With four stages remaining in the 2022 Tour de France, two-time champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has just under 500 kilometres left on which to grasp back over two minutes on maillot jaune Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
The battle for a three-peat in France will be played out over 184km of those roads including Thursday’s summit finish to Hautacam and the final time trial two days later. At the conclusion of stage 17 to Peyragudes, Pogačar took four seconds on his Danish rival, a time bonus separating first and second across the line.
To follow in the wheel tracks of Bobet, Anquetil, Merckx, Indurain, and Froome and win three Tour titles in a row, the 23-year-old will be required to conjure a comeback even beyond the spectacular denouement of the race two years ago in the Vosges.
On La Planche des Belles Filles, Pogačar overcame a 57-second time gap to Jumbo-Visma’s Primož Roglič, putting 1:56 into yellow to win his first title. To take a third, he’ll have to find 2:18 on the Aubisque, Spandelles, Hautacam, and the 40.7km test in Rocamadour.
Pogačar celebrated a third stage win of the Tour – the ninth of his career – atop Peyragudes while his UAE Team Emirates squad struck a celebratory but determined tone beyond the finish line.
“This is the Tour de France. We need to be concentrated and we need to believe until the end,” team principal Mauro Gianetti told Cyclingnews while walking back to the team bus, congratulating staff members as he did so.
“We know the situation, but we are here, we enjoy day by day. Today was a great show for cycling, I think and to see this battle between two great champions like Vingegaard and Tadej, I think is amazing for everybody, for all those passionate about cycling.
“Vingegaard is strong. We knew that. It’s not news,” he added. “You have to be realistic, and it’s an important gap. But at the Tour, you have to keep believing until the end.”
Andrej Hauptmann, team directeur sportif, said similar, noting that Pogačar will keep fighting to the end of the race, something he has insisted ever since his surprising collapse on the fearsome Col de Granon a week ago.
“We will do everything, but every stage is another battle. We will try, and we’ll see what we will be able to do until Paris,” said the Slovenian.
“He’s confident he will put 100% like always. He will go full gas and he doesn’t think so much about the gap. He always tries in any situation in which he finds himself to do his best and not think about…
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