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Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) laid down a hefty marker on the Tour de France after he attacked close to the summit of the Col du Galibier to win stage 4 in Valloire and transfer again into the yellow jersey.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) was the one rider to match Pogačar’s preliminary acceleration 800 metres from the highest of the climb, and though the Dane was distanced on the ultimate ramps of the climb, he put up fierce resistance, cresting the summit simply eight seconds down.
On the vertiginous 18km drop into Valloire, nevertheless, Pogačar’s energy and descending expertise got here to the fore, and the Slovenian progressively stretched out his benefit over Vingegaard, who was caught by Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) within the finale.
Pogačar crossed the road 35 seconds away from the chasers, who had been led residence by Evenepoel and Ayuso.
Thanks to the time bonuses he collected atop the Galibier and the end, Pogačar now holds a lead of 45 seconds over Evenepoel within the general standings, whereas Vingegaard trails by 50 seconds.
Evenepoel was the very best of the remaining on the Galibier behind Pogačar and Vingegaard on the Galibier, cresting the summit 15 seconds down, however the Belgian misplaced floor on the descent.
The Tour had by no means climbed this excessive this quickly within the race, and there was a excessive price of attrition on this early foray into the Alps, which took the peloton from Italy into France by the use of the climbs of Sestriere and the Col de Montgenèvre.
UAE Team Emirates whittled down the group of favourites on the interminable climb of the Galibier, with yellow jersey Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) amongst these distanced by the forcing of João Almeida and Adam Yates.
Near the highest of the climb, UAE nonetheless had three riders in a entrance group of eight, however Pogačar’s anticipated assault took a very long time to return. When it arrived, nevertheless, it was a forceful one, and the rostrum contenders had been shortly scattered. Vingegaard restricted the harm on the climb and on the early a part of the descent, however Pogačar by no means relented. Nice remains to be a good distance away, however the Giro-Tour double will really feel significantly nearer after his show right here.
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