Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Pogacar’s thriller Tour de France triumph

Pogacar’s thriller Tour de France triumph

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The 21-year-old Slovenian will lead the peloton into Paris on Sunday wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey after an epic comeback performance on Saturday. AFP

Pogacar’s thriller Tour de France triumph

In a dramatic last-gasp turnaround Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France on Saturday as the overnight leader Primoz Roglic suffered a mountainside meltdown during a thrilling individual time-trial on the last day of real racing.

It was a staggering end to a bizarre Tour and the penultimate stage duel between two compatriots of different generations will go down as one of 2020’s great sporting moments.

The 21-year-old Pogacar will now lead the peloton into Paris on Sunday wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey and, barring a freak disaster, will climb onto the top step of the podium.

“I cried, I’m sure I’ll cry again,” said Roglic, who led the race 12 days before wilting at the final hurdle.

Staggeringly, the youngster Pogacar will also pull on the polka dot jersey as best climber on the Tour, and also the white one as best under-25s rider.

“I’m just a kid from Slovenia,” he said.

“When I started watching in 2009 or 2010 I was following Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, watching television all day and then riding afterwards.”

“I could hear nothing on the final climb and I went for it with everything,” he said.

After the dust settled Pogacar said he had further targets.

“I’ll be going to the world championships at Imola,” he said ahead of the rescheduled event next weekend.

Often unlucky Australia’s veteran Richie Porte climbed to third overall here to make the Tour podium for the first time, while Spain’s Mikel Landa and Enric Mas rounded out the top five with strong finishes too.

“It was such a sweet moment,” Porte, 35, said.

“Everyone knows the journey I’ve been on to finally end up on the Tour podium after growing up in far away Australia.”

“The two Slovenians were on another planet to us, they threw bricks at each other, there was no holding back,” said the Trek rider.

Porte said he considered staying home as his wife was expecting a baby.

“She told me to go but didn’t want to see me at the back of the peloton.”

Ireland’s Sam Bennett looks set to win the sprinter’s green jersey, but must negotiate the eight lap dash that ends the Tour along Paris’ Champs Elysees on Sunday.

Here in the time-trial Pogacar pulverised the field with his stage-winning performance, and his team hugged and kissed him as they realised the 2020 Tour was theirs.

Roglic ‘bad day’

Roglic, 30, had led the Tour since stage nine and his dramatic meltdown on the final climb means even as loser he remains the big story.

“I had a bad day, he deserved his win. I’m disappointed but I can be proud of second place,” said Roglic. “I don’t have a clear mind, it is how it is,” he said.

“I struggled with everything, I just didnt have enough power out there.”

The defeated man was big enough to collect himself and congratulate the winner.

“He’ll be a great rider now for the next ten years,” he predicted.

The younger man also showed much empathy.

“I feel sorry for Primoz, I feel his pain, losing the yellow jersey on the last day. He’s a friend of mine,” Pogacar said with sincerity.

Pogacar also is set to become the youngest postwar champion as a generational shift takes hold of cycling with a string of young stage winners.

In a key moment the UAE rider changed bikes, which took 12 seconds, after the 30km rolling section to tackle the 6km eight per cent climb at top speed.

Roglic only decided to change bikes once he began to crumble fast, but it became painfully clear he was in for a horrible finale.

Dressed in yellow for the first time after covering the 36km in 55 minutes, 55seconds, Pogacar said he could hardly think let alone answer questions.

The rookie’s performance will go down as one of the all-time-great turnarounds.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is