Pogacar wins Tour de France for third time

Tadej Pogacar won the 2024 Tour de France on Sunday, adding a third overall title to his 2020 and 2021 crowns.

The 25-year-old won the final day’s time-trial with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard coming second at 1 minute 03 seconds on the day to seal second overall ahead of a disappointed Remco Evenepoel, third on the day and third overall.

Astonishingly Pogacar won six stages on this edition of the Tour de France, just as he did when winning the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

The world’s greatest bike race, broadcast across the globe, featured a novelty finale on the French Riviera because of the Olympic Games in Paris.

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Instead of the last day romp around the Champs Elysees the race avoided the Olympic Games sites altogether.

With five stage wins already in his saddlebag, Pogacar stormed out of his adopted hometown of Monaco and up the coast to Nice, with its pebble beach and celebrated Promenade des Anglais walkway, where he leapt into the arms of his teammates.

Pogacar took the overall lead on a downhill on day four as the race arrived in France from Italy via the Alps.

By the time the race returned to the Alps, Pogacar was 3 minutes clear and Vingegaard was starting to flail, due to his major crash in March.

After the Queen stage on day 19, Pogacar knew he’d won and Vingegaard and his team boss switched their attentions to finishing second.

Vingegaard crashed heavily in March and was praised for even making it to the start line, but ahead of Sunday’s race he expressed a desire to win another stage.

Although he started well, as has often been the case in this Tour, he was a distant second best.

He did however beat pre-race favourite Evenepoel, who cried at the finish line.