Tadej Pogacar produced a climbing masterclass as he stormed to a stunning solo victory on Friday's stage 19 of the Tour de France in the Alps, a 145km ride from Embrun to Isola 2000.
Pogacar's explosive attack to win the stage moved him one step closer to the title as the yellow jersey holder crushed his closest rivals and extended his lead over Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel.
Pogacar's lead over second-placed Vingegaard is now over five minutes while Evenepoel is more than seven minutes behind with two stages left.
After six riders broke away, it was Matteo Jorgenson who made the first move to surge ahead, but with 10 km left, Richard Carapaz looked to catch up to the American with Simon Yates not too far behind.
Pogacar had been following three minutes back and he launched his attack less than 9 km from the finish, leaving Vingegaard and Evenepoel behind.
As Vingegaard and Evenepoel battled it out for second place in the overall standings, Pogacar was on a mission to catch up to Jorgensen as he pedalled furiously and passed Olympic champion Carapaz with 3.5km left and Yates 500 metres later.
Jorgenson had done well to hold on to his advantage for as long as he could but he could only watch on as Pogacar passed him with ease, erasing the three-minute gap within the last few kilometres of the stage.
Pogacar eventually crossed the line all by himself, first raising his fists before taking a bow with his arms outstretched and then showing four fingers - the number of stages he has won this year.
Jorgenson finished second with his head bowed, wondering what might have been if not for Pogacar, while Yates was third.
Vingegaard and Evenepoel crossed the line together, bumping fists, with the former inconsolable knowing his
cycling
Tour de France
Sport
Tadej Pogacar
Richard Carapaz
Simon Yates
Jonas Vingegaard