Tadej Pogačar has taken the lead in the Tour de France with a dominant stage win in Hautacam, France. On Thursday’s grueling 12th stage, Pogačar left his rivals behind, finishing over two minutes ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. This victory gives Pogačar a strong chance to claim his fourth Tour title.
Pogačar showed remarkable resilience despite a crash the previous day and delivered a breakaway performance on the narrow, twisting roads of Hautacam. His UAE teammate Jhonatan Narváez provided crucial support as Pogačar overtook Vingegaard for the lead with just 11 kilometers remaining.
Vingegaard initially gave chase but ultimately couldn’t keep up with Pogačar’s pace. Remco Evenepoel finished third, 4 minutes and 45 seconds behind the Slovenian rider. The stage result puts Pogačar in prime position to defend his Tour title and cements his rivalry with Vingegaard as a key storyline of the remaining stages.
Pogačar’s win marks his 20th stage victory in this year’s Tour de France, solidifying his status as one of the most dominant cyclists in the world. The Slovenian rider now holds a 3.5-minute lead over Vingegaard and 4 minutes and 45 seconds behind Evenepoel in the general classification.
Source: https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/45762834/tadej-poga%C4%8Dar-wins-big-pyrenees-reclaims-tour-de-france-lead