Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič attack Tadej Pogačar in flourish on flanks of Galibier

Velo News

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 Primoz Roglic momentarily isolated Tadej Pogacar 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 Roglic out of the GC group after coming over the Col du Telegraphe.

Trailing after the trio were Pogacar and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).

Vingegaard and Roglic then uncorked a series of attacks and counter-attacks to force Pogacar to chase it down each time.

Pogacar 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.

Pogacar later surged to the front to drop everyone except Vingegaard on the steepest parts of the Galibier.

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