HAUTACAM: Tadej Pogacar delivered a masterclass in mountain racing to retake the Tour de France lead with a commanding victory on the brutal Hautacam climb. The Slovenian rider left his rivals trailing, finishing 2 minutes 10 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard while overnight leader Ben Healy collapsed to a 13-minute deficit.
French President Emmanuel Macron was present at the summit to congratulate Pogacar, who now holds a 3-minute 31-second advantage over Vingegaard in the general classification. Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel fought back after an early struggle but ultimately lost 3 minutes 35 seconds, settling into third place overall.
Pogacar revealed his team had long planned this stage as a decisive moment. “The plan was to win this stage,“ he said. “I’m super happy to take time and win on this particular climb.” The 26-year-old, who crashed heavily the previous day, praised his team’s support and acknowledged the difficulty of the race.
He also paid tribute to Italian junior cyclist Samuele Privitera, who died in a recent race. “I was thinking of him in the final kilometre. This sport can be so hard,“ Pogacar said emotionally.
Friday’s individual time trial could further reshape the standings, with Pogacar eyeing another strong performance. “The race isn’t over,“ he cautioned. “Just look at the next few stages and then there’s next week too.”
Pogacar now holds the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey, while Jonathan Milan retains the green sprint jersey and Evenepoel keeps the white jersey for best young rider. Healy, who described his brief stint in yellow as a “whirlwind,“ dropped to 11th place after a punishing day in the Pyrenees.
The stage featured three major climbs, culminating in Pogacar’s devastating attack on the 13.6km Hautacam ascent, where he sealed his dominance- AFP
