Pogačar takes command on Pla d’Adet with decisive victory

Stage progression

The stage, which covered 152km from Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan, was characterised by brutal climbs and intense competition. Starting in Pau, the riders faced a relatively calm beginning before hitting the Pyrénées with full force. The first major challenge was the Col du Tourmalet, a 19km ascent that tested the peloton early on.

UAE Emirates set a relentless pace from the start, controlling the front of the bunch up and over the Tourmalet. The pace was dictated by UAE’s workhorses, including Nils Politt and Marc Soler, reducing the peloton to a select group. Breakaway riders, including Michal Kwiatkowski, Ben Healy, Oier Lazkano, Louis Meintjes, and David Gaudu, saw their lead diminish as the peloton closed in on the final climb.

As the riders approached the final ascent to Pla d’Adet, Healy launched a solo attack 9km from the summit, but his effort was soon neutralised by Adam Yates, who had been sent up the road by Pogačar’s team. Yates’ move forced Visma-Lease a Bike to chase, allowing Pogačar to launch his decisive attack with 4km remaining.

Pogačar bridged to Yates before surging ahead on his own, leaving Vingegaard and Evenepoel struggling to respond. Vingegaard managed to limit his losses, crossing the line 39 seconds behind Pogačar, while Evenepoel finished over a minute down, slipping to third overall.

Photo Credit: Getty

Adam Yates (Photo Credit: Getty)

Reactions and thoughts

After the race, Pogačar was jubilant, crediting his team for their support. “This is very good,” he said. “I am super happy to be in this position. Let’s keep up this momentum and good energy in the team. Good legs and we try to maintain this position.”

Adam Yates, reflecting on the tactical move, said, “It’s a little bit of improvisation. I was ready to do the pace like normal, and he told me to attack; I was like, ‘What are you on about?’ so I attacked and looked behind a couple of times to see where he was, and he came across. I couldn’t do too much for him because I was a little bit cooked from the effort, but in the end, it was a good day, and we took some time.”

Vingegaard’s directeur sportif, Grischa Niermann, acknowledged the difficulty of the stage. “He was just too strong today, we have to accept it,” Niermann said. “Jonas didn’t have a bad day, he had a good day. But we have to accept Pogačar was just the strongest.”

Vingegaard himself remained optimistic despite the setback. “I am satisfied with my own performance, but of course disappointed with the time loss. This is Tadej’s territory, but I would have preferred not to have lost any time today. On the steep sections of the climb I felt like I was getting closer and closer. However, the final kilometres were right up Tadej’s alley, given the power he has. He deserved the stage win today.”

Pogačar expressed his satisfaction with the team’s strategy, highlighting the importance of teamwork. “Adam attacked, and Visma had to try to maintain the gap. I thought if I bridged over to Adam, he could pull me, which he did like it was the last 500 metres of a stage. And that was really perfect.”

Looking ahead to the next stage, Vingegaard emphasised the ongoing nature of the battle. “The battle is definitely not over yet,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a long, gruelling day. Those days usually suit me. Together with the strong team I have around me, we will do everything we can to make it a success.”