A moto got in the way of a possible race-winning move by Tadej Pogačar in the final kilometres of Stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday.
Yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard and Pog were riding together after a dramatic stage which saw the duo riding together to the finish. The Dane had caught back onto the UAE Team Emirates rider after initially being dropped. Eventual stage winner Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) was just behind when the Slovenian made his move.
Man, those two motorbikes should be penalized for being so close to Pogacar and Vingegaard. Depending on how close things are in Paris, that blocking could change the outcome of the Tour
— Shane Stokes (@SSbike) July 15, 2023
Pogačar tried to attack but he was blocked by a motorcycle just ahead of him. With the narrow road and massive crowd on the Joux Plane, there was nowhere for him to go, so he had to slow down.
Rodriguez would win the stage and take the extra bonus seconds, but many are wondering what would have happened if Pog had been able to use his explosive launch to it fullest extent.
“Without the motor block Pogačar would have taken the three bonus seconds on the mountain and win the stage,” commentator José Been tweeted.
Pocačar loses one second to Vingegaard on stage 14.
Three on that motor blocked mountain top bonus sprint. Pogačar then takes two back on the line.
So the difference is now ten seconds for the Danish yellow jersey #TDF2023
— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) July 15, 2023
After the race, Pog downplayed the incident. “What happened on top of the Joux Plane was a pity, but it won’t affect the result in the end.”
Take a look below, could this be a defining moment by the end of the Tour de France?
One of the best stages, but so frustrating to see Pogacar blocked by a motorbike #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/ige419HsZW
— Jack Rathborn (@JackRathborn) July 15, 2023
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