Tadej Pogacar reclaims Tour de France yellow jersey with stage six win
Tadej Pogacar has reclaimed the Tour de France yellow jersey after launching a devastating solo attack over the Col du Tourmalet to win stage six.
The Slovenian rider dropped closest rival Jonas Vingegaard 43km from the finish to secure a commanding two-minute and 38-second stage victory in Gavarnie-Gedre.
This dominant result sees the UAE Team Emirates leader take control of the general classification from Norwegian rider Torstein Traeen.
Statement victory in the Pyrenees
Traeen had started the day with a significant advantage of nearly eight minutes, but the overnight leader was distanced less than halfway up the fearsome Tourmalet climb.
His miserable afternoon in the mountains was then compounded by a crash on the subsequent descent.
Reflecting on his stage-winning performance, the new race leader revealed he had been anticipating the Pyrenean battle since the early hours.
“I woke up at seven o’clock this morning and already my mind was going crazy, I was really, really excited for today.”
The 25-year-old ranks this latest mountain masterclass among the top five of his 23 career stage victories.
“All the guys were really hyped and I knew it would be good. We just committed, like nothing to lose. If we explode we explode but in the end we succeeded and I’m super proud, it was crazy teamwork.”
Rivals left trailing in his wake
Visma-Lease a Bike had attempted to place satellite riders up the road earlier in the stage to support Vingegaard, but the tactical gamble rapidly backfired.
The Danish defending champion ultimately had no answer to the explosive pace of his great rival on the upper slopes of the Pyrenean giant.
“It was very tough today, not the day I wanted but that’s how it is sometimes.”
Despite the heavy time loss, the Visma leader remains defiant about his prospects for the rest of the three-week race.
“I still believe in myself, I still believe my legs will get better. The fight is not over.”
The general classification now looks increasingly ominous for the rest of the peloton as the race heads towards the second week.
UAE Team Emirates prospect Isaac del Toro currently sits third overall, three minutes and 27 seconds adrift.
Belgian star Remco Evenepoel trails just three seconds further back in fourth position.