Tadej Pogacar remains firm in his search for the fifth title. The Slovenian won the 10th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, increasing his lead in the general classification to 3 minutes and 36 seconds.
Mountain Dominance
The attack came just over 900 meters from the top of Col de Pertus, the penultimate climb of the day. Pogacar surpassed Richard Carapaz and left Jonas Vingegaard, his main rival, behind. At the finish line, he was 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, second place.
“You never know how long it lasts,” said Pogacar, 27. “We just have to be grateful for this moment.” The four-time champion now has 24 stage victories in his career, three of them on Bastille Day.
Paul Seixas, French hope, was third at 34 seconds. Vingegaard lost 44 seconds and is now more than three and a half minutes behind.
The UAE Emirates-XRG team controlled the day’s breakaway, which included Mathieu van der Poel and 30 other riders. Javier Romo attempted a solo escape, but was neutralized. Pogacar recalled that two years earlier he had lost in Le Lioran against Vingegaard: “Today he had similar legs, completely destroyed.”
Despite some boos, Pogacar downplayed the importance: “To all those who booed, they give us more power.”
