Pogacar wins Tour fifth stage
…as Van der Poel retains yellow
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar fired a defiant warning to would-be Tour de France title contenders by storming the individual time trial on Wednesday, while Mathieu van der Poel clung on to the overall lead after stage five.
Van der Poel kept hold of his yellow jersey by just eight seconds, while Ineos pair Geraint Thomas and Richard Carapaz lost more than a minute on Slovenia’s ever-improving Pogacar, who is now second in the overall standings.
Ahead of the 27.2km time trial, Pogacar described the stage as critical to his chances of defending the title he won in 2020, and the manner in which he raced Wednesday backed up that statement. Pogacar won last year’s Tour de France by overturning compatriot Primoz Roglic’s comfortable lead in a time trial on the penultimate day, and here he appeared to do at least as well as that fateful day on the feted La Planche des Belles Filles slopes, where he clinched the Tour on his rookie appearance.
“It couldn’t really have gone any better today,” said the 22-year-old UAE rider. “With so many fans along the route, it was really emotional, and I rate this as one of my best days in the saddle. “I have changed my riding position. It’s less aerodynamic, but allows me a stronger push,” added Pogacar after timing 32 minutes exactly over the 27.2km course, clocking an average of 51km/h.
His time was 44sec faster than that of Roglic, who fell heavily on Monday, and 1min 18sec quicker than 2018 champion Thomas, who dislocated his shoulder before managing to pick himself up and finish the same crashmarred stage.
Pogacar’s phenomenal ride didn’t quite give him the overall lead, but it leaves him in the driving seat for the title, 1min 44sec ahead of Carapaz, with Roglic and Thomas 4 and 10sec further adrift, respectively.
“There are still some tricky stages, even an easy- looking day, you never know what can happen,” said Pogacar. “I’m further ahead now, and attacks will come every day.”