Tadej Pogačar powered to victory in an uphill time trial on stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday to stretch his lead in the race to more than four minutes.
Jonas Vingegard and Remco Evenepoel clung on to their places in the overall top three, but this 10.9km time-trial triumph was defending champion Pogačar's second crushing win in two days.
Pogačar was last down the start ramp of the 171 riders setting off and stunned rivals by using a road bike instead of one typically used for time trials.
"It's more comfortable and I ride that 95 percent of the year," he explained. "I went without a radio too, there are time clocks along the way so I just looked at them."
Reigning champion
Decked out in his overall leader's yellow kit, the 26-year-old Team UAE rider was faster from the off, despite his exertions from the previous day, when he finished over two minutes ahead of main rival Vingegaard.
"I was feeling good all day, from when I got up. I was planning to go all in from start to finish and that's what I did," Pogačar said.
Pogačar won the Tour de France in 2020, 2021 and 2024.
Pogačar had a sticker of the Hulk comic book superhero on his bike but said after the stage his hero was Spider-Man.
"Hulk though, he's the one you don't want to make angry," said Pogačar.
By the time he finished stage 13 at the Peyragudes Altiport where the opening scene of the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was shot, Pogačar was 36 seconds faster than Vingegaard, while Primoz Roglic was third at 1min 20sec.
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard cycles during the 13th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race. Source: AFP / Anne-Christine Poujoulat
"I was drained," he said, slumped in a chair. "I didn't give a damn when Jonas went past."
"I just wanted to finish. To be honest I'm relieved it's over," said the double Olympic champion.
Most riders warmed up for the time trial wearing ice jackets to combat the sizzling 30C temperature at the foot of the climb.
Australian champion Luke Plapp set the early pace and sat in the hot seat all day before suddenly packing his case and vacating it on seeing Vingegaard storm up the mountain.
Pogačar was even faster.
At 1580m altitude the ride remained beneath the clouds and below the treeline, but even atop the hill it was punishingly hot.
American Quinn Simmons gave hundreds of high-fives on the home straight as one of the rare riders appearing to enjoy the climb.
Saturday's stage 14 is another punishing affair with around 50km of climbing but it will likely be raced in rain.
It starts with the famous Col de Tourmalet and ends at the Luchon-Superbagneres ski resort.
Stage 15 is a hilly run to the walled city of Carcassonne but for Pogačar there remains the spectre of three more massive mountain stages in the final week.
There is also the prospect of potential chaos in Paris with three ascents of Montmartre's old cobbled lanes on the final day.
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