PARIS (AP) — Tadej Pogačar won his fourth Tour de France title by a comfortable margin after Sunday’s final stage, which he tried to win even though he did not need to.
The 26-year-old Slovenian rider won the Tour last year and in 2020 and 2021.
Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vinegaard finished the overall race 4 minutes, 24 seconds behind Pogačar in second place and Florian Lipowitz was 11 minutes adrift in third.
Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the 21st and last stage, which broke with tradition and featured three climbs of Montmartre hill.
Because of the risk of heavy rain and crashes, organizers had earlier decided to neutralize the times 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the end, effectively giving Pogačar the victory — but providing he crossed the finish line.
Pogačar had no need to contest the stage win, especially given the danger of crashing on slick roads. Yet as the rain fell heavily, he showed his relentless thirst for victory and attacked anyway, setting a tremendous pace in the Montmartre climbs as fans cheered all along the cobbled Rue Lepic, with flags and fans hanging out of windows.
Only five riders were left with Pogačar on the third ascension of the 1.1-kilometer Montmartre hill.
After fending off American Matteo Jorgenson, he was caught cold near the top as Van Aert launched a stunning attack to drop — yes, drop! — Pogačar, the world’s best climber, on the steepest section.
Van Aert rolled back down for a prestigious stage win on the famed Champs-Élysées. Pogačar looked weary as he crossed the line in fourth place, 19 seconds behind.
But then it was time to celebrate title No. 4.
Only four riders have won the showcase race five times: Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Induráin and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
Pogačar won four stages this year to take his Tour tally to 21 and 30 at major races, including six at the Giro d’Italia and three at the Spanish Vuelta.
Lipowitz secured his first career podium at a Grand Tour, the alternative name given to the three major races.
His performance, following his third-placed finish last month at the Critérium du Dauphiné, suggests the 24-year-old German rider could challenge in the near future.
Breaking with tradition
Traditionally, the last stage is largely processional with riders doing laps around Paris. The Tour broke with tradition after the success of the Paris Olympics road race, which also took in Montmartre, famous for its Sacre Coeur basilica.
Five in a row
It was the fifth straight year where Pogačar and Vingegaard finished 1-2 at the Tour.
Vingegaard was second in 2021, before beating Pogačar the next two years with the Slovenian second. When Pogačar reclaimed his title last year, Vingegaard was runner-up.
Five major titles
Pogačar has also won the Giro d’Italia, doing so last year to become the first cyclist to secure the Giro and Tour double in the same season since the late Marco Pantani in 1998.
But Pogačar has not yet won the Spanish Vuelta, whereas Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx won all three major races.
A century of success
When Pogačar won the hilly fourth stage of this year’s race, it was the 100th professional victory of his stellar career, all events combined.
Pogačar is also the world road race champion.
He warmed up for this year’s Tour with a dominant victory at the Critérium continuing his excellent form the spring classics, where he won Liège–Bastogne–Liège for third time.
After winning stage 4 of the Tour, Pogačar added three more stage wins, including an emphatic uphill time trial.
What’s left to win?
He would love to win the Paris-Roubaix classic and Milan San-Remo.
The 259.2-kilometer (161-mile) Roubaix race is called “The Hell of the North” because of its dangerous cobblestone sections.
Pogačar debut appearance at the one-day classic this year saw him seeking to become the first Tour champion to win it since Hinault in 1981. But powerful Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won it for the third straight year.
Pogačar has also yet to win Milan-San Remo, with Van der Poel also beat him there this year.
Expect a fired-up Pogačar next year at Roubaix and Milan-San Remo.
But it’s unsure whether he’ll tackle the Vuelta.
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