MUR-DE-BRETAGNE, France — Less than a week after the Tour de France began, world champion Tadej Pogačar secured a second stage win at the top of a challenging climb and and reclaimed the yellow jersey on Friday.
The 122-mile Stage 7 between Saint-Malo and Mûr-de-Bretagne did not feature a major difficulty until the finishing loop, including the iconic Mur-de-Bretagne ascent. Called the “Alpe d’Huez of Brittany” by the cycling-crazed Bretons because of its steep gradient, the climb was tackled twice and the finish line was set up at the top.
Pogačar and his teammates from UAE Team Emirates-XRG were in total control in the stage finale, which was contested by a small group of riders including two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard — Pogačar’s main rival — and Remco Evenepoel.
Pogačar launched the sprint some 200 meters from the finish and Vingegaard jumped on his wheel but was unable to overtake his rival. Pogačar had time to raise his right arm in triumph as he crossed. Behind Vingegaard, Oscar Onley completed the stage podium.
“We did an amazing job, all the teammates were perfect,” Pogačar said. “We had a plan, we stuck to it, and we won. Tim (Wellens) led me out to the bottom of the final climb. And then (Jhonatan) Narvaez did a superb job to keep things under control until the sprint.”
Pogačar is the overwhelming favorite to win a fourth Tour title. He has been in supreme form since the start of the season and has been the best rider since the start of the Tour last weekend.
His latest win marked his 19th Tour stage victory overall. This week, the defending champion claimed the 100th professional victory of his stellar career in typically flamboyant style, beating Mathieu van der Poel in a dash to the line to win the hilly fourth stage.
Pogačar was also impressive during the first time trial of the race and is expected to dominate even more when the Tour reaches the mountains.
This is the 42nd time Pogacar leads the overall standings, putting him level with five-time champion Jacques Anquetil as the fifth best rider with the most yellow jerseys all time.
Overall, Pogačar has a 54-second lead over Evenepoel, with Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin in third place, 1:11 off the pace. Jonas Vingegaard was fourth, 1:17 behind, followed by Van der Poel, the overnight leader who was dropped early in the final climb.
Almeida crashes
A five-man break including former Tour champion Geraint Thomas formed soon after the start, gaining an early lead of 1 minute, 40 seconds. Frenchman Ewen Costiou, a Tour debutant, attacked from that group and tried to go solo, leading the race over the first ascent of the Mûr-de-Bretagne. But with the chase raging behind him, the task was way too big and he was caught by the group including all of the main contenders with 12 kilometers left.
As riders scrambled for position at the front, a dozen of them were caught in a high-speed crash on a downhill some six kilometers from the finish line. Pogačar’s teammate Joao Almeida was among those involved.
“I’m super happy with the win today. But not everything is perfect, Joao is going for X-rays after his crash,” Pogačar said. “He’s in great shape so I really hope it’s nothing broken and he can continue.”
Earlier, Mattia Cattaneo, a key teammate of Evenepoel, withdrew from the race. The versatile Cattaneo was seen struggling at the back of the peloton and retired after about 70 kilometers.
Saturday’s stage
The peloton exits Brittany during Stage 8, a 106.5-mile mainly flat trek from Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval on roads sheltered from the wind. Expect a bunch sprint.