Masked team presentations in Nice, positive Covid-19 test for Tour director … it was a strange Tour but the winner looks like he is here to stay at the head of exciting young breed of cyclists
The youngest winner of the Tour de France in a century rode into the city of light at sunset on Sunday, looking every inch the awestruck kid, as Tadej Pogacar became the first Slovenian to win the yellow jersey. On Friday night it had been his friend, Primoz Roglic, who had been planning a party in Paris. But less than 24 hours later, in a sporting robbery to match Manchester United’s defeat of Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, Pogacar, who will be 22 on Monday, had trampled all over his countryman’s best-laid plans.
In a time-trial performance to the top of La Planche des Belles Filles that drew multiple superlatives and, this being the Tour, a few raised eyebrows, Pogacar stormed through Roglic’s 57-seconds advantage to beat the long-term race leader by almost two minutes. It was his third stage win of the race, adding to his mountain stage wins in Laruns and Grand Colombier.
