Pogacar wins stage 15 as Bernal drops out of GC contention: Daily Tour Digest
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Tadej Pogacar won stage 15 of the Tour de France on a brutal day in the Alps that saw defending champ Egan Bernal drop out of contention for the yellow jersey.
Bernal and Nairo Quintana both lost touch with the rest of the GC group in the early goings of the Grand Colombier finishing climb. With Jumbo-Visma setting a hard tempo, both riders were dropped just as the early break was caught with 13 kilometers still to go. From there, the gap quickly grew as the lead group maintained its high pace up the ascent.
That pace would also keep things together for the rest of the GC riders, with no major moves coming until the final kilometer. As the leaders wound up the pace on the run-in to the line, the group began to split, with Porte, Roglic, and Pogacar separating themselves from the rest. Porte led the way into the last 200 meters but Pogacar surged past to nab his second stage win of this year’s Tour. Roglic took second on the day with Porte in third.
Behind the lead group, Quintana would ultimately leave Bernal behind, limiting his losses to 3:49 to at least stay within the top 10 overall. Bernal finished over seven minutes down on the day. With Bernal tumbling off of the provisional podium, Rigoberto Urán moved into third overall behind race leader Roglic and second-placed Pogacar.
More to come …
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After a challenging day in the Alps, the peloton will enjoy a well-deserved rest day on Monday. Racing resumes with stage 16 on Tuesday.
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Today’s featured image of Tadej Pogacar winning stage 15 of the Tour de France comes from Cor Vos.
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