Pogačar gifts Tour de France stage win to teammate Del Toro.
Crazy agression on M
Cycling fans the world over were treated to a bizarre event on Sunday. It was stage two of the Tour de France from Tarragona to Barcelona.
The strange occurrence was watching four-time Tour winner Tadej Pogačar doing everything possible not to win the stage. Think about how odd that is …
Pogačar is widely seen as the new Eddy Merckx, a Cannibal for a new generation. A man who wins at an astonishing rate on every kind of terrain and in every possible disciple.
Yet there he was, on the third and final climb up the short but steep Cat 3 Côte du Château de Montjuïc. He had American Brandon McNulty driving the pace and dropping half the peloton. Then Adam Yates took over and stretched things out even further.
We were all waiting for inevitable — the vicious acceleration from Pogačar that nobody — not even the yellow jersey of Jonas Vingegaard — could follow. Order would be restored after the Dane had bested him in the opening time trial by 12 seconds.
Instead, Tadej worked hard to avoid his victory. He responded to the attacks from the likes of Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl–Trek) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost). He held everyone in check, the patron who sets the rules.
Then when it was finally his moment to strike, he and his teammate Issac Del Toro jumped forward. It looked like a wonderful one-two victory for UAE Emirates. And yes, that’s what happened, only at the last second, Pogačar eased up and allowed the thrilled and grateful Del Toro to take his first Tour de France stage win.
It was proof that not only does Tadej Pogačar know how to win any kind of race. He also knows how to give one away to a friend. That’s a true chapeau.