JAKARTA - Jonas Vingegaard finished second in stage 20 in the form of an individual time trial in the Grand Tour category cycling race, Tour de France. He is on the verge of winning the most prestigious cycling event in the world.
Now he only needs to complete the final stage by crossing the Champs-Elysees finish line in Paris on Sunday 24 July to ensure he remains in the yellow jersey that won him the 2022 Tour de France.
The Jumbo-Visma driver topped the overall standings by 3 minutes 34 seconds ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar, while Geraint Thomas of the Ineos Grenadiers team who won the 2018 edition, finished third with a time difference of 8 minutes 13 seconds.
French cyclists David Gaudu of team FDJ and Aleksandr Vlasov of team Bora round out the top five ahead of Sunday's stage to Paris which is usually a ceremonial route.
"I'm still proud of myself, I did what I could, and at least I got the white jersey (best Under-25)," Pogacar said after finishing as quoted by AFP on Saturday.
This Saturday's time-trial stage itself was won by Wout van Aert who finished ahead of his Danish team mate, Vingegaard, which meant the Jumbo team won six stages, mastering the yellow jersey, green jersey for sprints, and the polka dot jersey for the climb champions.
Van Aert is also the favorite to win the final stage of the day around the Champs-Elysees before the jersey winners are crowned on the podium at the Arc de Triomphe.
Two years ago, Pogacar heroically overturned a 57-second deficit in the final stage of the time trial at La Planche des Belles Filles to snatch victory from Primoz Roglic.
But on Saturday, Vingegaard sped away from the group of 139 cyclists and stayed ahead by constantly pedaling at high speed non-stop through the country roads. This means that the tense battle against Pogacar simply doesn't happen.
The Danish cyclist was eight seconds faster than his toughest competitor. Pogacar himself looks disappointed after crossing the finish line.
His unyielding attitude made the 109th edition of the Tour de France tense.
The two racers fought each other from the beginning to the end of this race. Vingegaard toppled the two-time champions with a brilliant performance on the mountain route stage.
Pogacar took the lead thanks to his wolf mentality and slowly but surely gripped the top spot in the sixth stage thanks to his unrivaled performances.
But luck steered clear of Pogacar when he lost his team-mate to Covid and injury. He is also known as a racer who does not like scorching heat.
Vingegaard then won the yellow jersey from Pogacar in the 11th stage. The cyclist from the UAE team who never gave up finally lost his footing on stage 18.
Their heroic fight was wrapped up in a sporting moment when Pogacar fell. Vingegaard was seen waiting for his opponent to get up to chase him.
The two riders shake hands for a moment which is captured in this unforgettable photo in one of the finest modern editions of the Tour de France.
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