logo
Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells

Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells

Reuters5 days ago
LOUDENVIELLE, France, July 18 (Reuters) - Tadej Pogacar has no intention of handing out freebies at this year's Tour de France - not even with the yellow jersey firmly on his back and rivals gasping for air in the mountains.
After storming to his fourth stage victory, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader dismissed the idea that he should back off to spare his competitors - a trend that emerged during the Lance Armstrong era - insisting that every opportunity to win is one worth taking.
"I'm not here to make enemies, but it's the Tour de France. You cannot just back off. The team pays you to win, not to give away. If there's an opportunity, you go for it," the Slovenian said.
The world champion's commanding time trial victory on Friday further solidified his lead in the general classification, coming a day after he dealt a massive blow to his main rivals.
The defending champion leads Jonas Vingegaard by a massive 4:07 after quadrupling his advantage over the Danish rider in two days.
Yet Pogacar said he's not thinking about the next summit finish or iconic climb just yet.
"The big point of the Tour was today," he said. "Now, we go stage by stage. The goal is to defend the jersey and keep the same gap. We can't burn out the team - we have to be smart."
Asked whether his dominance risked alienating others in the peloton, Pogacar was unapologetic.
"When I finish my career, I probably won't talk to 99% of the peloton anyway. I'll focus on my close friends and family."
Despite the bravado, he remains acutely aware of how quickly things can unravel at the Tour.
"In 2022 and 2023, I cracked. I had great tours, but I lost. You never know - a bad day can always come," he said, referring to his painful losses to Vingegaard.
The three-time Tour champion also offered a rare moment of introspection when asked what keeps him pushing after every win.
"What's the point of anything?" he said. 'I built my life around the bike. I met my closest friends and my fiancee through cycling. You just have to enjoy the moment - not just the victories."
Still, with the finish in Paris looming, Pogacar shows no sign of slowing or sharing the glory, true to his 'Baby Cannibal' nickname, a reference to all-time great Eddy Merckx, the man he could emulate one day.
Just like the Belgian he can win the Tour the year after claiming the world title, a feat achieved by only three riders, with American Greg LeMond in 1990 being the last to achieve it.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Aitana Bonmati reveals Spain ‘studied' goalkeeper before stunning Euro 2025 goal
Aitana Bonmati reveals Spain ‘studied' goalkeeper before stunning Euro 2025 goal

The Independent

time20 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Aitana Bonmati reveals Spain ‘studied' goalkeeper before stunning Euro 2025 goal

Aitana Bonmati revealed Spain had spotted Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger 's tendency to step away from her near post after scoring from the tightest of angles to send the world champions into the Euro 2025 final. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner broke the deadlock in the 113th minute of the semi-final when she squeezed a shot from close to the byline past the Germany goalkeeper, as Spain set up a World Cup final rematch with European champions England on Sunday. Barcelona midfielder Bonmati confirmed after the match that she intended to shoot after Spain had studied Berger's positioning and found she often left the near post uncovered in anticipation of a cross or a pull-back. Berger had signalled to her defenders with her right arm, pointing towards the space in the penalty box, just as Bonmati unleashed a fierce strike of power and accuracy to find the narrow gap Berger had left behind. Breakthrough for Spain as Aitana Bonmati puts them ahead in extra-time! 👊 #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 23, 2025 "We had studied Berger and sometimes the first post was left empty,' Bonmati told Spanish TV station RTVE, as world champions Spain progressed to their first ever European final. Berger had been Germany's hero in their penalty shoot-out win over France in the quarter-finals and had kept Germany in the game during the first half with a string of saves to deny Spain forward Esther Gonzalez. With the semi-final heading towards penalties, Bonmati broke the deadlock and the 1-0 victory meant that Spain defeated Germany for the first time at a major international tournament. "I'm proud because we deserve it,' Bonmati said. 'We had a tremendous championship. It was the first time we beat Germany, and on top of that, we reached the final." Bonmati has reached the Euro 2025 final after she was taken to hospital for treatment for viral meningitis the week before the tournament began. The 27-year-old only joined up with Spain's squad a few days before their opening game against Portugal but did not make her first start of the tournament until the third game against Italy. Bonmati has now produced magic moments to unlock both the quarter-finals and semi-finals for Spain, first setting up Athenea del Castillo's opener in the 2-0 win over Switzerland with a clever assist and then scoring from a tight angle to send Spain into the final.

