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Cycling Weekly

Sport

Flo Clifford

Tadej Pogačar obliterates field in stage 21 time trial to seal his third Tour de France victory and prestigious Giro-Tour double

Tadej Pogačar Tour (Event) Remco Evenepoel Jonas Vingegaard Jonas Vingegaard Den Tadej Pogačar Slo Tour de France Giro UAE Team Emirates France

Tadej Pogačar wins Stage 21 and the overall Tour de France 2024.

Tadej Pogačar took victory on the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France with another blistering performance in the individual time trial to cap off an utterly dominant race.

An entirely yellow-clad Pogačar was last to set off at 18.45 local time and even had time to showboat in the final kilometre, holding up three fingers to indicate his three Tour victories.

He punched the air as he crossed the line and was immediately swarmed by teammates to celebrate not only another Tour de France but the historic achievement of the Giro-Tour double.

The top three in the general classification finished the time trial in that order, with two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard a minute and three seconds behind and third-placed Remco Evenepoel another 11 seconds back.

Pogačar finished the Tour 6 minutes 17 ahead of Vingegaard and 9 minutes 18 ahead of Evenepoel, who sealed the white jersey and third overall at his debut Tour but couldn’t replicate his win on stage 7’s time trial today.

The champion was jubilant at the finish line, telling reporters, “I’m super happy, I cannot describe how happy I am. After two hard years in the Tour de France, always some mistakes, and this year everything to perfection. It’s incredible.

"This is the first Grand Tour where I was totally confident everyday, even in the Giro I remember I had one bad day but I won’t tell which one! This Tour de France was amazing, I was enjoying from day 1 until today and I had such great support behind me. I just couldn’t let anyone down so I was enjoying it for them as well.

He added, "Maybe some people would think the Giro was a safety net if I don’t succeed in the Tour de France, and for sure it would be if I didn’t succeed. To win the Tour de France is another level and to win both together is another level above that level! I’m really happy we did it."

The Slovenian took six stages to seal the 111th edition of this race to add to his victories in 2020 and 2021, and has become the first man since Marco Pantani 2026 to claim the elusive double of Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

He joins an illustrious list including Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, and his dominance of men’s cycling – and rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard – looks set to continue for some time.

This was the first time trial to close the Tour since the infamous 1989 edition, when Greg Lemond took yellow from Laurent Fignon by just eight seconds.

This Tour has been a more straightforward affair – an imperious romp through Italy and France by Tadej Pogačar – and with the top three on GC sewn up for some time, the drama of today’s stage was confined to potential changes in the minor placings. In the end, there was only one change, as Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) replaced Giulio Ciccone in the top 10.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After one of the most brutal Tours de France in living memory, the riders couldn’t even enjoy the usual processional stage and sprint on the iconic Champs-Élysées in Paris, with the capital gearing up to host the Olympics next week.

Instead they tackled a 33.7km individual time trial from Monaco to Nice. Unlike stage 7’s flatter ITT won by Remco Evenepoel, this was one final tough day in the saddle to draw this Tour to a close.

Only one categorised climb was on the menu – the 8.1km, 5.7% category 2 La Turbie, coming almost straight after the start – but that was quickly followed by another spiteful uphill drag in the Col d’Èze, which reaches highs of 13% near the peak. As well as the biting gradients the riders also had to contend with some technical descending and the threat of rain on an overcast day in the Côte d’Azur.

Davide Ballerini (Astana-Qazaqstan) was the first down the ramp, followed soon after by teammate Mark Cavendish, riding his last-ever Tour de France stage. The Manx Missile was all smiles at the start, hugging race director Christian Prudhomme and setting off to huge cheers.

He high-fived and waved to the crowds throughout the route before celebrating with his wife and children, who greeted him with shouts of ‘Dad, you did it!’ at the finish line as he brought the curtain down on a glittering Tour de France career.

Perhaps appropriately for a rider who navigated the race’s time cut so expertly he finished 1.28,02 down on Ballerini to displace his teammate as lanterne rouge in his final and 15th Tour. The Manxman was asked, "Is this the last race?” following his ride and after a long, expectant pause replied, "Likely so, yeah."

Another history-maker but at the opposite end of his career, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) set off in head-to-toe green and on a special metallic green bike. He too waved to the crowds and was cheered over the line by his waiting teammates as he cemented the points classification, becoming the first African rider to claim the coveted green jersey.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) sealed the mountains classification on stage 20 and was also awarded the supercombativity prize, but with both victories sewn up he rolled around the course in relaxed fashion.

Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) was the first of the GC riders to set off, and was clearly determined to redeem his disappointing Tour. He set the fastest time at all the checkpoints, atop both the climbs and on the flat Place Île de Beauté 5km from the line, and demolished the best early time.

The Frenchman finished in 48.24,46 – 2.59,45 faster than the previous fastest, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious). Some early threats to that time were nullified: compatriot and stage 2 winner Kévin Vauquelin went into provisional second, 0.57,70 behind him, while stage 18 winner Victor Campenaerts was just 0.13,93 off the pace.

The Frenchman remained in the hot seat until Harold Tejada (Astana-Qazaqstan) produced a blistering turn on the descent from Col d’Èze. The Colombian turned around a 0.36,68 deficit at the second time check, on the uncategorised rise, into an 0.09,93 advantage at the finish to cross the line in 48.14,53.

It was an emotional day for several riders competing their final Tour de France: former stage winner Simon Geschke (Cofidis) waved and kissed goodbye to the crowds, as did home favourite and victor on stage 1, Romain Bardet.

TOP THREE BATTLE IT OUT

Tejada continued to sit in the hot seat but all was about to change as the top 10 rolled down the ramp. Eighth-placed Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) hit the deck, losing a couple of seconds as he slipped off his bike on an early hairpin in Monaco, but the American was straight back up and riding again.

Derek Gee, ninth overall, went eight seconds faster than Martinez at the first checkpoint and six seconds faster at the Col d’Èze, but his lead was short-lived as the top three each demonstrated their class.

Evenepoel cruised through 36 seconds faster atop La Turbie, before Vingegaard stamped his authority further on his battle with the Belgian, 19 seconds faster in 20.17. And perhaps unsurprisingly, Pogačar went through another seven seconds faster.

At the second checkpoint Evenepoel was 46 seconds quicker than Gee, but Vingegaard stamped on the pedals to add another 26,89 to his lead, and Pogačar went another 25 seconds faster to indicate that this was no Champs-Élysées procession for the champion-elect.

The top three flew down the descents and as soon as Vingegaard replaced Evenepoel in the virtual lead, the imperious maillot jaune was crossing the line, celebrating a dominant third Tour victory and a 12th Grand Tour stage this year. He was congratulated by his rivals, mobbed by teammates, and has already set his sights on his next target.

“[Mathieu] van der Poel looks really good in the world champion’s jersey but I want to take it from him! I want one time to have the rainbow jersey on my back, but I still have time for that,” he told reporters.

“I think in the last two years we’ve been hearing that this is the best era of cycling. This kind of competition with Remco, Jonas, Primož [Roglič] is just incredible and the young guys that are coming more and more. It’s beautiful, in my opinion.”