Pogačar takes control of the route with a lightning solo on Galibier

Supported on the Galibier climb by the UAE Team Emirates superteam, in particular João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, who set a tough pace on the steep slopes of the climb, the 2020 and 2021 yellow jersey winner broke away from the group of favourites 800m from the summit. When he reached the top of the mountain, he had a seven-second advantage over the closest pursuer, defending and two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–rent a bike). The other favourites, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick Step) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), are further back in the table.

The 25-year-old Slovenian used the Galibier descent and the finish to put more distance between himself and his rivals. Vingegaard managed to stay 10 seconds behind the leader for most of the descent, but then he faltered and was caught by Evenepoel, Roglič and Carlos Rodríguez. The four riders met with about 3.5km to go, with Pogačar 38 seconds behind, and they followed him, accompanied by a passive Ayuso. But they made no progress.

Pogačar crossed the line 35 seconds ahead of Evenepoel, Roglič and Ayuso, with Vingegaard and Rodríguez a further 2 seconds behind. With bonus points, he now leads Evenepoel by 45 seconds, with Vingegaard 50 seconds behind. Roglič is fifth, now 1:14 behind. As for Carapaz, he had a serious crash on the Galibier and finished a clear underdog, 5:10 behind the winner.

“I’m super happy, that was more or less the plan and we executed it really well,” Pogačar said after the stage. “It was like a dream stage and I finished it solo. It’s amazing.” He added that the winds hitting the slopes of the Galibier were a decisive factor in his plan of attack.

“I didn’t want to go too early because of the wind and I had to make all the difference in the last few hundred meters. I know the descent, but I was a little surprised to see the wet road in the first few corners. So it was a little scary. But this descent is super fast and if you know the road, that helps too.”

Before the stage began, Vingegaard told Eurosport that he expected a lot of movement from his rival today. “It’s still the first week. This could be where I’m most vulnerable,” he said. “I think we have to defend in the first week and then we’ll have a different mindset.”

He is returning from a horrific accident during the Tour of the Basque Country, which left him in hospital for 12 days and seriously hampered his preparations for the race.

He will be a little disappointed with his performance, but it wasn’t the blow many were expecting. There are still many big climbs ahead of him, and the 27-year-old Dane has at least a week to get into shape and get his new attitude. While it’s too early to write them off, Evenepoel and especially Roglič need to find their climbing legs. I doubt they’ll bring them to this route, though.

So it’s up to Vingegaard, the world’s best climber when he’s fit, to fight his way into the Tour. But he’ll need a little miracle to be in contention.

Vingegaard’s teammate Wout van Aert also seemed far from his best, having been thrown off the course twice, the last time on the gentler slopes of the Galibier, and apparently still not fully recovered from injuries sustained in a crash in late March. The question is whether Visma–Lease a Bike, desperate to perform well after a disastrous year, threw their superstars into the fray prematurely.