It was a result known for two weeks, ever since Tadej Pogacar raised his arms atop the Tourmalet and smiled at the heavens, seizing the yellow jersey on stage six. It was a piece of history drafted long before the peloton reached the slopes of Alpe d’Huez on this final weekend.
Pogacar had increased his lead with victories on stage 10 and 14, and again at the Alpe’s summit on Friday. On Saturday, the Tour de France returned to Alpe d’Huez via the rarely used eastern back route, the Col de Sarenne. And although Pogacar couldn’t catch the breakaway to claim another stage, his name was already inscribed beside a new feat.
