Sleepless night likely for Pogacar ahead of gruelling mountain test

LARUNS, France: Tadej Pogacar was expected to attack in the Tour de France's first mountain stage, yet it was defending champion Jonas Vingegaard who struck first, leaving the Slovenian worried and hoping he will regain his best form before it is too late.

Pogacar, who attacked several times in the first two hilly stages, lost more than a minute to Dane Vingegaard as his lack of fitness showed in the fifth stage on Wednesday after his preparations were hampered by a fractured wrist in late April.

Vingegaard's brutal acceleration near the top of the Col de Marie Blanque was too much for Pogacar, who had to dig deep to limit the damage.

Australian Jai Hindley won the stage and took the overall leader's yellow jersey from Pogacar's UAE Emirates team mate Adam Yates, with Vingegaard moving up to second, 53 seconds ahead of sixth-placed Pogacar.

The 24-year-old Slovenian, who is often seen with a smile on his face regardless of the circumstances, looked stunned at the finish line after he and his team were caught by surprise.

"Tadej, what do we do?," one of his team mates said on the team radio as a group of 36 riders, including Hindley, broke away early in the stage.

UAE Emirates controlled the pace but Pogacar was without a team mate when Vingegaard made his move.

"It's a big blow, it's the first mountain stage," Pogacar said.

With a tougher mountain trek through the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet on Thursday, the two-time Tour champion will be worried that he might get hit again.

Damage control and hoping to peak in the final week in the Alps seem to be Pogacar's best hope of regaining the title he lost to Vingegaard last year.

"Vingegaard was very, very impressive and very good game by Hindley... In the first two stages near