(Le Grand Colombier) Little by little, Tadej Pogacar is making up for lost time.
The double Tour de France champion reduced Jonas Vingegaard’s lead with a sudden acceleration near the finish after a long and brutal climb at the end of the 13th stage.
“Even if I didn’t win the stage, it’s still a victory in the fight for the yellow jersey,” said Pogacar.
Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski climbed the Grand Colombier solo to win a second career stage.
Kwiatkowski, of Ineos Grenadiers, was part of the breakaway at the start of the stage. He broke away with about 11 kilometers to go before reaching the top of the mountains.
“What a crazy experience,” he exclaimed. When I started the breakaway, I thought maybe it was a free ticket to the bottom of the hill. »
Vingegaard and Pogacar watched each other closely, but Kwiatkowski stayed ahead.
Well supported by his teammates at UAE Team Emirates, Pogacar did not launch an attack until the last 500 meters of a long climb of 17.4 kilometers. Despite everything, he managed to steal precious time from his rival.
Pogacar crossed the finish line in third position, behind Kwiatkowski and Maxim van Gils, but four seconds before Vingegaard. He also received a four-second bonus for his result, reducing Vingegaard’s overall lead to just nine seconds.
“The Tour is still far from over, but we are in a good position, noted Pogacar. We were counting on these kinds of occasions to eat away a few seconds. The team worked well. Everyone can be happy about their day and use it as motivation. »
Hugo Houle, from Sainte-Perpétue, took 32nd place in the stage, 5:32 behind the winner. The Israel Premier Tech cyclist is in 67th place overall, 1:44:3 a.m. behind Vingegaard.
His teammate Michael Woods of Ottawa settled for 92nd and slipped to 34th overall, nearly an hour behind the leader. For his part, Montrealer Guillaume Boivin, also from Israel Premier Tech, crossed the finish line in 104th position. He is ranked 131st overall.
The next two stages will take place in the Alps, then the cyclists will be entitled to a rest day on Monday.