Tadej Pogacar strengthened his grip on the Tour de France title with a commanding performance in stage 15, marking his second consecutive stage victory.
As the race entered the Pyrenees, considered pivotal for challengers to narrow Pogacar’s lead, the two-time champion delivered a solo effort to triumph on the demanding ascent to Plateau de Beille. The 25-year-old Slovenian crossed the finish line 1 minute 8 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, while Remco Evenepoel finished third, nearly three minutes adrift.
Vingegaard, aiming for a comeback, now trails Pogacar by 3 minutes 9 seconds, with Evenepoel further back by 5 minutes 9 seconds.
Sunday’s stage covered 197.7km featuring four category one climbs and concluded with a challenging hors categorie ascent, totaling 4,831 meters of elevation gain, accounting for 9% of this year’s race elevation.
Despite struggling in hot conditions, Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates countered Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team’s aggressive pace-setting throughout the stage. Matteo Jorgenson led the peloton up the final climb, setting up Vingegaard’s attempt to challenge Pogacar.
With 9km remaining, the leaders caught the breakaway group, and Vingegaard’s efforts, visible in his final push 5km from the finish, proved insufficient as Pogacar surged ahead.
Pogacar’s victory, his third in this year’s Tour, solidifies his lead heading into the race’s rest day on Monday.
Mark Cavendish, the Tour’s record-holder with 35 stage wins, narrowly made the time cut-off, maintaining hopes of a final stage victory in his Tour farewell.
