Young winner symbolizes Tour de France resilience
PARIS — In a first, the Tour de France winner wore a face mask on the podium Sunday, bright yellow to match the color of the iconic jersey so snug on his young shoulders.
But at least there was a winner. Three weeks ago, when 21-yearold Tadej Pogacar set off with 175 other competitors that he ended up beating, not even race organizers were sure they would make it through the storm of France’s worsening coronavirus epidemic and reach Paris.
“I was scared we wouldn’t get to the end,” race director Christian Prudhomme said at the finish.
And so it was that Pogacar, up there on that podium, backlit by the pink hues of a Paris dusk, not only became the Tour’s youngest champion in 116 years but also a symbol of resilience, of can-do, of learning to live with — but not surrendering to — the virus still causing so much pain.
Pogacar’s mask puffed in and out, like an octopus glued to his face, as he sang the anthem of his native Slovenia, played in his honor.
For Pogacar, the future looks brighter than ever. The victory on the eve of his 22nd birthday and the way he went about it during 2,164 miles
of racing — with an intoxicating mix of youthful insouciance and steely grit — transformed him from prodigy into cycling superstar, a Tour rookie so talented he KO’D the race on his first attempt.
He is Slovenia’s first winner and the Tour’s second-youngest behind Henri Cornet, who was just shy of 20 when he was crowned in 1904.