Halfway through the Tour, Pogacar had already built up a big margin on his main rival Jonas Vingegaard, the Dane of Visma – Lease a Bike. The German Florian Lipowitz closed the Tour third.
Pogacar ruled in the Tour from start to finish. The 26-year-old Slovenian won two stages in the northwest of France in Rouen and Mûr-de-Bretagne in the first week and then in week two in the Pyrenees on the Hautacam and the time trial to the Peyragudes ski resort. In the Alps he changed his tactics and waited off or fingered something would try something. But the Dane had had two off -days, in the first flat time trial and in the ride to the top of Hautacam, and it didn’t seem to really believe in it anymore. The final classification was locked in that regard.
Enjoy with Pogacar
Yet there was plenty to enjoy with Pogacar who was already involved in the battle for the day win in the first stages. Also with the fight to forgiven the third place for which the young shot Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) finally had to make it against Lipowitz.
Pogacar told Pontarlier on Saturday that he had felt he had driven one of his toughest big rounds ever. “We may say that every year, but this year it was of a completely different level. Maybe we took it a bit easier for one day. But if you look at the measurements during this entire Tour, you will see that it has been extremely tough.”
He did not want to comment on possible participation in the Vuelta, who will start in just under four weeks. Pogacar still misses the Spanish ride race on his impressive honors list after he already won the Giro last year and the Tour in 2020, 2021, 2024 and this year was the best.
How did the 21st stage go?
After the photo moments, duties and what was not even more, it was slowly driven towards the Champs-Elysees. Once there, the course began. Towards the first time of the climb of the Montmartre there was ‘just’ Pogacar with the attack. With him even more big names. The sky locks had already opened for a while.
An unprecedented spectacle was created when Pogacar turned on again. He received Van Aert, Trentin, Mohoric, Ballerini and Jorgenson. Fireworks in the final stage of the Tour, we don’t see that often.
Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert. © ANP/HH
Van Aert and Pogacar fight it out in a spectacle piece
The six seemed to make up for the day’s win. Three times the Montmartre climbing – with an outrageous crowd along the side – no bad idea.
Pogacar turned on Montmartre at the last time, but Van Aert clapped over it. The Slovenian had to fit. The Belgian was unleashed and no longer to be picked up. A great victory for Van Aert.