SHOT TO PASS MERCKX TALLY

TOUR DE FRANCE

Stage 20

Libourne > Saint-Emilion 30.8km, Individual time-trial

MIKE WALTERS TADEJ POGACAR will clinch back-to-back Yellow Jerseys on the Champs Elysees tonight – but all British eyes will be on Mark Cavendish.

Slovenian sensation Pogacar was a surprise Tour de France winner last year, when long-time leader Primoz Roglic choked in the dramatic time trial finale.

But 22-year-old Pogacar has romped home with 5min 20sec to spare this time, and only has to negotiate the procession into Paris – where history awaits Cavendish today too.

The Manx rocket is favourite to win a 35th career stage on Le Tour, taking him past Belgian legend Eddy Merckx’s 46-year-old record, after eight circuits of the famous boulevard.

And if Cavendish sprints into the record books at 36, his achievement would rank alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas hoisting the Union Jack over the Arc de Triomphe six times since 2012, between them.

British interest in the general classification effectively petered out in the first week when

2018 champion Thomas dislocated his right shoulder in a crash and was dropped in the Alps.

It is a monumental feat of courage that Thomas managed to keep going on reduced power, knowing his chance of a second title had disappeared.

He is out of contract at Ineos Grenadiers at the end of the year, but insisted he still believes Pogacar (below) is beatable in future.

He said: “Can we stop him? Hopefully – I need a contract first, but am well up for the challenge and the fight with the boys.

“We are certainly up against it. He is a talented guy but nobody is unbeatable.”

Thomas admitted this year’s edition of Le Tour had been his toughest mentally – and that he enjoyed a 19-mile tootle through Bordeaux vineyards yesterday to conserve energy for next weekend’s Olympic assignment in Tokyo.

He said: “I enjoyed it and took it easy, but there have been some dark times on this Tour. “I just thought I would take the opportunity to try and recover – it is the Olympic road race a week today.

“It was just going through the time trial and trying to enjoy it. It was nice to ride on my own, enjoy the crowd, lovely weather.

“But this has been the toughest Tour I have done mentally.”

Belgium’s Wout van Aert won the stage 20 time trial, but Pogacar – seventh on the day – has looked every inch a champion, notably when he won consecutive stages in the Pyrenees.

He said: “I cannot compare it with 2020 – last year was something else. This year was just different.”