'Big adrenalin' propels Tadej Pogacar to Tour stage and 100th career win
Image: Loic Venance/AFP
Tadej Pogacar blew past his rivals in an "explosive" finish to take Tour de France stage four at Rouen on Tuesday and claim his 100th professional victory.
"That was really pure, classic Tour-de-France-style explosive," said an elated Pogacar.
The win did not quite bring him the overall lead. Dutch powerhouse Mathieu van der Poel finished second to keep the yellow jersey.
Pogacar attacked on an incline to the line to finish just ahead of Van der Poel with Jonas Vingegaard third.
Get your news on the go, click
here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
It was the 26-year-old Slovenian's 18th Tour de France stage win as he seeks a fourth overall triumph on the Tour.
"There was big adrenalin and a big field of contenders," Pogacar said.
Fans were treated to another Pogacar-Vingegaard head-to-head duel as five hills made the final 40km a roller-coaster.
Van der Poel also entered the fray and kept the overall lead he took from Alpecin teammate Jasper Philipsen, who quit the Tour injured after a nasty fall on Monday.
"Jasper needs to recover, and I hope he understands how hard I tried to win for him today," Van der Poel said.
On the day's final real climb, Pogacar dropped all his rivals with only Vingegaard offering a real fight.
But the big Dutch rider and the slender Dane both came back at Pogacar, making him fight all the way to the line in a thunderous finale.
The same trio top the overall standings, with Pogacar second and Vingegaard in third.
Van der Poel took the overall lead on stage two but risks losing it on Wednesday's time trial.
"I should be happy to have the jersey again," said Van der Poel. "I was surrounded by climbers out there you know."
"Tadej was stronger and it's as simple as that."
Plenty of falls
Unlike the opening three stages, there was hardly a puff of wind and not a drop of rain, but there were still plenty of falls.
There was also a knifing incident with a man at Rouen slightly injuring a police officer before himself being shot as he tried to escape.
Neither the police officer nor the alleged culprit suffered life-threatening injuries.
Stage five will shake up the overall standings with a 33km individual time trial around Caen.
The stage is being billed as the day Remco Evenepoel will finally slip into the overall leader's yellow jersey.
To do so the 25-year-old Belgian world and Olympic champion in the discipline will need to cover the course 59sec faster than Pogacar and Vingegaard.
"Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be the big day, the real test of how good everyone is," said Pogacar.
"Don't count Remco out," he added. "He's the best in the world and he'll be going full gas, like me."
The man who designs the race, Thierry Gouvenou, predicted big time differences on the time trial.
"It's flat and runs through exposed plains. This is a course designed for the specialists. You need to be aerodynamic and powerful," he said, which suggests it could suit Evenepoel in particular.
"This is a red letter day for all the main contenders."
Rarely lacking in confidence, Evenepoel was true to form.
"I can put a minute into them all tomorrow," he said in Rouen after the fourth stage.
The first mountains come as late as stage 10 over the volcanic landscape of the Puy de Dome, with two more colossal climbing days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps.
AFP
Get your news on the go, click
here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Seasoned sailor Nqoba Mswazi launches sailing initiative to empower youth in KwaZulu-Natal
Nqoba Mswazi has launched MH Performance Sailing to uplift young sailors in KwaZulu-Natal. Image: Supplied While the MSC Week regatta was underway off the coast of Durban, another significant moment in local sailing was quietly unfolding onshore. Nqoba Mswazi, a seasoned sailor with international experience, returned home not just to race but to launch something much bigger than a single event: MH Performance Sailing. Now based in the Mediterranean as a first mate on a super yacht, Mswazi has made his participation in MSC Week an annual tradition. However, this year, the regatta coincided with the official unveiling of his sailing initiative, which aims to uplift young sailors in KwaZulu-Natal. Standing proudly at the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Mswazi announced the formation of MH Performance Sailing on the eve of the 49th MSC Week which took place recently. 'The sport of sailing has given me so much. It has opened so many doors I never dreamed possible,' he said. 'I am hoping that through MH Performance Sailing, I will be able to give back and open some doors for a few others that share my love for this amazing sport.' His stable currently includes two L26 yachts: Velocity, purchased in 2023, and Element, the former Point Yacht Club Lipton Cup Challenger, which had been in storage since its last campaign. Both boats flew the MH Performance Sailing flag for the first time during MSC Week. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Raised in uMgababa south of Durban, Mswazi was among the first participants in the Sail Africa Foundation, a project launched by the Clipper Round the World sailor Craig Millar. Since then, his journey has taken him across oceans, from the Lipton Cup to the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race and to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. But even with global experience under his belt, he hasn't lost sight of where it all began. 'Durban is an incubator for amazing talent,' he said. 'I want Durbanites to remain on their local waters and, from our beautiful home base, go and make waves on the international scene.' MH Performance Sailing is designed to serve as a stepping stone for young sailors who have already learned the basics but need support to take the next step. His MSC Week crew was made up entirely of young local sailors: some relatively inexperienced, others who had competed in international events like the Mirror Worlds, but all eager to improve. 'MSC Week was amazing even though there was a lot of pressure on us,' Mswazi said. 'But I'm proud of the guys I selected, and we proved that anything is possible if you believe in it.' The final race proved decisive. 