07/09/26 10:55:00
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07/09 10:54 CDT Pogacar crushes Tour de France rivals and storms the Tourmalet
to regain overall lead
Pogacar crushes Tour de France rivals and storms the Tourmalet to regain
overall lead
GAVARNIE-GEDRE, France (AP) --- Tadej Pogacar produced a tremendous solo ride
on the iconic Col du Tourmalet on Thursday to earn a 23rd Tour de France stage
victory, reclaim control of the race and sap his rivals' morale after just six
days of racing.
Pogacar, who first wore the yellow jersey after winning at Les Angles earlier
this week, made the most of the first big mountain trek of this year's Tour in
the Pyrenees to stamp his authority, sending a clear message to his rivals that
he remains in a class of his own.
The two-time world champion crossed the Stage 6 finish line 2 minutes, 38
seconds ahead of his main challenger, Jonas Vingegaard, and reclaimed the
coveted jersey.
Pogacar's teammate, Isaac del Toro, was third, 2:57 off the pace, ahead of
Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas. Overall, Vingegaard lags 2:42 behind Pogacar,
with del Toro in third place.
With his latest show of force, the UAE Emirates-XRG leader took a big step
toward a record-equaling fifth Tour victory. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard
Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won
five Tours.
Scorching heat and iconic ascents
The stage started in scorching heat and was marked by several unsuccessful
attempts of breakaways early on. Pogacar's teammates, along with those of
Vingegaard in Visma-Lease a Bike, set a fast tempo even before the day's
biggest climbs.
The last stage in the Pyrenees took riders through two iconic ascents, the Col
d'Aspin and the Tourmalet.
Once Ben O'Connor managed to get away, he was allowed some freedom because he
was not a threat in the general classification. He was first at the foot of
Aspin and was caught with about 5 kilometers of the climb left.
Riders then tackled the grueling 17.1 kilometer ascent up the Tourmalet, the
first HC climb of the 2026 Tour --- which means Hors Catgorie (beyond
classification), because it is the hardest level.
Overnight leader Torstein Tren was dropped before del Toro accelerated with
his leader on his wheel about 4.5 kilometers from the summit. Tren later
crashed on the descent and was assessed by the race's medical team before
resuming his effort.
Pogacar then went solo, with Vingegaard digging deep to limit his losses.
Pogacar reached the summit first, and Vingegaard tried to claw back his
30-second deficit in the downhill. But tucked into an aerodynamic position, his
rival took the same risks and was even faster.
Pogacar had a lead of more than a minute as he tackled the final climb up to
the finish line in the town of Gavarnie-Gedre. He never looked back and the gap
kept increasing.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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