Tour de France on a knife edge for Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar ahead of final week - Blazin' Saddles

When the elastic finally snapped and Jonas Vingegaard powered clear of the man in yellow on the Col de Granon, Jumbo-Visma’s troubles a week earlier on the cobblestones of northern France seemed a world away. If Vingegaard was the only rider to trouble Tadej Pogacar in last year’s Tour with a little dig near the summit of Mont Ventoux, this clinical attack – which came after a constant barrage of pressure throughout Stage 11 – marked the time the Slovenian superstar cracked for the first time in his short but illustrious career.

Nothing split the two riders the next day on Alpe d’Huez, nor could Pogacar shrug off Vingegaard on the steep service road to the airstrip at Mende on Saturday. But in the space of 10 calamitous minutes on Sunday’s stiflingly hot Stage 15 to Carcassonne, the wheels threatened to come off Jumbo-Visma’s Tour once again.

Ad/> The team had already entered the stage one key man down after Primoz Roglic decided to call it a day to prepare for the defence of his Vuelta triple crown following the litany of injuries he sustained on the stage to Arenberg. A nasty fall for Steven Kruijswijk then ended the dependable Dutchman’s race in a flash – only for Vingegaard to have his face pushed in it when hitting the deck hard with team-mate Tiesj Benoot moments later.

Cycling‘Respect the Tour’ — York slams Roglic's decision to pull out of Tour de France22 MINUTES AGO Vingegaard emerged unscathed from the spill but Benoot was fairly bashed up. Suddenly the pendulum has swung back in favour of Pogacar in his bid to swap white for yellow in the Pyrenees.