Tadej Pogacar unlikely to compete at Vuelta a Espana as he predicts 'fireworks' in Tour de France Alps GC showdown
Updated 15/07/2024 at 22:06 GMT+1
Tadej Pogacar says the final week of the 2024 Tour de France will feature "a lot of fireworks" as he aims to hold off rival Jonas Vingegaard at the top of the general classification. The UAE Team Emirates rider looks set to complete the Giro-Tour double, but has all but ruled himself out of competing at the Vuelta a Espana and going for a historic Grand Tour Grand Slam.
Highlights from Stage 15 as Pogacar romps away from Vingegaard to extend TDF lead
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tadej Pogacar has all but ruled out racing at the Vuelta a Espana as he looks ahead to "fireworks" in the final week of the Tour de France.
The UAE Team Emirates rider looks set to win the Giro-Tour double after extending his lead in the general classification to 3'09" with just six stages to go.
But Pogacar has dismissed the possibility of competing in next month's Vuelta and securing a historic treble.
"This year it's 99% impossible," he said when asked if he could add the final Grand Tour of the season to his schedule. "For next year, it's a much bigger chance to see me in the Vuelta."
The Vuelta gets underway on August 17, less than a month after the conclusion of the Tour de France on July 21. No rider has won all three Grand Tours in a calendar year.
Pogacar is also due to ride at the Paris Olympics in the men's road race on August 3.
Pogacar will become just the eighth cyclist to win both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France if he can remain at the top of the general classification in the latter, and the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998.
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'Has he just won the Tour?' - Pogacar dominates to win Stage 15
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Tour de France resumes on Tuesday after a rest day with the final sprint stage, before four stages in the Alps. The race will then conclude with a time trial from Monaco to Nice.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is second in the standings and Pogacar believes his challenger will go all out towards the end of the week.
"I don't think they're picking both stages, Friday and Saturday, I think they will focus on one of them," Pogacar said of Vingegaard and Visma. "We will try to do our own race and try to defend so they cannot do anything crazy. For sure they will try.
"Jonas said yesterday that he is not giving up on the fight, and I think that's correct what he said. It's going to be a tough final week and we're going to see a lot of fireworks for sure, from everybody."
- How to watch Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday - Sprinters set for final showdown
- Vingegaard vows to take fight to Pogacar in final week - ‘We've seen in the past he has bad days’
- 'Almost wrapped up' vs 'three minutes is nothing' - Is Tour de France a done deal?
Vingegaard appears determined not to lose to Pogacar as he seeks his third Tour de France title.
“I've won the Tour de France twice,” he said. “I'm not here to ride for second place. I'll do everything I can to try to take the victory.
“He [Pogacar] looks very strong but we've also seen in the past that he has bad days. Maybe he will have that in the third week. You never know.”
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