Behind Tadej Pogacar's relentless domination, ambitious players interested in the runners-up

On the slopes leading to Peyragudes (Hautes-Pyrénées) on Friday, July 18 , Jonas Vingegaard briefly emerged from the water. Mercilessly, Tadej Pogacar immediately pushed it back in. The Dane from the Visma-Lease a Bike team felt better than the day before and set an excellent time during the time trial of the 13th stage. But the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG did better, by thirty-six seconds over 10.9 kilometers. More than four minutes now separate the two big favorites announced for the Tour.

Without an earpiece or a timer, the yellow jersey rode this time trial on "feel." "The big moment of the Tour was today. If I hadn't already opened up a gap [on Thursday] , this stage would have been the one where we would have seen the true form of the climbers," said Tadej Pogacar. Everyone saw it, and with nine days to go before the finish in Paris, the three-time Tour winner seems unflappable. Inaccessible. Looking back at the last two days, Jonas Vingegaard seems incapable of dethroning his rival on the pedals. A slap received in Hautacam (Hautes-Pyrénées), another in Peyragudes, and the Tour seems over. The Dane can now only hope for a stroke of luck or a sudden lapse of the Slovenian.

You have 77.79% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.