Jonas Vingegaard, who won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, saw Thursday's and Friday's extremely tough mountain stages as opportunities to catch up with Tadej Pogacar's lead in the overall standings.
Vingegaard and his team made serious attempts, but Pogacar had a firm grip on the situation and never gave the Dane a chance to break away.
When a tired and unexpectedly passive Vingegaard finished second in Friday's stage, with Pogacar close behind, the battle for the final victory was in practice over.
Tough days
After the finish, Tadej Pogacar testified that he had had a tough time, despite always looking lively.
It has been tough for the last three days. Today, I'm glad it's over, he says in Eurosport's broadcast.
Admittedly, a mountainous Saturday stage of 184 kilometers and the 132-kilometer final stage with the finish in Paris remain. But most things suggest that Pogacar, who won in 2020, 2021, and 2024, will take his fourth overall victory.
His lead of four minutes and 24 seconds over second-placed Vingegaard is an eternity, considering that he is showing signs of top form at the same time as the Dane has looked paler and had to struggle more in the hills.
Pogacar, however, wants to downplay the expectations:
You never know what can happen. This is the Tour de France and there are two days left. It's about being focused and driving, he says.
Sick cows
Friday's stage was otherwise 30 kilometers shorter. The reason was an outbreak of a contagious skin disease in cows in an area that the cyclists would pass through, where farmers were forced to put down their animals.
"In light of the distress that the local farmers are experiencing and for the competition to continue to be carried out smoothly, it has been decided, in accordance with the relevant authorities, to modify stage 19", it says in a statement.
