Time and again this season, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has stood head and shoulders above any of his so-called rivals. But on a day of relentless climbing in stage 11 of the Tour de France, the hitherto seemingly unimaginable scenario finally happened - and after Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) beat Pogačar in a two-up sprint - the fuse had finally been lit on a dramatic GC battle between the Danish defending champion and the Slovenian star.
When the Tour de France leader pulled away from the rest of the overall contenders 500 metres from the summit of Le Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol, it had all the feel of an attack by Pogačar that could leave the Tour decided with nearly half of the race left to go.
