Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar offered an emotional finish. © APA/afp / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

Tears in the superstar duel: Vingegaard beats Pogacar

What a drama at the Tour de France! Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard won the 11th stage in a sprint to the finish ahead of top favorite Tadej Pogacar, who had the same time.

July 10, 2024

From: dpa/apa/fop

On the demanding section in the Massif Central to Le Lioran, the Dane attacked first in the decision between the two favorites for the overall victory and crossed the finish line just ahead of the Slovenian. Remco Evenepoel came third, 25 seconds behind.

Pogacar is now 1:06 minutes ahead of Evenepoel and 1:14 minutes ahead of Vingegaard in the overall rankings in the yellow jersey. The Dane shed tears after his success. "It's very emotional for me. Coming back like this..." said Vingegaard, who had been worried not only about his start in the Tour of the Basque Country but also about his career after a serious fall in the Tour of the Basque Country in April. "I'm just happy to be here. It means a lot to me to win here," said the Visma professional.

Jonas Vingegaard was overcome by emotions © APA/afp / JEROME DELAY

The last 50 kilometers of the stage were particularly challenging, with four mountain classifications - including one in category one. Pogacar's UAE team kept the pace high all day and never left the breakaway riders more than three minutes behind. The top favorite wanted to make a statement and finally attacked solo 30 km from the finish. He built up a lead of over 30 seconds on Vingegaard and co.

But the Dane recovered and, to the surprise of many, caught up with Pogacar again on the penultimate mountain classification. The duo then fought it out for the stage win in the Le Lioran ski area. For Vingegaard, the success was also a small satisfaction, as Pogacar had said on the rest day on Monday that his rival was only hanging on to his rear wheel.

Tadej Pogacar continues to drive in yellow. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Although the 25-year-old extended his lead on Wednesday, Vingegaard was combative. "The Tour is far from over," he said. "Now no one should doubt that Jonas is in top form here. It will be great for the fans," said Pogacar. "I think I can go to the Pyrenees with a lot of confidence."

Roglic overthrown

Red Bull captain Primoz Roglic (4th) crashed, but gave the all-clear in the evening. "He says everything is fine. The team doctor also gave the thumbs up," said sports director Rolf Aldag. "It's a bit annoying, but nothing serious happened." Because the mishap happened within three kilometers of the finish line and a crash rule therefore applied, the Slovenian did not lose any time in the overall ranking.

After the climbing test in the heart of France, the sprinters will be in demand again on Thursday. In Villeneuve-sur-Lot, anything other than a sprint to the finish would be a surprise.