Tadej Pogacar celebrated the dawn of a new 'golden era' in cycling after clinching his third consecutive Tour de France victory on Sunday, following his wins in 2020 and 2021. The 25-year-old dominated the final time-trial, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard finishing 1 minute 03 seconds behind, securing his position as runner-up overall, ahead of Remco Evenepoel, who placed third both in the time-trial and overall. This triumph also marked Pogacar's historic Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double, a feat not achieved since Marco Pantani in 1998.
'It was an incredible journey. The competition with Jonas and Remco was fierce. So much transpired,' the champion reflected, having finished 6 minutes 17 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the final standings. Evenepoel trailed by 9 minutes 18 seconds.
'We are witnessing the golden era of cycling. The competition with Remco, Jonas, and Primoz is phenomenal. We must seize this moment,' Pogacar exclaimed. Remarkably, he won six stages in this year's Tour, matching his performance in the Giro earlier this season.
'Achieving the double is extraordinary,' Pogacar added, having been the runner-up to Vingegaard in the previous two years. 'When I won the Giro, some believed it would be a safety net if I didn't win the Tour. Winning the Tour remains the pinnacle, and achieving both is the ultimate level.'
The world's premier cycling event, broadcast worldwide, featured a unique finale on the French Riviera due to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Instead of the customary last day race around the Champs-Elysees, the Tour steered clear of Olympic venues. With five stage wins already secured, Pogacar launched from his adopted hometown of Monaco and raced up the coast to Nice, where he was embraced by his teammates on the iconic Promenade des Anglais.
Pogacar seized the overall lead on day four as the race transitioned from Italy to France via the Alps. By the time the race revisited the Alps, Pogacar had extended his lead to three minutes, while Vingegaard, still recovering from a significant crash in March, began to falter. After winning stage 19, Pogacar knew he had secured victory, and Vingegaard focused on maintaining his second place.
Vingegaard, who had suffered a severe crash earlier in the year, was commended for even starting the race. Ahead of the final time-trial, he expressed a desire to win another stage. 'Under normal circumstances, I would have been disappointed. This race is magnificent, and the yellow jersey is the most coveted. I'll strive for a third win next year,' the 27-year-old declared. Despite a strong start, he finished a distant second, yet managed to outperform pre-race favorite Evenepoel, who was emotional at the finish line.
The Tour offers numerous awards, with Pogacar's yellow jersey for overall leadership being the most prestigious. Evenepoel may not have won the final time-trial, but he claimed the first time-trial in week two and secured third place overall, along with the white jersey for the best young rider. 'Tadej is in a league of his own. I have a gap to close between myself, Tadej, and Jonas, but this was a valuable Tour for me,' the 24-year-old Belgian acknowledged.
Other notable performances included Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay, who won three stages, the sprint points green jersey, and became a national hero. Olympic champion Richard Carapaz won a stage, wore the yellow jersey for a day, and narrowly missed other victories. Mark Cavendish made headlines with his record 35th stage win and received a special podium presentation for his career milestone. When asked if this was his last Tour, Cavendish confirmed, 'Yes, 100 percent.'
