‘On fire!’ – Attacks rain down as Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard bludgeon Tadej Pogacar at Tour de France

One of the most extraordinary episodes in Tour de France history unfolded on Stage 11 as Jumbo-Visma bludgeoned Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) in a bid to crack the two-time champion.

After a select four-man group containing Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic (both Jumbo-Visma), Pogacar and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) formed on the Col du Galibier with 58km remaining, Jumbo went on the attack.

Vingegaard and Roglic took it in turns to accelerate clear, forcing Pogacar to close each move and expend energy. The moment he latched back on, the other Jumbo-Visma rider went over the top – and so the game repeated.

It was a throwback to racing of gold, with Rob Hatch wondering if it was reminiscent of the legendary Fausto Coppi-Gino Bartali rivalry of the 1940s.

“This is the tactic. To force Pogacar to accelerate so many times that they try to blow him up. At the minute, he’s surviving,” said Hatch on Eurosport commentary.

“This is absolutely fascinating and something we’ve not seen this far out since the golden age of cycling! What a race, what a ride we are having. It’s like turning the clock back to the times of Coppi, Bartoli and attacks at 60km from the finish because that’s what we have.

“Jumbo-Visma are on fire. It’s like watching Barcelona! Attack, attack, attack! And every time Pogacar is finding it that little bit more difficult to close the gap.”

So irritated was Pogacar at the barrage, that he dropped his own attack – a decision that was questioned by Robbie McEwen.

“They’re just trying to take away that explosive power, just one attack at a time,” said McEwen.

“Make him work for every single centimetre to claw it back. Pogacar and that show of defiance with the attack he made himself… we all wonder could all of this showmanship, this defiance, this ego-riding, blow up in his face?”

Once Pogacar had settled down, allowing Vingegaard to make his “umpteenth” attack, Hatch continued: “Look at Pogacar… head down, effort face on, still having to work that little bit harder.

“I’ve seen ends to stages, the final few hundred metres, where a lot less has happened, than is happening right here, right now. You have to hand it to Jumbo-Visma because this could be it, these could be the bullets they have to fire at this Tour. It’s entertainment that is endless right now.”

With Jumbo-Visma content that the work was done – or simply that they had nothing left to give – the relentless pace settled, allowing more riders to re-join the front group.

“If they’re not careful, they’re going to burn so many bullets between these four that Romain Bardet just sweeps through towards the end and wins this year’s Tour de France,” suggested Dan Lloyd.

“I still can’t believe what I’m seeing with so far still to go on this stage, I mean 56km! Given what we’ve got to come, that’s at least two hours of this stage still remaining.

“They’re going at each other as though it’s the last 100m of the stage.”

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