Countdown to the Tour de France: 8 days | Pogacar breaks Roglic’s heart in 2020

In today’s Tour de France countdown article, we revisit the extraordinary rivalry between two Slovenian stars, Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic, and their unforgettable duel at the 2020 Tour de France.

The 2020 edition produced one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Tour history, as a young debutant overturned a seemingly insurmountable deficit on the penultimate day. Pogacar and Roglic’s battle encapsulated the highest levels of cycling drama, a clash of generations and styles that kept fans on edge until the very end.

It seems incredible that this is now five years ago but, regardless, let’s dive into what was perhaps the most dramatic end to a Tour de France ever.

Leading into the 2020 Tour, Primoz Roglic had established himself as one of the world’s top stage racers. A former ski jumper who only turned professional in 2013, Roglic’s rise was mind blowing.

He took 4th place in the 2018 Tour de France, even claiming a prestigious mountain stage win in the Pyrenees, signaling his Grand Tour potential. In 2019, he podiumed at the Giro d’Italia (3rd overall behind Richard Carapaz and Vincenzo Nibali) and then triumphed at the Vuelta a España, earning his maiden grand tour title.

By early 2020, the 30-year-old Roglic was ranked #1 in the world after an ultra-consistent season, and he arrived at the Tour de France as the clear favorite, leading the powerful Jumbo-Visma team and wearing the mantle of Slovenia’s first Grand Tour winner.

By contrast, Tadej Pogacar was just 21 and about to start his first Tour de France. But he was already touted as a prodigy. The year before, in his Grand Tour debut at the 2019 Vuelta a España, Pogacar had stunned the cycling world by finishing third overall at just 20 years old. He won three mountain stages in that Vuelta, attacking boldly in the final week with a long-range solo break that vaulted him onto the podium.

Pogacar’s precocious performance, including out-climbing veteran stars and claiming the white jersey for best young rider, marked him as a future superstar. In fact, Roglic and Pogacar stood together on that Vuelta podium in Madrid (Roglič 1st, Pogačar 3rd), an early hint at a rivalry to come.

Still, heading into the 2020 Tour, Roglic was the established leader with a dominant team, while Pogacar was an ambitious Tour rookie riding for UAE Team Emirates, expected to challenge for a high placing but not necessarily the victory. Little did the world know how closely these two Slovenians would be matched in the battle for the maillot jaune.

The duel between Roglic and Pogacar steadily intensified over the three weeks of the 2020 Tour. Early on, Pogacar showed his brilliance but also bad luck. On Stage 7, crosswinds split the race and Pogacar was caught on the wrong side of a split. The young Slovenian lost 1’21” to the other favorites on that blustery day, plummeting from 3rd to 16th overall.

It was a significant setback, by the end of that day he trailed the race leader’s yellow jersey by nearly 90 seconds. Yet, Pogacar refused to be discouraged. He reacted immediately: the very next day in the Pyrenees, he launched a daring attack. On Stage 8 to Loudenvielle, Pogacar surged from the GC group on the Col de Peyresourde, clawing back a large chunk of his deficit in one bold move. This aggressive riding bumped him up seven places on GC, signalling that he was still very much in the fight.

That stage was won by a breakaway rider, but on Stage 9 Pogacar delivered his first Tour de France stage victory. In the mountains of the Pyrénées, a select group of contenders sprinted for the win. Pogacar outsprinted Roglič and Hirschi in Laruns to claim the stage, with Roglic finishing second and taking over the yellow jersey in the process. It was a Slovenian 1-2 on the stage, and now Roglic donned the maillot jaune for the first time in his career, and the first time for his country. After the first week, Roglic led the Tour and Pogacar had impressively climbed back into the top ten overall, now clearly established as the biggest threat to his countryman.

As the race entered its decisive phases, the Roglic vs Pogacar showdown took center stage. Both were superb in the mountains. On Stage 15, atop the Grand Colombier, Pogacar and Roglic dropped all their rivals, with Porte and Lopez just behind, and rode to the finish together. Pogacar won the stage in a tight sprint, just ahead of Roglic.

More importantly, the time bonuses and the gaps to others cut Roglic’s overall lead to a mere 40 seconds. The 2020 Tour had now fully become a two-man war, and the defending champion Egan Bernal had cracked and fallen out of contention, and no one else could match the Slovenian duo’s pace in the high mountains.

Roglic, however, remained calm and consistent, using support from his strong Jumbo-Visma team to defend the yellow jersey. On Stage 17, the daunting queen stage finishing atop the Col de la Loze (2,304 m), Roglic delivered what looked like a decisive blow. While Colombian rider Miguel Ángel López won the stage, Roglic dropped Pogacar in the final steep kilometers, gaining back time. Roglic finished 2nd on the stage, 15 seconds ahead of Pogacar.

With that, Roglic extended his GC lead to 57 seconds. It appeared a comfortable margin with only a few stages remaining, especially given Roglic’s strength in the individual time trial. Surely it could not be overturned?

