Jonas Vingegaard has won the last mountain stage of the Tour de France this Thursday and, more importantly, has certified his victory in Paris.
Except for a major setback in the time trial this Saturday, the 25-year-old Danish runner will climb to the top of the podium on the Champs-Elysées after authoritatively imposing himself on a Tadej Pogacar who, insistent from the beginning, has ended up giving in four kilometers from the finish on the Hautacam wall, a vertical ramp destined to decide the current edition of the Tour, one of the most vibrant in recent years.
In a stage moved from the beginning, customary in an old-fashioned Tour de France, with distant attacks and movements of all the favorites, Pogacar, forced to test it on all terrains, has shown himself willing to squeeze in his last bullet in the Pyrenees.
Then, only the battle against the clock on Saturday would remain.
Thus, 39 kilometers from the finish line, in the first category port of Spandelles —more than ten kilometers with an average gradient of 8.3%—, the Slovenian attacked without hesitation.
Vingegaard, as always, responded.
Not so the rest of the favorites, who saw how the two figures of the Tour seemed, one more day, to be made of another paste.
In the middle of the climb, after Pogacar's first ax blow, to which Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard's squire, did respond, the American Joe Dombrowski, from Astana, who had lagged behind from the escape, spent a can of water to refresh the Slovenian, alone in the ramp next to the Jumbo.
A symptom of the complicity of the task.
Then, after several unsuccessful jolts, the two giants of the Tour, now alone, faced the last descent together, once again.
Vingegaard was the first to get the scare, when in a left curve he saved the fall by making improbable balances on the bicycle.
Pogacar did not suffer the same fate, which went down shortly after.
The Dane, leader of the race, waited for his great rival, a gesture that the defending champion thanked, shaking hands with the yellow jersey and reserving the already historic duel for the climb in Hautacam.
👏 And we can only applaud
👐 Vingegaard waits for Pogacar after the crash and this is wonderful
🎙️ With @javierares @eduardochozas and Flecha#LaCasaDelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/YpFXDTqllI
– Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 21, 2022
There, on the infinite wall —13.6 kilometers at an average of 7.8%— which has only been climbed five times in the history of the Tour, the duo of giants was joined by Wout Van Aert, at the head of the race since the first meter of the stage, when Christian Prudhomme lowered the flag at the start.
Demanded by the rhythm of the two Jumbos, Pogacar gave in, already without strength.
Vingegaard and Van Aert looked at each other, with a shy smile.
They had made it.
A few meters away, Van Aert considered his task accomplished and left Vingegaard alone, already launched towards victory.
The second of this Tour.
A little over a minute later, Pogacar entered, defeated.
A second place overall that he wears with honor, white jersey included.
Vingegaard, exhausted, hydrated at the finish line, already 3m26s ahead and the Tour in his pocket.
Tomorrow, a flat stage, a necessary relief for the remaining cyclists in one of the most demanding editions of recent years.
On Saturday, 40 kilometers of time trial.
And on Sunday, Paris.
It's all downhill for the Jumbo.
All in the face of the virtual winner of this edition, Jonas Vingegaard.
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