Jonas Vingegaard waiting for Tadej Pogacar at Tour de France is a 'beautiful moment in the sport'

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) proved he was a “true champion” in waiting for Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) in a “quite remarkable” act of sportsmanship at the Tour de France, according to The Breakaway gang. Vingegaard slowed down to let Pogacar latch back on during the final descent on Stage 18 after the Slovenian crashed while trying to put his rival under pressure.

Ad/> The pair shook hands when Pogacar caught up, with the two-time champion refusing to attack for the remainder of the descent – appearing to defy team orders after he was spotted having an animated discussion with his support vehicle. Tour de FranceVingegaard on verge of Tour title after blowing away Pogacar on incredible day4 HOURS AGO On a handshake which will undoubtedly become a defining picture in the Tour history books, Adam Blythe said: “This is a beautiful moment when Pogacar said ‘thank you very much for that’.

“That is the sign of a true champion where you can wait for someone and say, ‘if you want to beat me, I want you to beat me fair and square’.” Vingegaard and Pogacar also shared a hearty embrace at the finish after Vingegaard had ripped away on the final climb behind team-mate Wout van Aert to win the stage and all but confirm a maiden Tour title. But the attention after the stage was largely on that moment between the two favourites, who have been utterly dominant at the 2022 Tour in the mountains.

“It was amazing because you’d just completely forgive both of them for just hating each other at this point: Vingegaard hating Pogacar for consistently attacking him at every opportunity, Pogacar hating Vingegaard for never letting go, always being glued to his wheel,” said Dan Lloyd. “So to see that moment was quite remarkable, at that