Pogacar Closer to the Yellow Jersey; He Also Dominated the 10th Stage of the Tour de France
On France’s national holiday, Slovenia has reason to celebrate once again. Tadej Pogacar also claimed victory in the 10th stage of the Tour de France, which finished in Le Lioran, securing his third stage win in this edition of the Grande Boucle. The world champion further solidifies his lead in the general classification and, with eleven stages still to go, seems to have already secured the top spot on the podium on the Champs-Élysées.
The race was marked by a long battle to form the breakaway. After numerous attempts, more than thirty riders managed to break away, including Ben Healy, Alex Baudin, Sergio Higuita, Simone Velasco, Harold Tejada, Thymen Arensman, Kévin Vauquelin, Mathieu Van der Poel, Ben O’Connor, Luke Plapp, Marco Frigo, Ion Izagirre, Benjamin Thomas, Fred Wright, and Marc Hirschi.
The peloton, however, never allowed the breakaway riders a comfortable lead. Javier Romo’s solo breakaway was quickly neutralized thanks to the control exerted by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, which was determined to keep the race under control. The turning point came on the slopes of Puy Mary, where Richard Carapaz tried to get ahead of everyone with a decisive attack, managing to gain about a minute on the main favorites. The Ecuadorian’s lead, however, was short-lived. On the Col de Pertus, Pogacar launched his attack: a devastating surge that, within a few hundred meters, allowed him first to catch up to and then drop Carapaz, leaving all the other GC contenders in his wake.
From that moment on, the Slovenian managed his breakaway with total control, gradually increasing his lead all the way to the finish line. Behind him, Isaac Del Toro also faltered, forced to say goodbye to both the white jersey and his provisional spot on the general classification podium. Pogacar thus crossed the finish line alone, celebrating yet another show of strength. 32 seconds behind, Remco Evenepoel outpaced Paul Seixas and Florian Lipowitz in the sprint, while Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared less impressive in the final stretch, finished 44 seconds behind his Slovenian rival. With this latest display of superiority, Pogacar solidifies his hold on the yellow jersey and reaffirms his status as the clear favorite to win the Tour de France.
