Tadej Pogacar Dominates Stage 19, Extends Tour Lead

Tadej Pogacar continued his dominance in the Tour de France, winning his fourth stage and significantly extending his overall lead. The Slovenian cyclist launched a decisive attack in the Alps with nine kilometers to go, erasing nearly three minutes to overtake stage leader Matteo Jorgenson from the United States. Consequently, Pogacar’s primary competitors, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel were unable to keep up, ultimately losing one minute and 42 seconds to the Giro d’Italia winner.

Currently, Pogacar leads defending champion Vingegaard by an impressive five minutes and three seconds, with only two stages remaining. Furthermore, Simon Yates finished third in the stage while Jorgenson managed to hold off Yates to claim second place. Following his victory, the 25-year-old Pogacar described the stage as “100% perfect” and expressed relief at extending his lead, which allows him to “enjoy tomorrow.”

He also mentioned that the final climb into Isola 2000 was part of their training regimen, which gave him a strategic advantage. “We were here training for a whole month between the Giro and Tour,” Pogacar said. “I knew this climb super well. I was speaking with teammates in the training camp about how we wanted to race, and we executed it perfectly.”

With only two stages left, Pogacar is now on the brink of securing his third Tour de France title. The next stage on Saturday will keep the peloton in the mountains, culminating on the Col de la Couillole. Afterward, there will be a time trial into Nice on Sunday. Given Pogacar’s current form, it seems highly probable that stage 19 might be remembered as the decisive moment of the 2024 Tour.

Moreover, having already won the Giro d’Italia in May, Pogacar is poised to become the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same year.

Stage 19 results:

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 4hrs 4mins 3secs
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +21secs
3. Simon Yates (GBR/Team Jayco AlUla) +40secs

General Classification after stage 19:

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 78hrs 49mins 20secs
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +5mins 03secs
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) +7mins 01sec