Pogacar seizes yellow as Vingegaard struggles in stage five time trial
CAEN, France: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar took a decisive step toward Tour de France glory on Wednesday, capturing the yellow jersey after a commanding performance in the stage five time trial. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider outpaced Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard by one minute and five seconds, dealing a surprising blow to his chief rival’s title ambitions.
Vingegaard, the two-time Tour champion from Visma-Lease a Bike, finished 13th on the day—1:21 behind Belgian stage winner Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step). The result pushed him down to fourth in the general classification, now trailing Pogacar by 1:13.
“My legs were not feeling so good. I was fighting with my bike and my legs today,” a frustrated Vingegaard admitted. “One minute seems like quite a lot but in the last few years, the Tour has been won for more than that.”
His team’s race director, Grischa Niermann, was equally puzzled. “We didn’t expect a loss that much but it happened and we will fight again tomorrow,” he said.
Even Pogacar expressed surprise at the gap. “I was not expecting to be so far ahead of him in this time trial,” said the three-time Tour winner.
Despite the setback, Vingegaard remains confident, with the Pyrenean mountain stages looming from stage 12. “There’s still a long way to go,” he said, determined to claw back lost time in the high altitudes.
