‘I’m coming for you Mark’ – Tadej Pogacar teases chasing Cavendish’s 34 Tour de France stage wins

Tadej Pogacar jokingly said he was hunting down Mark Cavendish’s 34 Tour de France stage wins after bouncing back spectacularly on Thursday to blow the race wide open.

Jumbo-Visma sensed blood and Vingegaard put his team to work with a punishing pace up the Col du Tourmalet on Stage 6, but Pogacar looked comfortable in the wheels.

Wout van Aert set the pace on the final climb to Cauterets, and Vingegaard went for the jugular when his team-mate pulled off.

The UAE Emirates leader put the hammer down and crossed the line 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, cutting the gap between the two at the top of the GC to 25 seconds.

Pogacar said he was worried when Jumbo-Visma went to work on the Tourmalet, but grew in confidence after holding the wheels and it allowed him to launch his daring counterattack.

Speaking after the stage, Pogacar said: “The display Jonas showed yesterday was incredible and I was thinking when they started pulling on the Tourmalet: ‘S**t, if it’s going to happen like yesterday, we can pack our bags and go home.’

“Luckily, I had good legs today and I could follow on the Tourmalet quite comfortably. Then, when I felt it was the right moment in the end I attacked. It was a big relief.”

Cavendish has a target of his own, with the Brit looking to break out of a tie with Eddy Merckx for the most wins in Tour history.

Pogacar’s win on Thursday took him into double figures on stage wins, and he jokingly – or possibly not – said he was on Cavendish’s tail.

”It’s 10 stage victories,” Pogacar said. “I’m coming for you Mark.”

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