Pogacar’s Dominant Performance
Tadej Pogacar secured a significant victory on Alpe d’Huez, winning the 19th stage of the Tour de France and further extending his overall lead. His solo attack from the base of the mountain pass marked a notable performance, even by the standards of the four-time Tour champion. Pogacar was more than three minutes behind the leaders with approximately 7.5 miles remaining in the stage.
Despite riding without a teammate for the final section of the climb, Pogacar managed to catch Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz and Frenchman Lenny Martinez with nearly a mile left. He then surged ahead to claim his fifth stage win in this year’s race and his 26th overall. Pogacar described the win as “very cool” and expressed his happiness with the outcome.
Martinez finished the stage six seconds behind Pogacar, while Carapaz, who had won the previous 18th stage, was nine seconds back. American Sepp Kuss, who was among the leaders earlier, finished 1 minute, 14 seconds behind Pogacar after fading in the closing stages. Pogacar’s ascent of Alpe d’Huez was completed in 35 minutes, 29 seconds, a time that was reportedly more than a minute faster than a previous record.
The Alpe d’Huez Challenge
Alpe d’Huez is recognized as one of cycling’s most iconic and challenging climbs, holding an HC mountain pass rating, which is the hardest category in the race. The atmosphere on the mountain was described as “crazy,” with numerous fans, some of whom had camped overnight, lining the 21 hairpins of the climb, waving flags and offering encouragement. Despite the intense crowd and limited visibility at times due to smoke from flares, Pogacar maintained his focus.
Pogacar noted that the lack of coordinated effort among Carapaz, Kuss, and Martinez played a role in his ability to close the gap. He observed that they were “playing against each other a bit,” which aided his pursuit. Carapaz, for instance, reportedly showed annoyance as Martinez often sat on his wheel, leading Carapaz to undertake more of the work alone. Kuss also appeared to hold back before eventually losing pace.
Earlier in the stage, the yellow jersey group, which included Pogacar, was approximately 3 minutes, 45 seconds behind the breakaway group. The breakaway itself had dwindled to 15 riders, including Carapaz, Martinez, Kuss, and Quinn Simmons, along with Tobias Johannessen. Riders like Adam Yates and Mads Pedersen were also mentioned as having been active earlier in the stage, with Pedersen falling back after the intermediate sprint.
Looking Ahead to the Final Stages
With his victory, Pogacar now holds a lead of 7 minutes, 11 seconds over Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings. With only two stages remaining in the race, Pogacar is positioned to potentially join an elite group of cyclists who have won five Tours, including Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil, and Bernard Hinault. The race is scheduled to conclude on Sunday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The upcoming Saturday stage is described as a mammoth 106-mile Alpine stage, featuring three HC climbs—Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne—and one Category 1 climb up Col du Télégraphe, before a hilly finish back to Alpe d’Huez. Despite his substantial lead, Pogacar indicated that his team would follow their own plan and rhythm for what he called “the hardest day of the Tour.”
During the climb, Felix Grossschartner set a strong pace early on, which Pogacar credited for helping him. He also mentioned receiving a morale boost from Adam Yates during the climb. Other riders, such as Pidcock and Ayuso, were noted to be struggling at various points, suggesting a shake-up in the top ten standings. The stage also saw Netcompany Ineos with two riders, Tobias Foss and Thymen Arensmen, in the final 11 on the climb.
The intermediate sprint was followed by the penultimate climb, Col d’Ornon, a category two ascent spanning 5.4km with an average gradient of 6.4%. The yellow jersey group remained 3 minutes, 45 seconds off the break at 25km to go, a gap that was not considered insurmountable for Pogacar.
Source: theguardian.com
