It was a tense wait for the final attack from Tadej Pogacar after superb work from his UAE Team Emirates teammates and particularly Brandon McNulty throughout the stage to drop the rest of the general classification riders and isolate yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
Pogacar tried a short-lived attack earlier in the stage, but then opted to keep his efforts for one final surge to the finish on the imposing 16 per cent wall to the finish atop the Peyragudes. Vingegaard was able to respond and even launched his own attack to try and win the stage, but Pogacar came back around his rival for yellow and celebrated his third stage win of the race, though rather than his normal joyous exclamation, it was one of pain as the effort of the performance told on his face.
"I gave absolutely everything," said Pogacar. "I knew I had to win the stage for the team. There was no other way.
“The way the team rode today with only four riders, just to take the stage win is already incredible. We can all be proud of what we have done. Mikkel set such a good pace on the climb, I felt so good and confident with that pace, then Brandon did an amazing job in the last two climbs. He’s been good all the Tour but today he deserves a special mention. I’m so happy!
"And I’m optimistic that I can still win the Tour. Tomorrow is a harder stage, so we can try again.”
The short 129.7-kilometre stage was animated from the start, with many teams trying to put riders into the breakaway. The increased pace played into the hands of UAE Team Emirates, who were looking to keep things together for a potential Pogacar stage victory which would also garner an additional 10-second time bonus.
There were a number of attacks from climbers looking to move clear on the initial ascent of the Hourquette d'Ancizan (8.6km at 5.1%) with Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) cresting the climb first. An attack from Romain Bardet (Team DSM) was driven by Australian Chris Hamilton as he tried to make up time on his general classification rivals after being dropped the previous day.
UAE Team Emirates were down to just three riders supporting Pogacar, but they punched well above their weight, with Mikkel Bjerg setting the tempo over the first climb, then Brandon McNulty taking over on the second major ascent, the Col de Val Louron-Azet (8.1km at 8%).
McNulty drove the pace from bottom to top, catching all the groups ahead of him on the road, and dropping all of the general classification contenders bar Pogacar and Vingegaard, leaving just three riders at the front of the race fighting it out for the stage win and the yellow jersey.
Pogacar tried a short, testing attack across the Col de Val Louron-Azet, but Vingegaard was able to cover the attack and the two-time Tour de France champion opted to wait for McNulty to rejoin and continue his pace-making efforts.
Bardet and Thomas moved clear of the chasing group, with Thomas emerging the stronger of the pair, pursuing the top two contenders for the overall race solo, with his gap hovering at a minute and thirty seconds in arrears.
It was the American McNulty again who led the way for the majority of the Peyragudes (8.1km at 7.2%) until Pogacar finally launched on the steepest slopes with just 250 metres to go. Vingegaard was able to respond and even launched his own attack to try and win the stage, by Pogacar rallied and was able to sprint past Vingegaard and claim the stage win, though Vingegaard finished right behind and limited his losses to just the four bonus seconds difference between first (10) and second (6).
Vingegaard kept a tight hold on yellow and now leads Pogacar by 2’18 with another mountain stage and the Stage 20 time trial the main obstacles remaining.
The Tour de France continues with Stage 18, one of the hardest stages of the entire race, taking in two hors categories climbs of the Col d’Aubisque and the Hautacam. Watch on the SBS SKODA Tour Tracker from 9.20 AEST, with the SBS and SBS On Demand broadcast starting at 2130 AEST.
