Tour de France jersey leads cemented as Tadej Pogacar wins Stage 18

The 2021 Tour de France jersey leads seem set in stone as Tadej Pogacar won Stage 18 on 15 July.

Tadej Pogacar now holds the yellow jersey for the overall race lead, the white jersey for the best young rider classification and the polka dot jersey for the King of the Mountains classification in the 2021 Tour de France after winning Stage 18.

This is nothing new as he led the classifications for all three last year after stealing the yellow jersey during the final stage in Paris.

After winning Stage 18 from Pau to Luz Ardiden, he has now won two massive mountain stages back to back, including the highest mountain climb of the Tour with the Col du Portet.

Tadej Pogacar sets new records in Tour de Frane

Pogacar is the only rider to have led three classifications at the end of the Tour and if he does not lose yellow before Paris, he will be the only rider to have done it twice.

He also is the first rider in the last 86 years to win six stages before the age of 23.

Breakaways were formed several times during the race with David Gaudu attempting to finish the final climb up the Luz Ardiden but getting caught by the peloton at 9.5 kilometres from the finish.

Pogacar, Richard Carapaz, Jonas Vingegaard and Enric Mas broke away from the peloton in a group of general classification riders but this soon splintered as riders got dropped up the climb.

Pogacar, Carapaz and Vingegaard raced ahead for the finish, dropping Mas eventually despite two attacks, with Irish rider Dan Martin trying to sprint to catch and pass the lead group at the last few kilometers.

Pogacar crossed first with Vingegaard and Carapaz coming next, Mas in fourth followed by Sepp Kuss and Dan Martin.

Ben O’Connor and Wilco Kelderman crossed the stage finish together in an alliance to move up the general classification together as Rigoberto Uran dropped down to tenth losing several minutes.

Uran found himself distanced and tried to limit the damage being only one and half kilometres behind the peloton but the uphill nature of the stage cost him time to cover the distance.

Cycling fan, French President Emmanuel Macron also attended the race today, riding in the Tour director’s car and being part of the podium presentations.

Tour de France general classification shaken up yet again

It now looks as if the general classification positions have been set in stone for the end of the Tour.

Pogacar remains in first, Vingegaard is second overall, Carapaz is third, O’Connor is fourth, Kelderman is fifth, Mas is sixth, Alexey Lutsenko is seventh, Guillaume Martin is eighth, Peio Bilbao is ninth and Uran is tenth.

Mark Cavendish retains the green jersey for the sprint points classification lead.

Pogacar gained forty points at the mountain finish for the end of the stage to take the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey and lead from Wouter Poels.

With the fastest time overall, Pogacar also has the white jersey for the best young rider classification.

The most combative title went to Gaudu for his attempts to finish the stage ahead of the peloton.

Next on the cycling calendar

Stage 19 will be a sprint stage followed by a second individual time trial stage for Stage 20 before the final Stage 21 involving laps around the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday.

Then there is a gap of a week before the next big event on the cycling calendar: the Tokyo Olympics where several riders who have dropped out of the Tour early to train, will be participating representing their nations rather than their teams.

In mid-August, the third and last of the European Grand Tours, the three week long La Vuelta d’Espana will begin.