Tour De France 2024: Tadej Pogacar's Ambition To Win Two Grand Tours This Year

Tadedj Pogacar has a great chance of winning the Tour de France 2024, as well as doubling the victory at the Grand Tour after winning the Giro d'Italia last May. (X/@LeTour)

JAKARTA The world's most popular and oldest road cycling competition, Tour de France enters the etape 16 on Monday 15 July 2024. The race will cover a distance of 188.6 km from the small village of Gruissan to Nimes on a flat route.

Slovenian racer, Tadedj Pogajar is still the leading racer. Pogacar, nicknamed The Tornado, has won three etape Tour de France 2024. With six remaining routes, Pogacar is predicted to repeat his glory as the champion of Tour de France in 2020 and 2021.

Pogacar is still 3 minutes 9 seconds ahead of its closest competitor to Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard. As champions of 2022 and 2023, Vingegaard is the toughest opponent Pogacar has to deal with.

Of the remaining six etapes, the four routes are Pogacar's favorite mountain. Pogacar is expected to only experience difficulties at the last flat stage, Monaco to Nice for 33.7 km.

The type of race in the form of individual time trial in the final stage (etape 21), made Pogacar impossible to get support from his teammates in the UAE Emirates Team. He had to maintain his speed, while overcoming himself the hot and hot suns along the Monaco-Nice route.

"The current situation is a good sign for him," said Emirates UAE Team Director Mauro Gianetti, quoted by AFP.

Pogacar this year has ambitions to win two Grand Tour bike racing categories. Pogacar won the Giro d'Italy 2024, after maintaining the Jambu red jersey in a 3,317.5 km race which was held 4-26 last May.

The last cyclist to win Giro d'Italy and Tour de France at once in a season is Marco Pantani. The Italian cyclist did so in 1998.

I wasn't sure before I would make a double title. But this year I adopted several different techniques, and it worked. Now the team and I can continue racing with a big smile," Pogacar said.