'We were sitting on top of the leaderboard, but equal on points with our toughest competitor, Rainhard Lenz on Grayhard,' he said. 'We had to go out there and sail the race of our lives to win. We pushed the boat like never before, in a breeze that all but evaporated. The conditions were extremely challenging.' They emerged as 2025 L26 National Champions, MH Performance Sailing's first title. 'This is hopefully the first of many,' Mswazi said. His long-term goal is to grow the project into a launchpad for youth aiming for international sailing. 'My vision is to give youth the opportunity to step onto a competitive boat and reach for their stars,' he said. 'To be the best, you have got to beat the best.' Mentorship, he added, has played a vital role in his own development. 'It helped me to stay focused,' he said. 'It is really special having supportive people in your corner wanting to see you succeed in life.' Reflecting on his early days in sailing, Mswazi said he never imagined a career on the water. 'Not at all,' he said. 'But I felt at home on the water and saw an opportunity to make it as a career working on the big boats, so I followed that path. And I love it.' Side by side, MH Performance Sailing teams Element skippered by Nicolene Henkeman and Velocity skippered by Anna Correa head up to the top mark on day five of the MSC Week recently hosted offshore of Durban by Point Yacht Club. MH Performance Sailing, a vision of Nqoba Mswazi, was launched on the eve of the highly competitive regatta. Image: Chris Clark Asked what advice he would give to young people especially from rural KZN, Mswazi said: 'Stay true to yourself and focus on one goal so you can never lose direction. Mainly, be bold, never give up and stay humble.' He has headed back to the Med, leaving MH in the hands of his operations partner, Nicolene Henkeman. 'I need to head back to work to make some money so that I can spend it on the new boats, as well as keep MH Performance Sailing running.' For Mswazi, it's more than just racing. It's building a lasting platform for the next generation. THE MERCURY
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Pogacar claims fourth Tour title, Van Aert wins brutal final stage
Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, cementing his status as the most dominant rider of his generation and joining Britain's Chris Froome on the all-time winners' list. The 26-year-old Slovenian, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021 and 2024, delivered a near-flawless performance over three weeks, excelling in every department, even coming close to prevailing on a spectacular final stage on the Champs Elysees after an epic duel with Belgian Wout van Aert. Pogacar attacked relentlessly in the ascents of the Butte Montmartre but eventually suffered a brutal counterpunch from Van Aert, who went solo to win the 21st stage. The competitive element was largely neutralised on Sunday after organisers decided to freeze the times with about 50km left in the stage due to hazardous road conditions in driving rain. It did not prevent Pogacar from going for it, but Van Aert proved to be the best on the day, beating Italian Davide Ballerini and third-placed Matej Mohoric. Pogacar took fourth place. The world champion effectively sealed his victory in the Pyrenees, with a brutal attack on the climb to Hautacam and a commanding victory in the uphill individual time trial, leaving chief rival Jonas Vingegaard more than four minutes behind before controlling the race. German Florian Lipowitz finished third on his Tour debut and won the white jersey for the best U-25 rider.
IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Bayern Munich agree deal to sign Liverpool winger Luis Diaz: reports
Bayern Munich have reportedly agreed to a £65.5 million deal to sign Liverpool winger Luis Diaz (pictured centre), providing a replacement for the injured Jamal Musiala, while Liverpool strengthens their squad with new signings including Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Picture: Alejandro Pagni/AFP Image: Alejandro Pagni/AFP German champions Bayern Munich have agreed to sign Liverpool winger Luis Diaz in a £65.5 million ($88 million) deal, according to multiple reports on Sunday. Bayern had an initial offer of £59 million rejected by the Premier League champions last week, but their improved bid looks set to bring the Colombia international to the Allianz Arena. Diaz has reportedly been given permission to leave Liverpool's pre-season tour of Asia in order to complete a medical with Bayern. He joined Liverpool from Porto in January 2022 and won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Anfield. Lucho Diaz's Future Uncertain Amidst Speculation and Absence from Liverpool's Match Against AC Milan The 28-year--old made 50 appearances and scored 17 goals in all competitions last season as Arne Slot's team clinched the English title for the first time in five years. Diaz was left out of Liverpool's 4-2 friendly defeat against AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday as speculation mounted over his future. "In Lucho's (Diaz's) situation, there's a lot of rumours around him lately and I cannot go into that," Slot said after the Milan match. "He's training really well with us but we have decided for now not to play him yet. "I'm used to talking to most of my players on a regular basis. I cannot comment much more about that.' Liverpool's Transfer Window Activity: Strengthening Attack and Defence Diaz's impending signing gives Bayern a quality replacement for Germany forward Jamal Musiala, who has been ruled out for a 'long period' after he suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle at the Club World Cup this month. Liverpool have been busy in the transfer window, bolstering their attacking options with expensive swoops for Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. Defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez arrived from Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively, while goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili joined from Valencia. The Reds are also believed to be interested in making a bid for Newcastle's £150 million-rated striker Alexander Isak. AFP
