![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/deae464746a3920ee7c3005c18a7b23a.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFor the best part of six days, it looked like this year’s Tour de France was set to be one of the all-time great battles.<\/p>\n
On the sixth day, however, Tadej Poga\u010dar decided otherwise.<\/p>\n
On Thursday’s mountainous 186-kilometre sixth stage from Pau to the tiny ski resort of Gavarnie-G\u00e8dre, the defending champion crushed his rivals with a typically daring attack on the historic Col du Tourmalet.<\/p>\n
With just over 5km to go on the historic climb that has crowned so many Tour de France winners over the years, Poga\u010dar launched a blistering attack before showing all of his daring and skill by going solo with 43km still to race.<\/p>\n
Nobody can match the Slovenian’s accelerations when he is in this mood.<\/p>\n
Only Jonas Vingegaard, who started the day with exactly the same overall time as Poga\u010dar, seemed to have any hope.<\/p>\n
But that hope disappeared quickly as Poga\u010dar extended his lead out to 2 minutes and 38 seconds.<\/p>\n
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Tadej Poga\u010dar is back in yellow. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)<\/p>\n
It may as well be an eternity, despite Vingegaard’s claims that he still had a chance of winning the race.<\/p>\n
“I still believe in myself,” the two-time winner told reporters at the finish.<\/p>\n
“My legs will get better throughout the race; the fight is not over.”<\/p>\n
Of course, he is right. Cycling is a deeply cruel sport, where one mistake can cost far more than just overall race time.<\/p>\n
With a frankly horrendous final week in the Alps to come, time gaps could explode any which way, and to decide unequivocally that the race is over with 15 more stages to go is foolish.<\/p>\n
But my goodness, it’s going to take something dramatic from the cycling gods to deny Poga\u010dar a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title when the race concludes in Paris later this month.<\/p>\n
Such is the standing that Poga\u010dar has earned himself within the pantheon of the sport, he could probably have a quiet word with the gods himself if he feels they are working against him.<\/p>\n
Even the way Poga\u010dar greeted his rival at the finish, a tap of the hand and a pat on the back as the exhausted Dane rolled past him, felt somewhat final.<\/p>\n
Vingegaard seemingly dared not look Poga\u010dar in the face, bowing away in a way that was almost respectful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b1b105c6c1d89d1efff1aaca5e8190ce.jpeg\")
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Jonas Vingegaard had to accept Tadej Poga\u010dar’s dominance. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)<\/p>\n
Cycling is, in so many ways, a deeply anachronistic sport.<\/p>\n
Road racing is filled with valiant notions of honour, respect and service.<\/p>\n
And Poga\u010dar honoured those ideals with his furious attack, the rainbow bands of the world champion on his back as he relentlessly delivered hammer blow after hammer blow to the rest of the peloton with each of his high-cadence pedal strokes.<\/p>\n
So fast does Poga\u010dar pedal, and so quickly does his lead appear, that you need to check the playback on your chosen device to see whether you’re watching at one-and-a-half times speed.<\/p>\n
No world champion had ever summitted the Col du Tourmalet, the highest point on this year’s race, in the rainbow jersey with such devastating authority as the famous jersey commands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seems unearthly, perhaps even unnatural, that he is able to do this time and time again.<\/p>\n
![\"Jonas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5eb424a3778688597bbba1dea0a5cf25.jpeg\")
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Jonas Vingegaard must be wondering what he could possibly do. (Getty Images: Tim de Waele)<\/p>\n
That, of course, is the caveat that any of these hagiographic stories need to have permanently attached to them when talking about Poga\u010dar and his astonishing feats.<\/p>\n
Cycling’s nefarious past has ensured that whenever supporters are treated to scenes that look too good to be true, memories of past scandals inevitably return.<\/p>\n
But in the spirit of a default, innocent until proven otherwise, there is little else for fans of the sport to do than to sit back and marvel, as one would at a vastly superior force of nature.<\/p>\n
Even French President Emmanuel Macron, present at the finish line of today’s stage, could not hide his admiration, staring up at him as if honouring some long-limbed alien. We mortals could only admire him, clad in a sacral yellow jersey that both humanised and elevated him above us all.<\/p>\n
Not since Eddy Merckx has the sport had someone so dominant over such vastly different terrains.<\/p>\n
Not since Lance Armstrong has the Tour had someone so ruthless in the mountains, which is of course the problem.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/535a731acac9c161ccda0e319715a485.jpeg\")
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At least Tadej Poga\u010dar displayed some evidence of humanity by appearing tired after his efforts. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)<\/p>\n
“I would say this one goes in the top five of my Tour de France victories,” Poga\u010dar said, thinking back to the 22 that came before it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“A really incredible victory, one of the sweetest for sure.<\/p>\n
“Yesterday on the bus, when we were coming from the [fifth] stage, it was very big hype, already talking about today’s stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I woke up at seven in the morning, my mind was going crazy, I was really excited for today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“All the guys were really hyped, I knew it would be a good day, we just committed with nothing to lose. If we explode, we explode, but we succeeded.<\/p>\n
“I’m super proud of everyone, it was crazy teamwork.”<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fe4745291c495795527f81d16aaec4f5.jpeg\")
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Tadej Poga\u010dar soloed over 40km to win the sxith stage. (Getty Images: Bernard Papon)<\/p>\n
Poga\u010dar’s success is twinned with the heartbreak for the yellow jersey wearer on the stage, Torstein Tr\u00e6en.<\/p>\n
The Norwegian may have, with a lead of almost 8 minutes over Poga\u010dar, expected to stay in yellow today, and through to the first rest day on Monday.<\/p>\n
Instead, the 30-year-old cancer survivor<\/a> crashed badly descending the Tourmalet, losing over half an hour.<\/p>\n “It’s a shit downhill, really dangerous if you miss a corner,” Poga\u010dar said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I would still prefer if he kept the jersey and I hope he’s OK.”<\/p>\n Tr\u00e6en was able to finish the stage but, like everyone, seemed to be in shock at the stunning events far ahead of him up the road.<\/p>\n After the opening salvos of this race, Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard were locked together.<\/p>\n As two of the greatest rivals in the sport’s history, the pair have exchanged yellow jerseys for the past five years.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5378782f3bce4eb0403ecfbee84009f0.jpeg\")
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