Tadej Pogacar laments 'wasted bullet' as motorbikes thwart attack of Jonas Vingegaard at Tour de France
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Updated 16/07/2023 at 08:30 GMT
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) are like two prize fighters slugging it out for the biggest prize in the sport. Pogacar threw punches on Stage 14 of the Tour de France, but he was halted in an attack by two slow motorbikes who halted his path up the Col de Joux Plane. The battle will continue in the final week of the race.
Stage 14 highlights: Rodriguez wins after epic Vingegaard and Pogacar battle
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) has expressed frustration over a “wasted bullet” as his attack of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on the slopes of the Col de Joux Plane was thwarted by a couple of motorbikes.
Pogacar threw punches at the Tour de France race leader in the first Alpine stage of the race, as the Slovenian gapped his rival with 5kms to go on the climb only for the Dane to pace himself back.
With just over a kilometre to the summit, where eight bonus seconds were on offer, Pogacar jumped off Vingegaard’s wheel and opened up a small gap but had to sit up as his path was blocked by a mass of spectators and two motorbikes.
Salt was rubbed into Pogacar’s wounds, as Vingegaard countered shortly before the summit to take the eight bonus seconds.
On the dash down to Morzine, Pogacar took second place behind stage winner Carlos Rodriguez - with Vingegaard in third - meaning the loss on the day was one second.
“It was a wasted bullet after already such big climbs,” Pogacar said. “To do one sprint for nothing is a bit of a shame, but I don’t think it’s going to change the final outcome. It stayed in the legs, and I couldn’t sprint for the bonus. Okay, I messed it up a little bit. But it is what is.”
While the motorbike issue was a talking point and source of frustration, Pogacar demonstrated his strength and he was happy with how the day played out.
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“I think it was a good day for us. We were really strong, and we tried,” Pogacar said. “Okay, it was not a perfect day, but I think we saw a lot today, we learned a lot today and we go with positive mind into the next stages.
“Of course, it would be better if I dropped him and went solo to the finish line. But I must say today was a good day and I feel good, so I’ll go with a good mindset into the next days.”
Looking ahead to the final week, Pogacar said: "There are still four stages that can decide it. It’s going to be really tight, but I’m going confident into the next days.”
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