Remarkable shift claims ascendancy
Pogacar takes Tour lead at last chance
Inanincredible climax to the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar crushed fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic in the last stage yesterday before the finish in Paris, snatchingawayhis race lead to all but guarantee that he’ll win cycling’s showpiece event at his first attempt.
Set, at one day shy of 22, to becomethe youngest post-world WARII champion, Pogacar flew on the penultimate stage, a lungburning uphill time trial, and devoured the 57-second lead that hadmaderoglic look impregnable before theshowdownin the mountains of eastern France.
Equally amazing: This is Pogacar’s first Tour. Amongotherswhopulled off the feat of winning at their first attempt: the great Eddy Merckx. The Belgian alsowonhis next four Tours after his first in 1969. Given his young age and breathtaking talent, Pogacar’s first also looks unlikely to be his last.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” Pogacar said. “My head will explode.” In the end, it wasn’t even close. Pogacarwas sensational, not only
ripping the iconic race leader’s yellow jersey from Roglic, but comfortably winning the time trial, too.
Hegobbled through the 36km, slicing through the air in an aerodynamic tuck on a slick timetrial bike and then switching to a road bike for the sharp finishing ascent to the Planches des Belles Filles ski station.
Roglic laboured in comparison, looking taut where Pogacar glided fluidly.
As Roglic ascended, what wasleft of his lead melted away. It then becamea yawning deficit to Pogacar, who’d been second overall going into the time trial, which amply lived upto its nickname: “The race of truth.” The 30-year-old Roglic managedno better than fifth, a whopping1m56s slower than his younger and clearly fresher countryman. At the top, he sat slumped on the tarmac, the enormity of his collapse sinking in.
“I will cry. Or Idid, already,” Roglic
said. “I struggled with everything, eh? Just not enough power,”
“I would want it to be a little different, but I cannot change it,” he added. “It ishowit is.”
Not since British riders Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome finished 1-2 at the 2012 Tour has one nation taken the top two spots.
But almost everyone— even Pogacar— had expected that Roglic would roll into Paris today with the yellow jersey on his shoulders, sippingchampagnein the saddle on
the processional ride, on hiswayto becoming Slovenia’s first winner. Roglic had taken the race lead on Stage 9 andheld it all thewayto yesterday, Stage 20, the worst day to lose it. Henowtrails Pogacar by 59s overall.
“I cannot believehowhard it must be for him,” Pogacar said. “He must be devastated. But that’s bike racing.”
Australian Richie Porte will complete the podium, after he timetrialled brilliantly to hoist himself from fourth to third overall. — AP