Tadej Pogacar was widely seen as the man to beat at this year's
Tour de France, however as the race unfolded the gaps were created and maintained by Jonas Vingegaard who was the rider that managed to put a stop to Pogacar's recent yet overwhelming dominance at the French race.
"I’m happy that this Tour de France it’s over. It’s been a good three weeks, with many ups and downs, with lots of bad luck for my team, but the battle between me and Jonas [Vingegaard] for the yellow jersey has been very special," Pogacar shared after finishing today's time-trial in third place. He was in the fight for the stage win, however could not sustain the rhythm of Wout van Aert in the final kilometers, and had to settle for a minor placing - still ahead of many of the day's favourites.
After a week of non-stop and intense attacks, the Slovenian could not do the damage he expected to Jumbo-Visma, as he found a ready response in Vingegaard who will be crowned tomorrow the new Tour de France winner. "I think we have some very interesting next two or three years ahead of us. Jonas has stepped up his game this year. He took the reins from the beginning and proved that he is a solid rider throughout the whole Tour," the 23-year old added.
"As for myself, I’m motivated and looking forwards to the next challenges. The white jersey is also a special one. It’s the third year in a row that I bring it home, and I’m pretty happy with it," Pogacar guarranteed.