Germany offer steely resilience but Bonmatí's moment of magic solves puzzle
Germany offer steely resilience but Bonmatí's moment of magic solves puzzle

The Guardian

time20 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Germany offer steely resilience but Bonmatí's moment of magic solves puzzle

It took just one moment. One clever movement into space, one cutting through pass and one brilliant finish for Spain to finally undo a resilient German defence. When Aitana Bonmatí angled home a shot from a tight angle deep into extra time, she not only sent her side through to a final of a women's Euros for the first time but also proved so much about the strength, both physically and mentally, of this dominant Spanish team. It was perhaps inevitable that Bonmatí would be the one to find the answers to the puzzle Germany had placed in front of them for the best part of 112 minutes. For she has done the same so often for this Spanish side. One of the glittering jewels at the heart of their midfield, the 27-year-old more often than not is the one who can find that little bit of extra space to lose a defender with the deftest of touches. Perhaps the biggest lesson for La Roja on this cool summer night in Zurich was one of patience. Whatever their opponents threw at them, the end result for Montse Tomé's side seemed inevitable. They bided their time and pounced at just the right moment. It was hard fought and not particularly pretty but this was their first victory against Germany and one that put them one step away from the only trophy yet to make it to their cabinet. When looking at the numbers, they out-possessed, out-passed and out-created their opponents as they have done to so many others before them. And yet it did not seem like that on the night as Germany defended with a steely resilience that they have seemingly only newly discovered. Christian Wück's team went about the task of defending with bravery, seemingly tireless despite having gone through a gruelling 120-minute quarter-final with France just days earlier, 107 of those with 10 players. It was an experience that turned out to be the perfect preparation against the world champions. An example of the power of the collective rather than the brilliance of the individual. There will be huge disappointment in defeat for Wück's side but there will be a strong feeling that this group of players have discovered a toughness about themselves that they did not previously know they had. This performance, as with the one against France, was a stark contrast from that that had seen them get torn apart by Sweden just 10 days before. The two versions of this team could not be more Jekyll and Hyde. That is not to say that Wück's side does not contain a plethora of characters. They are certainly not lacking in that department but alongside the quality of its individuals, this German side look to be slowly becoming a sum of its parts. Leading from the back is the quietly brilliant Ann-Katrin Berger who possesses an equal penchant for the spectacular as she does the moments of madness. The former trait was on display once again tonight as she produced a world-class stop to deny Esther González a certain opener. Klara Bühl never stopped running, tearing through the Spanish defence with pace but just lacking the crucial end product that could have turned the game in their favour. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Wück and his Germany side fought with their backs to the wall, the head coach only able to name two recognised defenders on the bench. Not that he could actually use those two, however, with captain Giulia Gwinn sitting in a knee brace and Sarai Linder next to her out after straining her ankle ligaments. With Sjoeke Nüsken and experienced Kathrin Hendrich suspended, an already light-looking side had to dig in deep against La Roja. This is perhaps why they eventually ran out of steam and failed to keep up with Spain in the final moments. There was just one run, one incisive pass, one clever movement too many for the tiring Germans to handle. It is safe to say, however, that both teams will have learned something significant about their characters over the course of two hours in Zurich. One always had to go home, one always had to progress but there are foundations to be taken for both as they continue their respective journeys.

Olimpija v Inter Club d'Escaldes
Olimpija v Inter Club d'Escaldes

BBC News

time27 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Olimpija v Inter Club d'Escaldes

Update: Date: 90'+7 Title: Post Content: Match ends, Olimpija Ljubljana 4, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Update: Date: 90'+7 Title: Full Time Content: Second Half ends, Olimpija Ljubljana 4, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Update: Date: 90'+2 Title: Booking Content: Álex Gómez (Inter Club D'Escaldes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 90'+1 Title: Post Content: Fourth official has announced 6 minutes of added time. Update: Date: 82' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Inter Club D'Escaldes. Juan Cámara replaces Guillaume López. Update: Date: 80' Title: Goal! Content: Goal! Olimpija Ljubljana 4, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Ahmet Muhamedbegovic (Olimpija Ljubljana) header. Assisted by Diogo Pinto. Update: Date: 74' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Olimpija Ljubljana. Admir Bristric replaces Dino Kojic. Update: Date: 72' Title: Booking Content: David Humanes (Inter Club D'Escaldes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 68' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Inter Club D'Escaldes. Álex Sánchez replaces Rafinha. Update: Date: 68' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Inter Club D'Escaldes. Alex Llovet replaces Ángel de la Torre. Update: Date: 65' Title: Goal! Content: Goal! Olimpija Ljubljana 3, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Diogo Pinto (Olimpija Ljubljana) right footed shot. Update: Date: 64' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Inter Club D'Escaldes. Sascha Andreu replaces Víctor Alonso. Update: Date: 64' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Inter Club D'Escaldes. Álex Gómez replaces Pedra Muñoz. Update: Date: 61' Title: Goal! Content: Goal! Olimpija Ljubljana 2, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Diogo Pinto (Olimpija Ljubljana) right footed shot. Assisted by Marko Brest. Update: Date: 57' Title: Booking Content: Guillaume López (Inter Club D'Escaldes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Update: Date: 56' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Olimpija Ljubljana. Thalisson replaces Agustín Doffo. Update: Date: 56' Title: Substitution Content: Substitution, Olimpija Ljubljana. Marko Brest replaces Mateo Acimovic. Update: Date: 55' Title: Goal! Content: Goal! Olimpija Ljubljana 1, Inter Club D'Escaldes 2. Diogo Pinto (Olimpija Ljubljana) header. Assisted by Diga. Update: Date: 54' Title: Booking Content: Martín Calderón (Inter Club D'Escaldes) is shown the yellow card. Update: Date: 53' Title: Booking Content: Agustín Doffo (Olimpija Ljubljana) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store