Tadej Pogacar achieved another solo victory on Stage 10 of the Tour de France in Le Lioran, located in the Massif Central, further extending his overall lead. This marks his third stage win in the current Tour and his 24th career stage victory. The Slovenian rider now holds a lead of more than three and a half minutes over his long-standing rival, Jonas Vingegaard, who experienced difficulties and lost additional time to other contenders for the podium.
The stage featured seven categorized climbs, including the Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol and Col de Pertus, both first-category ascents, in the final hour of racing. Pogacar executed a characteristic attack on the penultimate climb, once again demonstrating his dominance over the peloton. He made a break just under 1,000 yards from the summit of the Col de Pertus. Pogacar quickly gained ground on Richard Carapaz, passing him just over 200 yards before the summit. At the summit, Pogacar was 5 seconds ahead of Carapaz and 18 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso, and Paul Seixas. He continued to increase this lead, finishing 32 seconds ahead of Evenepoel at the finish line.
Despite his triumph, Pogacar’s win was met with some boos from spectators along the roadside. This type of crowd reaction has not been widely observed since the era of Team Sky and Chris Froome almost a decade ago. Pogacar addressed the boos, stating, “I have haters and haters gonna hate. To all the booers who are there, they just give more boost to my teammates. They put wood on the fire.” He further clarified his remarks by emphasizing that “cycling fans are the greatest between all sports” and that “99% of people are cheering.” Pogacar cited tennis star Novak Djokovic as an inspiration for handling criticism, noting Djokovic’s strong mentality in overcoming doubters.
Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates played a crucial role in controlling the stage. This was evident even when Mathieu van der Poel, the winner of the previous stage, was part of a group of 31 riders that broke away before the first climb of the day on Côte de Pailherols. Javier Romo briefly led alone, but the team ensured he did not gain too much distance. Carapaz then attacked after Romo was caught by the peloton, but he was unable to prevent Pogacar’s surge on the Col de Pertus. Pogacar mentioned that the team had targeted this stage for a significant period. He also recalled being defeated by Vingegaard at Le Lioran two years prior, noting that it was Vingegaard’s last stage win against him. Pogacar described feeling “completely destroyed” at the finish, similar to how he felt in that previous encounter. He also noted that he could not hear anything over his radio due to the noise from the fans and did not realize he would win until the final kilometer.
Vingegaard’s struggles and past considerations
While Pogacar continues to perform strongly, Vingegaard faced challenges on the stage. He finished 44 seconds behind Pogacar, and 12 seconds adrift of Evenepoel. In the fight for the podium, Pogacar’s teammate, Isaac del Toro, lost time, with Olympic champion Evenepoel moving into third place overall.
Vingegaard has recently revealed that he considered leaving the sport a year ago due to burnout, an issue that was debated within the peloton towards the end of last year’s race. His performance on the stage to Le Lioran followed his admission to Danish television on the Tour’s first rest day that he nearly quit racing in 2025. He stated, “I said last year that if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it any more.” Vingegaard, who experienced a life-threatening crash, explained the demands of the sport: “As a cyclist, you feel like you’re constantly on a diet. You always have to think about your weight, and you’re always out training. A lot is demanded of you. It takes a toll on your body and your mind.”
At the beginning of the 2025 Tour, Vingegaard’s wife, Trine Hansen, commented on the demanding nature of the sport, highlighting the extensive travel from February until the end of the season. His Visma Lease-a-bike team initially downplayed his comments. Despite his previous unhappiness, Vingegaard finished second to Pogacar in Paris last year. He indicated that changes have been made this year, stating, “That’s also why we changed some things. I also think the team realised that this was how it was, and they could also tell from me that I wasn’t happy last year. They accepted that we had to change something, and we did. If it is hard to be away for such a long time, then you have to do something else, and that is what we have done for me this year.”
Vingegaard, who secured victories in both Paris-Nice and the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, expressed feeling “much more” motivated this season. However, he now faces the dual challenge of competing against both Pogacar and a pursuing Evenepoel. The upcoming 11th stage, from Vichy to Nevers, will offer the main contenders an opportunity to regroup, while sprinters will look to capitalize on increasingly scarce chances for stage wins.
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Source: theguardian.com
Mason Reed
Sports reporter covering football, basketball and international competitions.