GRUISSAN: Tadej Pog­acar on Monday predicted fireworks in the final week of the Tour de France as defending champion Jonas Vingegaard prepares to launch a desperate attack for the title.

The 2020 and 2021 champion Pogacar leads the two-time defending champion Vingegaard by three minutes and nine seconds with six stages to go, three of which are potential game changers.

The 25-year-old Slove­nian won two mountain sta­g­es last weekend but sits just over three minutes ahe­ad of his Danish rival, and doubtless the 7min 29sec lead Pogacar let slip away in week three last year must be weighing on his mind.

“I think there will be more fireworks this week so we will have to remain focused,” said Pogacar when asked about Vingeg­aard’s assertion earlier that the game was far from over.

“They are certainly planning something, maybe Friday or maybe Saturday, but not both,” he predicted.

Pogacar is right to fear Friday due to the sheer altitude, as the Tour climbs to a rare 2,800 metres, and the high temperatures forecast.

But he was full of fight when asked about the day’s stage. “I like the Bonnette, I went up there last August, and I like the descent of the Isola,” said Pogacar.

Saturday’s stage 20 will be just as fearsome in terms of the amount of climbing and the heat expected.

“On Saturday the course is around where I live, so it’ll be very much a home stage for me,” he said.

Finally, Sunday’s time-trial has a whiff of the 2023 time-trial about it — where Pogacar also wilted. “Jonas said he won’t go home without a fight, I’ll ne­ed as many of my riders around me as possible.”

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

At breaking point
Updated 20 Jan, 2025

At breaking point

The country’s jails serve as monuments to bureaucratic paralysis rather than justice.
Lower growth
20 Jan, 2025

Lower growth

THE IMF has slightly marked down its previous growth forecast for Pakistan’s economy from 3.2pc to 3pc for the...
Nutrition challenge
20 Jan, 2025

Nutrition challenge

WHEN a country’s children go hungry, its future withers. In Pakistan, where over 40pc of children under five are...
Kurram conundrum
Updated 19 Jan, 2025

Kurram conundrum

If terrorists and sectarian groups — regardless of their confessional affiliations — had been neutralised earlier, we would not be at this juncture today.
EV policy
19 Jan, 2025

EV policy

IT is pleasantly surprising that the authorities are moving with such purpose to potentially revolutionise...
Varsity woes
19 Jan, 2025

Varsity woes

GIVEN that most bureaucrats in our country are not really known for contributions to pedagogical excellence, it ...