Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb

Straits Times

2 days ago

LA PLAGNE, France - Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass - a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title.
Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way.
The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures.
The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat.
"It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower, Pogacar told reporters.
"I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometres to Paris.
"I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate."
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He did not need to and did not bother to either in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances.
The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win.
Pogacar leads the Danish rider by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his 2020, 2021 and 2024 triumphs.
Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars.
Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while it features three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification.
Asked if he was bored - having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 - as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and centre.
"From day one to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey.
"Sometimes, all you can do is keep counting down the distance to the finish line. That's how it is."
For most riders, counting down the kilometres to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury. REUTERS