive the last KM of stage 20
⚔️ The last duel between the last two winners of the Tour turns to the advantage of @MaillotjauneLCL,… pic.twitter.com/7rZQx63QQ9
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 20, 2024
He didn’t have a competitor in the finish, Pogačar played playfully and rolled the ball. “It is what it is. There’s no slowing down in cycling,” he declared following his 16th Tour de France victory in his career, the fifth this year. “If you’d told me that before the Tour, I wouldn’t have believed it. It really is like from another planet. Even one triumph would be enough for me. But I won’t slow down if I can win the stage,” remarked the holder of the yellow jersey.
He has a lead of five minutes and fourteen seconds in the standings. To claim his third overall triumph at the Old Lady, he only needs to manage the unconventional final time trial from Monaco to Nice, where he can fight for another stage win. “Maybe I’ll have good legs, we’ll see. The main thing is to arrive in one piece, it’s a dangerous time trial. I also want to enjoy it a little among the fans,” added Pogačar.
Cycling factory Tour de France – 20th stage Nice – Col de la Couillole (132.8 km):1. Pogačar (Slovin./UAE Emirates) 4:04:222. Vingegaard (Dán./Visma-Lease a Bike) -73. Carapaz (Ekv./EF Education-EasyPost) -234. Evenepoel (Belg./Soudal-Quick-Step) -535. Mas (Šp./Movistar) -1:076. Almeida (Portugal/UAE Emirates) -1:28…50. HIRT (ČR/Soudal Quick-Step) -19:01Průbĕžné porádí: 1. Pogačar 82:53:322. Vingegaard -5:143. Evenepoel -8:044. Almeida -16:455. Landa (Šp./Soudal-Quick-Step) -17:256. A. Yates (Brit./UAE Emirates) -21:11..66. HIRT -3:46:17
