Pogačar powers to 3rd stage victory to demoralize rivals and extend Tour de France lead

LE LIORAN, France: Four-time champion Tadej Pogačar dealt his rivals another crushing blow by winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday to extend his already commanding overall lead.
“You never know how long it lasts,” said Pogačar, who is on course to equal the record for Tour wins. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have five Tour victories to their names.
“We just need to be grateful for this moment to be riding in the biggest race of the world,” the 27-year-old Pogačar said.
Pogačar, who had already sapped his rivals’ morale with victory on the iconic Col du Tourmalet on Thursday, again stamped his authority with a break just over 900 meters from the summit of the Col de Pertus, the penultimate climb on Tuesday’s hilly stage.
Pogačar’s main challenger Jonas Vingegaard couldn’t follow and Pogačar quickly made ground on Richard Carapaz before powering past him 200 meters before the summit.

The Slovenian rider didn’t slow down. Pogačar was 5 seconds ahead of Carapaz at the summit, and 18 ahead of Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas.
He then increased that lead.
At the finish line, Pogačar was 32 seconds ahead of Evenepoel for his 24th stage victory altogether – his third on Bastille Day, France’s national holiday – and the third already at this Tour.
Seixas, French fans’ greatest hope, was third, 34 seconds behind.
Vingegaard could only finish 44 seconds behind Pogačar, leaving the yellow jersey holder with a lead of 3 minutes, 36 seconds after 10 stages.
Pogačar already had the biggest lead he has ever had at this stage of the race.
Teamed to perfection
Pogačar’s UAE Emirates-XRG teammates controlled