07/14/26 11:30:00
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07/14 11:28 CDT Pogacar powers to 3rd stage victory to demoralize rivals and
extend Tour de France lead
Pogacar powers to 3rd stage victory to demoralize rivals and extend Tour de
France lead
LE LIORAN, France (AP) --- Four-time champion Tadej Pogacar dealt his rivals
another crushing blow by winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France on
Tuesday to extend his already commanding overall lead.
"You never know how long it lasts," said Pogacar, who is on course to equal the
record for Tour wins. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and
Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have five Tour victories to
their names.
"We just need to be grateful for this moment to be riding in the biggest race
of the world," the 27-year-old Pogacar said.
Pogacar, who had already sapped his rivals' morale with victory on the iconic
Col du Tourmalet on Thursday, again stamped his authority with a break just
over 900 meters from the summit of the Col de Pertus, the penultimate climb on
Tuesday's hilly stage.
Pogacar's main challenger Jonas Vingegaard couldn't follow and Pogacar quickly
made ground on Richard Carapaz before powering past him 200 meters before the
summit. The Slovenian rider didn't slow down. Pogacar was 5 seconds ahead of
Carapaz at the summit, and 18 ahead of Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Florian
Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas.
He then increased that lead.
At the finish line, Pogacar was 32 seconds ahead of Evenepoel for his 24th
stage victory altogether -- his third on Bastille Day, France's national
holiday -- and the third already at this Tour.
Seixas, French fans' greatest hope, was third, 34 seconds behind.
Vingegaard could only finish 44 seconds behind Pogacar, leaving the yellow
jersey holder with a lead of 3 minutes, 36 seconds after 10 stages.
Pogacar already had the biggest lead he has ever had at this stage of the race.
Teamed to perfection
Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG teammates controlled Tuesday's stage even when
Mathieu van der Poel, the winner of the previous stage, was among a group of 31
riders that pulled away before the first climb of the day on Cte de Pailherols.
Javier Romo emerged to lead alone but he was never allowed to get too far
ahead. Carapaz attacked after the Spanish rider was caught by the peloton and
he in turn was powerless to prevent Pogacar surging past on the Col de Pertus.
"The team did a super good job. We targeted this stage a long time ago," said
Pogacar, who remembered being beaten by Vingegaard "fair and square" at Le
Lioran two years earlier. That was the Dane's last stage win over his rival.
"Today I had similar legs in the finish, completely destroyed," said Pogacar,
who added he couldn't hear anything over his radio because of the noise from
fans. "I didn't know I was going to win until the last kilometer."
Some fans booed, but Pogacar said he didn't mind.
"To all the guys that were booing, they give us more power," he said.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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