NICE-(MaraviPost)-Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar has cemented his place among cycling’s all-time greats after storming to victory in the 2024 Tour de France, sealing his third championship title with a dominant individual time trial finish in Nice on Sunday, July 21.
The final day of racing broke with tradition as the Tour concluded outside Paris for the first time in decades, a move made to accommodate preparations for the Olympic Games.
Over a 33.7-kilometer, 20.9-mile course that began in Monaco and ended on the Côte d’Azur, Pogačar delivered a performance of controlled power that left no doubt about who ruled this year’s race.
He crossed the line 1 minute and 3 seconds ahead of his great rival, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, a margin that reflected both the closeness of their multi-year duel and Pogačar’s superiority across the three weeks.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, the reigning world time trial champion, completed the podium in third, underlining the quality of the field Pogačar had to overcome.
“I must say how happy I am to win this Tour de France and how crazy the journey was, how crazy the battles we had with Jonas here and Remco,” Pogačar said on the podium in Nice. “It was one of the craziest tours, I think, in the history.” His words captured a race defined by relentless attacks, tactical chess, and a rivalry that has come to define modern Grand Tour cycling.
Pogačar and Vingegaard have traded Tour titles since 2020. Pogačar won back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, Vingegaard responded with victories in 2022 and 2023, and now the Slovenian has struck again to take a 3-2 lead in their personal tally. That narrative gave this edition an extra edge, as every mountain and every time check felt like another chapter in their ongoing contest.
The Nice time trial was not an isolated success. It was Pogačar’s sixth stage win of the 2024 Tour, a tally that showcased his versatility across climbs, breakaways, and the race against the clock.
Earlier this season he also won the Giro d’Italia, making him the first rider since the turn of the century to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same year. That double achievement elevates his 2024 campaign into historic territory.
The decision to finish in Nice rather than on the Champs-Élysées in Paris added a new backdrop to an old ritual.
With the French capital preparing to host the Olympic Games beginning Friday, the Tour adapted, and Pogačar adapted better than anyone, using the Mediterranean setting to deliver a final statement.
At 25, Pogačar now owns three yellow jerseys and a palmares that already rivals legends twice his age.
His blend of explosive climbing, time trial strength, and race intelligence has made him the benchmark of the peloton.
With Evenepoel and Vingegaard pushing him to new limits, the rivalry promises more drama in the years ahead.
For now, though, the story belongs to Slovenia and to a rider who turned a 21-mile time trial into a coronation.
In Nice, under the summer sun, Tadej Pogačar did not just win the Tour de France.
He reminded the world why he is the defining cyclist of his generation.
Leave a Reply