Tadej Pogacar executed his race strategy flawlessly, securing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France by outpacing defending champion Jonas Vingegaard by nearly a minute on Tuesday's fourth stage.
The pivotal moment came near the summit of the Col du Galibier, where Pogacar launched his decisive attack. His adept descent to Valloire further extended his lead, leaving Vingegaard trailing significantly in the overall standings.
At just 25 years old, Pogacar not only claimed the stage victory but also solidified his position ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, who lies 45 seconds behind him, with Vingegaard holding the third spot, five seconds behind Evenepoel.
The support from UAE Team Emirates played a crucial role during the grueling ascent, allowing Pogacar to isolate Vingegaard and maintain his momentum throughout the stage.
Reflecting on his performance, Pogacar shared, \"It was more or less the plan and we executed it pretty well. I'm super happy. It was like a dream stage and I finished it off so well.\" He emphasized the importance of timing his attack, citing strong headwinds that influenced his decision to wait for the optimal moment.
Looking ahead, Pogacar remains focused on his race strategy, taking one day at a time, determined to build on his success from last year's individual time trial where Vingegaard outperformed him.
Reference(s):
Pogacar hails "dream stage" after beating Vingegaard to take Tour lead
cgtn.com
