Pogacar wins Tour de France summit duel with Vingegaard

CAUTERETS, FRANCE: Tadej Pogacar unleashed a devastating turn of speed to win stage six of the Tour de France on Thursday, but defending champion Jonas Vingegaard took the overall race lead 25 seconds ahead of the Slovenian.

On the Tour’s first summit finish, Team UAE leader Pogacar went for broke with 2km to go and finished 24sec ahead of Vingegaard. Overnight leader Jai Hindley now sits in third place.

On the 144.9km run from Tarbes to Cauterets in the lush Pyrenees the Dutch Jumbo-Visma team looked to have the X-factor in Wout Van Aert acting as Vingegaard’s sherpa with Pogacar isolated from his teammates.

But with 4km to go Van Aert peeled off and almost keeled over after his efforts on a 10 percent gradient section.

Vingegaard and Pogacar powered ahead alone after dropping everyone from the day’s breakaway on the high Tourmalet pass.

When Pogacar made his move with the roadside crowds leaving the narrowest of passages Vingegaard desperately clung on as the Slovenian pulled away for a moral victory.

“I’m really happy to have just one stage win, you can’t get cocky,” said the 24-year-old Pogacar.

“When Jumbo started pulling I was ready to pack my bags and go home,” he said.

“Wout (van Aert) goes faster than the race chief’s car. But I played it smart and told myself I mustn’t give up, at that point I just held on.”

Pogacar started the Tour strongly but Vingegaard struck back on stage five before this new enthralling instalment of their internecine duel offered up some more gripping fare.

Defending champion Vingegaard and two-time winner Pogacar were billed as the stars of the Tour and so it is proving to be.

“This is an exciting Tour de France,” said Vingegaard. “The first six days have been hard, the