PARIS — King of the mountains. Champion on the Champs Elysees.
Jonas Vingegaard went from a talented rookie to a dominant leader in his own right over three weeks of epic racing to win his first Tour de France title on Sunday.
Denmark’s former fish factory worker dethroned defending champion Tadej Pogacar with memorable mountain performances in cycling’s biggest race.
The 25-year-old Vingegaard, who was runner-up to Pogacar in his first Tour last year, excelled in the scorching heat that gripped France this month and overcame a thrilling duel with Pogacar, the heavy favorite at the way out. of the race
Jasper Philipsen won Sunday’s final stage, a mainly processional route through Paris to the Champs Elysees, in a sprint ahead of Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff.
Vingegaard competed last year as a substitute for Tom Dumoulin in the Jumbo-Visma team. It was a revelation for Vingegaard as he realized he could fight for the overall title after dropping Pogacar on the famous Mont Ventoux climb, but his Slovenian rival was at the top of his game and largely untouchable.
A year later, Vingegaard rose to the top of the podium after building on his triumph with two phenomenal rides in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
The official overall margin of victory was 2 minutes 43 seconds, but Vingegaard slowed down towards the end of the stage to celebrate with teammates, crossing well behind Pogacar. Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour champion, was third at 7:22 off the pace.
Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpetue, Que., who on Tuesday became the first Canadian to win a Tour stage since 1988, finished 24th.
Ottawa’s Michael Woods entered Sunday ranked 36th, but tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw. Montreal’s Guillaume Boivin, a teammate of both Houle and Woods, tested negative for the virus but was not feeling well and did not run as a precaution. Antoine Duchesne of Saguenay, Que., was 62nd.
Three weeks ago in Copenhagen, the Jumbo-Visma team started the race with two leaders: Vingegaard and three-time Spanish Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic. But Roglic’s challenge was dealt a blow when he suffered a dislocated shoulder and lost more than two minutes to Pogacar on the race’s cobbled fifth stage, leaving Vingegaard as the sole leader.
Vingegaard exceeded expectations from that point on.
He made his intentions clear on the first big mountain stage at the Granon pass to seize the yellow jersey from race leader Pogacar, who dropped more than two minutes that day. Having claimed the famous mantle during a stage with three monster alpine climbs, Vingegaard held it until the end.
With the help of teammates, including the versatile Wout Van Aert, Vingegaard responded to the relentless attacks launched by Pogacar day after day. His supremacy in the mountains was such that, in addition to his overall victory, Vingegaard also claimed the king of the mountains jersey, not bad for a rider who hails from a country whose highest point it is barely 170 meters above sea level.
Vingegaard and Pogacar were clearly in a class of their own this year as their nearest rival Thomas was reduced to a mere spectator in the leaders’ battle.
Vingegaard has delivered his decisive blow in the Pyrenees, with a second stage victory in the ski resort of Hautacam. There, the Dane responded to a series of attacks from Pogacar and eventually dropped the Slovenian on the final big mountain stage of this year’s race to extend his overall lead to more than three minutes.
Pogacar broke about four kilometers (2 1/2 miles) from the finish on the final climb, with his hopes of winning a third consecutive title. He fought until the end, but Vingegaard again came out on top in Saturday’s individual time trial to effectively secure the title.
“The battle between me and Jonas for the yellow jersey has been very special,” said Pogacar. “I think we have two or three very interesting years ahead of us. Jonas has stepped up his game this year.”
The lightweight Vingegaard may not be as gifted as Pogacar, who has shown over the past two years that he is capable of winning Grand Tours as well as the most prestigious one-day classics.
But Vingaard is surely a quick learner.
Vingegaard did not experience his first ascension until the age of 16. However, his climbing skills won’t go unnoticed for long.
After setting a record time in the Coll de Rates promotion during a training camp in Spain with his former team ColoQuick, he joined Jumbo-Visma in 2019 and quickly improved. In his first Tour last year, he showed the right leadership skills after Roglic crashed out of the race and followed up with a cool-headed ride to victory this summer.
The growing rivalry between Pogacar and Vingegaard has brought new racing scenarios that have delighted fans.
Both men were equipped with strong equipment capable of controlling the race on the mountain, an essential element that has been a trademark of the powerful Ineos teams of the last decade. But on many occasions, both Pogacar and Vingegaard were left only relying on themselves at high altitude, fighting each other on equal terms.
Pogacar also brought a sense of old-fashioned romanticism with his long-range attacks. At 23 years old, the UAE team has a bright future.
Vingegaard became the first Dane to win the Tour since Bjarne Riis achieved the feat in 1996 at a time when doping was widespread in cycling.
After his retirement from cycling, Riis admitted in 2007 that he used the blood booster EPO between 1993 and 1998, including during his Tour victory.
Asked if his team should be trusted, Vingegaard said he and his teammates “are totally clean, all of us.”
“None of us are taking anything illegal,” he added. “I think the reason we are so good is the preparation we do. We’re taking high altitude camps to the next level.”
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