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The 21-year-old will lead the pack in Paris on Sunday in the overall leader yellow jersey and, barring disaster, will climb to the top step of the podium.
Tadej Pogacar. Image: AFP.
RONCHAMP – Tadej Pogacar nearly took the Tour de France on Saturday after fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic blew a 57-second lead in a tough individual time trial on the final day of real racing.
Pogacar, 21, will lead the pack in Paris on Sunday in the overall leader yellow jersey and, barring a disaster, will climb to the top step of the podium.
Pogacar pulverized the field with his stage-winning performance, and his team hugged and kissed him as they realized Tour 20202 was his.
“My dream was to participate,” Pogacar said on his first Tour de France.
“I couldn’t hear anything on the final climb and I did it all,” he said.
Roglic had led the Tour from the ninth stage and his dramatic collapse on the final climb means that Pogacar becomes the youngest post-war champion.
UAE rider Pogacar switched bikes, taking 12 seconds, after the 30km rolling section to tackle the 6km eight percent climb at top speed.
Roglic, 30, notorious for panic, only decided to switch bikes once he began to quickly crumble, but it became painfully clear that a horrible ending awaited him.
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