Pogacar Secures Overall Victory with Stage Win
Tadej Pogacar capped a dominant performance at the Tour de Suisse by winning the fifth and final stage on Sunday, finishing 6 minutes 32 seconds ahead of Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz in the overall standings. The 27-year-old Slovenian, riding for UAE Team Emirates - XRG, caught Frenchman Lenny Martinez about 800 meters from the finish on the final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon.
“It was a super hard day,” Pogacar said. “The parcours (route) was really tough, and with the team we did a super good job.” The stage covered 151.1 kilometers (94 miles) starting and finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon.
Stellar Season Continues
Pogacar’s victory adds to an already stellar season. He won the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse, secured a 1-second victory over rival Mathieu van der Poel in the time trial on Saturday, and won stage 5 on Sunday. In the overall standings, Czech rider Mathias Vacek finished 6:53 behind Pogacar.
The win comes ahead of the Tour de France, scheduled from July 4 to 26, where Pogacar will try to win the showcase race for the fifth time. He is in ominous form, having secured a dominant win at the six-day Tour de Romandie last month and strong performances in the one-day classics.
Classics Dominance
In April, Pogacar clinched a third straight victory at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also won Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders — winning that race for a third time — and was narrowly beaten at Paris-Roubaix by Wout van Aert. According to AFP, Pogacar’s form signals a strong challenge for the Tour de France title.