Most observers believed Roglic had one hand on the Tour trophy. He had worn the yellow jersey for nearly two weeks and his team had controlled the race with precision. Pogacar, meanwhile, seemed assured of a stellar second place and the white jersey. All that remained was Stage 20’s time trial, a 36.2 km race against the clock from Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles. Given Roglic’s reputation as an excellent time trialist, and a near-minute lead, the odds were heavily in his favor. But what happened on that Saturday will forever be remembered as one of the Tour’s, and sport’s, most stunning twists.

On September 19, 2020, Stage 20’s time trial unfolded as a thriller. The route was unique: mostly flat for the first 30 km, then culminating in the steep 5.9 km ascent up La Planche des Belles Filles to the finish.

Pogacar, as the second-to-last rider on course, set a searing pace from the start. By the first time check, he had already taken a significant bite out of Roglic’s advantage. As the Slovenian prodigy approached the foot of the climb, it was clear he was riding the TT of his life, he was up on Roglic in every split. In the final brutal climb, Pogacar was in full flight, tapping out a furious rhythm while visibly on the limit, yet continuing to gain time. The 21-year-old would not be denied: he stopped the clock in 55:55, having obliterated the field. Behind him, an eerie silence fell on the few team staff and spectators near the finish as they awaited Roglic. When Roglic finally arrived, he was far off the pace: the unthinkable had happened.

Roglic crossed the line a respectable fifth, but nearly two minutes slower than Pogacar. In a matter of 36 kilometers, Pogacar overturned the 57″ deficit and transformed it into a 59″ lead in the general classification. It was an incredible swing of 1 minute 56 seconds, Pogacar won not only the stage but also seized the yellow jersey against all the safe bets.

Cycling fans watched in astonishment as the young Slovenian, on the eve of his 22nd birthday, realized he had effectively won the Tour de France on his first attempt. More than anything, it was the manner in which he won the race that was most incredible.

The scenes at the summit finish were as dramatic as the action on the road. Pogacar collapsed to the ground after the finish, overwhelmed with exhaustion and emotion, as it dawned on him that the maillot jaune was his. In contrast, Roglic, who had led the Tour for 11 days, arrived to a cruel shock.

The usually composed and stoic rider looked shell-shocked, his dream crumbled on the final climb. As Roglic removed his aero helmet, his face was pale and bewildered; a 2020 Tour that had been so brilliantly managed by him and his team was lost in the final miles. The moment immediately drew parallels to another famous Tour de France heartbreak: Laurent Fignon’s collapse in 1989.

Like Roglic, Fignon had started the final stage time trial in yellow with a solid lead (50 seconds) only to lose the Tour by a razor-thin 8 seconds to Greg LeMond. Roglic’s defeat echoed that historic disappointment, albeit with a larger margin.

When the dust settled, Tadej Pogačar not only claimed the yellow jersey, but also the polka-dot jersey as the best climber and the white jersey as best young rider, a clean sweep of honors. Roglic finished second overall, 59 seconds down, after coming so close to victory. The final podium was completed by Richie Porte in third.

But it was all about the Slovenian’s really.

The Pogacar vs. Roglic rivalry seemed poised to dominate future Tours, but fate had other plans. In 2021, Pogacar proved his class by winning the Tour de France again (this time in commanding fashion), while Roglic’s Tour ended early after he crashed heavily in the first week and ultimately had to abandon the race. The much-anticipated rematch between the two Slovenians never truly materialized.

In 2022, Roglic returned to the Tour as co-leader of Jumbo-Visma and worked with teammate Jonas Vingegaard to challenge Pogacar, but once again Roglic was beset by bad luck, a crash and injuries forced him to withdraw before the final week. That year, Vingegaard emerged as Pogacar’s new chief rival, going on to win the 2022 Tour while Pogacar finished second.

Roglic, despite his immense talent, had now missed out on Tour glory in consecutive years due to crashes and injuries, and in the meantime he had been usurped by Vingegaard. By 2023, Roglic shifted his focus away from the Tour (opting to target and win the Giro d’Italia instead), and it was Vingegaard who repeated as Tour champion over Pogacar. In essence, the Slovenian Tour rivalry that produced such fireworks in 2020 never had a second act at the Tour de France.

2021 should have been the year we had that rematch. But Roglic has never been able to finish a Tour since 2020, and thus Vingegaard has taken his place as Pogacar’s main foe.

Pogacar, for his part, has become the sport’s dominant stage racer of the new generation. He won the Tour de France in 2020, 2021, and 2024, the Giro and World title in 2024, and countless monuments. Roglic’s Tour de France dream, meanwhile, remains unfulfilled ,a string of misfortunes has kept him from wearing yellow in Paris, even as he has collected other Grand Tour titles (including four Vuelta a España wins in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024).

Roglic returned to the Tour in 2024 with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, but once again had to abandon after a crash. Truly, since stage 20 of 2020, the 35 year old’s fortunes in France have been cursed.

For cycling fans, the 2020 Tour duel between the two Slovenians stands as a classic tale of drama and sporting courage. It was the moment a star was born overnight in Pogacar, and it highlighted the thin line between glory and heartbreak for Roglic. While new rivalries have taken center stage in subsequent Tours, the image of Pogacar and Roglic dueling in the mountains and that final time trial coup will forever remain part of Tour de France lore.

Both will return to the Tour again this July. The real question on this matter, is does Primoz Roglic have one last title push up his sleeve? Or is he better off targeting stage wins?