{"id":205881,"date":"2026-07-17T10:03:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=205881"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:03:41","slug":"another-pogacar-show-and-maybe-the-last-two-bunch-sprints-of-the-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2026\/07\/17\/another-pogacar-show-and-maybe-the-last-two-bunch-sprints-of-the-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Another \u201cPoga\u010dar Show\u201d and Maybe the Last Two Bunch Sprints of the Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though everyone knew how Tuesday’s stage 10 of the Tour de France would end \u2013 with a victory by Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG) \u2013 it was dramatic enough to warrant its own series of takeaways.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Another win-win<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Poga\u010dar said before the stage that he wasn’t looking for revenge for losing at Le Lioran last year, when he made a fuelling mistake, and Jonas Vingegaard beat him in a sprint. \u201cIt’s just a nice stage to win,\u201d the yellow jersey holder said. But it was also revenge: Like an elephant, Poga\u010dar never forgets. He attacked on the Col du Pertus (4.5 km @ 8.3%), 15.5 km from the finish, and as usual, nobody could follow. In the end, including the winner’s bonus, he gained another 54 seconds on Vingegaard and now leads the race by 3:36.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the Great One heard boos from spectators near the finish, which didn’t faze him one bit. \u201cI have haters and haters gonna hate,\u201d Pogacar said afterwards. \u201cTo all the booers who are there, they just give more boost to my teammates. They put wood on the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can these people be thinking? Imagine booing da Vinci or Shakespeare because they were such superior artists. Winners win, losers boo.<\/p>\n

What’s wrong with Vingegaard?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Perhaps it’s the heat. Or maybe he hasn’t recovered from his Giro d’Italia victory.<\/a> Or this is his best level. Whatever it is, it’s serious and could get worse. He finished seventh in the stage, fading badly near the finish, and now leads Remco Evenepoel by only 30 seconds. His Visma\u2013Lease a Bike team is not doing much better, with Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss unable to stay with the peloton on the serious climbs.<\/p>\n

Only Davide Piganzoli had the legs to attack on the Col du Pertus, apparently in the hope of generating an attack by his leader. Instead, it was Poga\u010dar who used his lead-out as an attack platform, while Vingegaard stayed behind. This race has destroyed the illusion created by the Giro d’Italia that Vingegaard is again strong enough to challenge the soon-to-be five-time Tour champion.<\/p>\n

Shockingly, Vingegaard did not seem concerned. \u201cI think in the end it was not too bad of a day,\u201d he said. \u201cShorter climbs like this are not what suits me the best, so obviously I had to fight today. To come away with a smaller loss like this is something I can be happy with.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn’t at all sound like somebody who still believes he can win the race. The question now is: Can he stay on the podium?<\/p>\n

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Zobrazit p\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek na Instagramu<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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P\u0159\u00edsp\u011bvek sd\u00edlen\u00fd \u0160koda We Love Cycling (@wlcmagazine)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n