2023-07-22 16:03:37
Tadej Pogacar won the penultimate stage of the Tour de France on Saturday at Markstein, in the Vosges, where local Thibaut Pinot offered himself a last last stand. But barring a fall, it is the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, third in the stage, who will be crowned for the second time on Sunday.
Published on: 07/22/2023 – 18:03
2 mn
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won the 20th stage of the Tour de France, Saturday July 22, at Markstein where Jonas Vingegaard, barring an accident, locked in his final victory and where Thibaut Pinot put on a show.
After a superb stage in the Vosges, the two favorites arrived together with Felix Gall as well as the brothers Adam and Simon Yates in the last raid where Pogacar made the difference thanks to his punch to offer himself an 11th stage victory in the Grande Boucle that looked like a consolation prize.
Because it is indeed Jonas Vingegaard, third in the stage, who must win his second coronation on Sunday, unless there is a very unlikely fall or accident.
All that remains for the Dane is to complete the traditional parade on Sunday towards the Champs-Élysées in Paris to win his second consecutive title in the Grande Boucle with 7 min 29 sec ahead of Tadej Pogacar who beat him in the sprint at the Markstein.
Read alsoTour de France: Vingegaard knocks out all competition and heads for final victory
Pogacar, winner in 2020 and 2021, will be satisfied, like last year, with second place. The Slovenian will also have won two stages and once once more the best young rider’s white jersey.
Very difficult, with six passes on the programme, the penultimate stage was enhanced by the performance of Thibaut Pinot on home soil.
Thibaut Pinot welcomed as a hero on his land
For his last Tour de France, the Franc-Comtois spent the day at the front, offering himself the ultimate pleasure of going alone in the lead to the top of the Petit Ballon, the penultimate ascent of the day, which thousands of supporters transformed into a football stadium.
Unleashed, Thibaut Pinot dropped his breakaway companions to capsize “the Pinot bend”, where all his friends and supporters had met to offer him a dream jubilee and memories for life.
The Frenchman was then caught and then passed in the Platzerwasel, the last pass of his career on the Tour de France, where Pogacar and Vingegaard neutralized each other.
Pogacar waited for the last few meters to make the difference and win ahead of the Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroën), also author of a superb Tour with in particular his victory in the queen stage in Courchevel.
With AFP
1690060749
#Pogacar #wins #ahead #Vingegaard #Pinot #show
