Tour de France - 'On fire!' - Watch the incredible Jumbo-Visma attacks which brought Tadej Pogacar down

Updated 13/07/2022 at 15:31 GMT

Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Jumbo-Visma lit up the 2022 Tour de France after an astonishing passage saw all three attack – despite Stage 11 still having nearly 60km left to run. Jumbo-Visma’s tactic was simple: let Vingegaard and Roglic take it in turns to accelerate, knowing that Tadej Pogacar would have to respond to every move. What followed was truly thrilling. And it worked a treat.

‘Attack, attack, attack!’ – Jumbo-Visma try to crack Pogacar in thriller

One of the most extraordinary episodes in Tour de France history unfolded on Stage 11 as Jumbo-Visma bludgeoned Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) – with their efforts paying off as Jonas Vingegaard took a sensational win as the two-time champion wilted in the Alps.

It all began with 58km remaining. After a select four-man group containing Jumbo duo Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, Pogacar and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) formed on the Col du Galibier, the Dutch team 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.

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It was a throwback to racing of old, 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.”

Those succession of mini efforts proved pivotal when, with 4.5km to go, Vingegaard made his decisive move on the Col du Granon. Pogacar could not respond and when Thomas also sailed by unopposed, it was clear the Slovenian was in deep trouble.

Vingegaard surged clear and swept up the remnants of the day’s break to take a memorable win on a day for the ages at the Tour.

Vingegaard soars into yellow

Is this the moment Pogacar lost the Tour?

Vingegaard surged clear and swept up the remnants of the day’s break to take a memorable win on a day for the ages at the Tour.

Nairo Quintana (Arkea–Samsic) provided a reminder of his talents to take second, the only rider to finish within a minute of the great Dane, while Romain Bardet (DSM) ignited his own general classification hopes to take third and move second overall at 2'16".

Pogacar dropped to third in GC at 2'22", with Britain's Thomas somehow dropping a place to fourth at 2'26" despite impressing throughout. Quintana completes the top five at 2'37".

There is no rest for the peloton with the imposing Alpe d’Huez on the menu on Thursday.

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Stream the Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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