Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič attack Tadej Pogačar in flourish on flanks of Galibier
Tadej Pogačar counters after Jumbo-Visma attacks on the approach to the Galibier in a preview of GC fireworks in the French Alps.
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Jumbo-Visma promised it would try something in Wednesday’s 11th stage and the Dutch team delivered at the Tour de France.
Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič momentarily isolated Tadej Pogačar on the approach to the Col du Galibier and unleashed a series of searing attacks with about 60km to go.
With the two-time defending champion starting the key stage with two fewer riders due to COVID-19 cases, Jumbo-Visma applied the pressure.
Jumbo-Visma’s Christophe Laporte fell out of an early breakaway and then helped pace Vingegaard and Roglič out of the GC group after coming over the Col du Télégraphe.
Trailing after the trio were Pogačar and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Vingegaard and Roglič then uncorked a series of attacks and counter-attacks to force Pogačar to chase it down each time.
Pogačar even attacked once himself as the race dynamics took a wild and unexpected turn with 55km to go, and Thomas astutely marked the wheel.
Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert was waiting in an early breakaway just under six minutes up the road.
The main GC group came back together led by UAE’s Marc Soler and Movistar, but the flourish revealed just how explosive the next two days of racing will be.
Pogačar later surged to the front to drop everyone except Vingegaard on the steepest parts of the Galibier.
