Tadej Pogacar, the 25-year-old Slovenian cyclist from UAE Team Emirates, claimed a decisive victory in the 15th stage of the 2024 Tour de France on Sunday, July 14. The stage, a grueling 197.7 km mountain route from Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille, featured five challenging climbs and over 4,800 meters of elevation gain.Pogacar launched a powerful attack with approximately 5.4 kilometers to go, leaving his main rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) unable to respond. He crossed the finish line 1 minute and 8 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, with Remco Evenepoel finishing third, 2 minutes and 50 seconds behind the stage winner.This victory has significantly reshaped the general classification. Pogacar now leads Vingegaard by 3 minutes and 9 seconds, with Evenepoel dropping to third place. The win marks Pogacar’s third stage victory in this Tour and his 14th career Tour de France stage win.Pogacar’s dominant performance in the Pyrenees, with back-to-back stage wins, has all but eliminated any suspense before the final week in the Alps. His impressive showing puts him on track for his third Tour de France victory, after his wins in 2020 and 2021.The Tour continues on Monday with Stage 16, a flat stage that will offer a respite for the riders after two grueling days in the Pyrenees. However, the race is far from over, with challenging Alpine stages and an individual time trial in Nice on July 21 still to come. Pogacar, who is aiming for an unprecedented Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998, will look to defend his lead, while Vingegaard and others will seek opportunities to close the gap.
Key points
- Tadej Pogacar won Stage 15 of the Tour de France, finishing 1:08 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
- Pogacar now leads the general classification by 3:09 over Vingegaard.
- This is Pogacar’s third stage win in this Tour and 14th career Tour de France stage victory.
- Pogacar is aiming for a Giro-Tour double, last achieved by Marco Pantani in 1998.
Contradictions👾Some sources report the stage distance as 197.
7 km, while others mention 200 km.
This minor discrepancy does not significantly affect the overall narrative.
