Tour de France: Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, imperturbable winner
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar winner of the Tour de France 2021. REUTERS - STEPHANE MAHE
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
3 min
The Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar won the 108th edition of the Tour de France, this Sunday, July 18, in Paris, at the end of the last stage won by the Belgian Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma).
Already a winner in 2020, the young leader of the UAE team adds a second Grande Boucle to his list, at only 22 years old.
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There was little doubt as his lead was comfortable, for several days already.
Tadej Pogacar is well mounted on the highest step of the podium of the Tour de France 2021, this Sunday, July 18, at the end of the 21st and last stage won by on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The Slovenian, who has been wearing the yellow jersey since the first day in the Alps, in Le Grand-Bornand (8th stage), left his competitors no chance.
His runner-up, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) who took part in his first Tour de France, finished more than five minutes behind.
The gap between the first two had not reached such proportions since 2014 and the victory of Vincenzo Nibali in front of Jean-Christophe Péraud.
Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Ineos) completed the podium, more than seven minutes behind.
The first French, Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) ranks eighth.
Relentless Pogacar
Winner of three stages, including two finishes at the top in the Pyrenees, Tadej Pogacar stifled the opposition.
He was able to perfectly dispel the doubts about his ability to defend the leader's yellow jersey over time, he who had recovered it at the end of the penultimate stage in 2020.
Critics of his entourage with a sulphurous past in doping? Tadej Pogacar sweeps them as fast as he climbs the passes. But suspicions and rumors of medical and mechanical doping persist and do not concern only the Slovenian and his UAE team. The only search by the gendarmes took place at the Bahrain Victorious hotel on Wednesday, July 14. A preliminary investigation for "
transport, possession, importation of a substance or prohibited method for the purpose of use by an athlete without medical justification
" is still in progress against this formation which won the team classification.
But it is clear that no deviation has been reported while the riders and their bikes are very regularly checked, especially the yellow jersey.
The Tadej Pogacar era can begin.
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Tour de France 2021
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