Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) crushed rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) with a devastating assault to win stage 15 of the Tour de France on the mountain high end of the Plateau de Beille.
Vingegaard attacked with ten kilometres to go after his workforce had pulled on the entrance all day however was unable to shake Pogačar. The Slovenian surged previous the reigning champion with 5.4km to go on the ultimate climb, finally beating him by 1:08 to increase his lead within the Malliot Jaune on Bastille Day to three:09.
Having dominated in related style a day earlier, Pogačar is now in a commanding place to win the race with six levels to go and full an historic Giro-Tour double.
Remco Evenepoel, sporting the white jersey of the very best younger rider, completed third 2:51 behind and stays in that place within the Common Classification.
Pogačar was understandably thrilled after tightening his grip on the Yellow Jersey over this weekend within the Pyrenees.
“I might by no means think about this type of end result after [the] second week at first,” Pogačar stated after the stage. “I am tremendous pleased with my form. Additionally at this time was tremendous sizzling and yeah, it was a extremely laborious day. Normally I all the time battle with the warmth and at this time the workforce did an excellent good job with cooling me down and all the pieces. It was an unimaginable day.”
Visma-Lease a Bike tried to regulate the stage on a parcours that they believed suited their chief Vingegaard higher than Pogačar. The Slovenian was assured all through, however admitted to being “on the restrict” when Vingegaard attacked.
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“I used to be by no means anxious. I simply take into accout retaining myself cool and hydrating and consuming sufficient…I used to be on the restrict just a little bit when Jonas tried to drop me however then I might see that he is additionally beginning to undergo a bit.”
“When he tried to drop me the final time I noticed that he did not have the legs to go to the highest so I attempted my very own. It was tremendous tremendous robust within the remaining and it paid off.”
It is all the time greatest to be cautious when making predictions in biking, however Pogačar seems each bit like he’ll now maintain onto the lead of this Tour de France when the race finishes in Good. The race chief is assured, however plans to maintain up the main target within the remaining levels.
“It is actually wanting good. I used to be saying this already when it was 1 minute 14 and now it is actually comfy lead and we simply must preserve centered the final 6 days and let’s preserve this mentality like we now have now and let’s go to the following week.”
“I am wanting ahead for the relaxation day and I hope we may have a great trip with the boys. Possibly stopping for one good espresso or one thing after which we will reset just a little bit – not an excessive amount of – and we go full fuel for the ultimate week then.”
Jonas Vingegaard attacked with 10km to go on the Plateau de Beille
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
The way it occurred
We’re getting used to highly-contested battles at this Tour de France, stage 15 was no completely different. The beginning of the stage was dreaded by the massive males within the bunch. Bang – they began straight into the Col de Peyresourde, 7km at 8%.
Quite a few escape makes an attempt had been made within the opening minutes because the sprinters went straight out the again door, but it surely was on the descent in direction of the intermediate dash level in Marignac {that a} group of 21 lastly managed to make it clear. That group included the likes of Jai Hindley (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) – the extending his lead within the inexperienced jersey.
On the second of 5 categorised climbs, the tempo within the breakaway elevated with their hole at simply 90 seconds, hunting down the weaker climbers. With the break nonetheless bridgeable from the Visma-Lease a Bike-led peloton, the likes of Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) and Ben Healy (EF Training-Easypost) moved throughout. With 150km to go, practically on the high of the steep Col de Menté, 2019 Yellow Jersey winner Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) was dropped from the peloton.
15 riders remained within the group approaching the third climb, the Col de Portet d’Aspet, their lead hanging round two minutes. Bob Jungels (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was the person doing the lion’s share of the work in assist of Hindley.
Following the third climb of the day was 70km of flat highway. Visma-Lease a Bike let the hole to the break drift out to 4 minutes on the valley highway.
Climbing the Col d’Agnes, the penultimate climb of the day, Hindley, Mas and Laurens de Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) moved away from the remainder of the breakaway. Round 20 riders remained within the yellow jersey group at this stage, led by Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike). Olympic champion Richard Carapaz made his means again to the lead earlier than the highest of the Col d’Agnes, Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno X Mobility) joined shortly after to make a entrance group of 5 for the ultimate climb of the Plateau de Beille.
The quintet had a lead of two:40 firstly of the ultimate 15.7km Pyrenean peak. The toughest climb of the day was saved for final and it might have a major affect on the battle for yellow.
Plateau de Beille is an unrelenting slog. It is steep proper from the underside and solely eases within the final kilometre. Mas drove the breakaway on early within the climb, however Matteo Jorgensen (Visma-Lease a Bike) was on his greatest kind chasing behind, having returned to the group simply earlier than the climb after a motorbike swap. 45 seconds melted away from the hole virtually immediately below the American’s tempo. Riders excessive on GC resembling Gee, Gall, Ciccone and Almeida fell away early on the climb.
At 14km to go, with the prospects of the break wanting bleaker by the pedal stroke, Carapaz and Mas attacked the main group. The group rapidly got here again collectively however their co-operation appeared to crumble with a lead of 90 seconds.
With 10 to go, Jorgensen was performed. Vingegaard attacked and solely the yellow jersey might observe. The pair closed down the breakaway in a matter of some hundred metres, with Evenepoel making an attempt to claw them again round ten seconds down.
The 2 greatest Common Classification riders of their era had been locked collectively for a lot of the climb, Vingegaard setting an infernal tempo as he regarded to place Pogačar below strain. Evenepoel pale and would go on to lose virtually three minutes.
With 5.4km left Vingegaard turned to have a look at Pogačar, the Slovenian noticed sufficient fragility within the reigning champion to place in an acceleration, immediately distancing him.
Vingegaard fought on, holding the hole at ten seconds. He wrestled with the bike as he regarded to place each watt via the pedals that he might handle. In the meantime Pogačar was managed because the hole grew to fifteen seconds, 25 seconds and extra.
The nice Dane pale within the remaining kilometres whereas Pogačar didn’t. His deficit grew, finally dropping 1:08 to the Yellow Jersey.
With six levels to go, Pogačar has a commanding lead. That historic Giro-Tour double now seems nearer than ever.
Outcomes
Tour de France 2024 stage 15: Loudenvielle > Plateau de Beille 198 km
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Workforce Emirates, in 05:13:55
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, +1:08
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Fast-Step, +2:51
4. Mikel Landa (Esp) Soudal Fast-Step, +3:54
5. Joao Almeida (Por) UAE Workforce Emirates, +4:43
6. Adam Yates (Gbr) UAE Workforce Emirates, +4:56
7. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious, 5:08
8. Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) Ineos Grenadiers, identical time
9. Richard Carapaz (European) EF Training-EasyPost, +5:41
10. Felix Gall (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +5:57
Common Classification after stage 15
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Workforce Emirates, in 61:56:24
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, +3:09
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Fast-Step, +5:19
4. João Almeida (Por) UAE Workforce Emirates, +10:54
5. Mikel Landa (Esp) Soudal-Fast Step, +11:21
6. Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) Ineos Grenadiers, +11:27
7. Adam Yates (Gbr) UAE Workforce Emirates, +13:38
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek, +15:48
9. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech, +16:12
10. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious, +16:32
