They are the two best riders in the Tour de France. That has been true for several years and has been clear these last few weeks racing up and down the mountains of France. But it seems like Tadej Pogacar is just better than Jonas Vingegaard this year, and now he is closing in on his third Tour victory.
Pogacar held his grip on this year’s Tour on Wednesday by finishing ahead of Vingegaard in another mountain stage. He crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of his rival at the SuperDévoluy ski resort in the Alps and now holds a 3:11 lead overall.
After wrestling with crosswinds early and heat around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the riders approached the steep climbs at the end of the day. Pogacar had a 3:09 lead overall but seemed intent on increasing it.
He attacked Vingegaard on the biggest climb of the day, the Col du Noyer. Vingegaard chased immediately but could not keep up, though he did catch Pogacar on a brief, fast descent.
That left the final climb to SuperDévoluy. Pogacar attacked again near the finish there to grab a few seconds from Vingegaard. It wasn’t a lot, but given the overall margin, it is Vingegaard who needs to make up time; every stage he doesn’t leaves Pogacar closer to victory.
The race between the two was for 27th place in the stage, but the 26 riders ahead of them did not really matter. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the stage, but because he and the other stage leaders were well behind the big two in the overall standings, Pogacar and Vingegaard will barely have cared.
With an overall lead now of 3:11, it seems as if Pogacar of Slovenia, the 2020 and 2021 winner, has turned the tables on the two-time defending champion Vingegaard of Denmark.
Race leaders historically have chosen not to attack and instead made their opponents do the work. Not Pogacar. “Sometimes I don’t know the reason why I attack — even me, I don’t know anymore,” he said after the stage. “I guess I was just enjoying the climb, as it was steep and super nice, and I felt like attacking to test my legs into this third week and see if I could get a gap.”
Going into last weekend, Pogacar and Vingegaard looked even. But victories in tough mountain stages both Saturday and Sunday pushed Pogacar into a clear lead.
On the final climb of the day on Saturday, the imposing Pla d’Adet in the Pyrenees, Pogacar waited until there were about two and a half miles to go to attack a select pack of leaders. Everyone was expecting the move, but still Vingegaard could not keep up.
The gap between the two riders increased as they climbed the mountain, exciting fans who had been waiting all day hollering and waving flags.
Pogacar, in the leader’s yellow jersey, finished 39 seconds ahead of Vingegaard and increased his overall lead to 1:57. Vingegaard’s second place on the stage was good enough to pass Remco Evenepoel of Belgium for second overall.
On Sunday it was more of the same. This time Pogacar and Vingegaard broke from the pack together with six miles left in the climb up the Plateau de Beille. They matched each other pedal stroke for pedal stroke, making it almost look easy as they left 150 riders straggling on the brutal climb.
With three miles left, Pogacar left Vingegaard behind. He relentlessly pulled away to win by more than a minute. Pogacar had increased his overall lead again, to 3:09.
Now the Tour seems to be his to win or lose. His current lead of 3:11 is greater than the final margin of six of the last 10 Tours.
But there are still two brutal mountain stages to come. On Friday the riders will haul up two mountain climbs rated “hors catégorie,” without category, the most difficult classification, then finish at the ski resort Isola 2000, with riders perhaps wishing they were on a ski lift rather than a bicycle. Saturday brings a climb up the Col de la Couillole.
Vingegaard can still leave Pogacar far behind on these two stages. Or perhaps the days and days of climbing will affect Pogacar and he will blow up — the dreaded bad day in the mountains that has befallen Tour leaders before.
If that happens and the race is close by the final day on Sunday, there will be an exciting finish. The last stage is a 21-mile time trial with some climbing and a tricky descent into Nice.
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