Fan with hosepipe soaks Tadej Pogacar on way to victory in Tour de Suisse queen stage

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Tadej Pogacar added one final flourish by claiming the closing stage of the Tour de Suisse from Lenny Martinez in a stunning final climb, with the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG among those sprayed by a hose as the race came to an end.

'A little bit of a cool off' - Fan hoses down Pogacar during sweltering Tour de Suisse

Video credit: TNT Sports

The Slovenian star arrived at the finale with the general classification effectively under control, having built a formidable advantage through victories on the opening stage and Saturday's time trial.

Yet rather than simply defend his lead, Pogacar delivered another statement performance in the mountains, underlining his status as the rider to beat ahead of next month's Tour de France, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

The final ascent to Villars-sur-Ollon provided a memorable image of the day's punishing conditions. As temperatures soared on the fourth lap of the Col de la Croix, riders welcomed any relief available.

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With Pogacar in pursuit of Martinez, a spectator standing roadside with a raised hose offered competitors a brief cooling spray as they battled through the heat.

"Pogacar goes through an offered rain shower," Carlton Kirby said on commentary for TNT Sports. "Sometimes, it can be an unwelcome distraction, someone standing there with a hose, but he's undiminished."

The gesture reflected the severity of a queen stage featuring more than 4,000 metres of climbing. The combination of relentless elevation gain and high temperatures took a heavy toll on the peloton, with five riders failing to start and many others abandoning before the finish.

Although a long descent into Aigle provided a temporary reprieve, the route quickly turned uphill again.

The stage offered little opportunity for recovery, forcing riders to spend much of the day either climbing or descending as fatigue steadily accumulated.

Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) was among those to receive a cooling spray during the closing kilometres, but the intervention had little bearing on the race's outcome.

Pogacar remained focused on his target, gradually reeling in Martinez, who had launched a brave solo move on the final ascent.

Martinez's resistance finally broke with just 800m remaining as Pogacar swept past to claim the stage win, while the Bahrain Victorious rider held on for second after a valiant effort.

Lemmen completed the podium, finishing 1'33'' behind the winner.

Pogacar: I can now go home to Urska

After sealing the overall title in emphatic fashion, Pogacar - whose final margin over Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was 6'32'' - reflected on the demands of the day.

"It was a super hard day," said Pogacar. "With the team, we did a super good job.

"It was getting harder and harder every lap that we did, and in the end it was an all-out effort. It was super hot. This is how the Tour [de France] will look like, so it was good to test the legs and the lungs. It was actually quite a nice climb.

"I am happy with the stage win and the overall victory, but also happy that I can now go home to Urska. Now it's about resetting at home, doing some specific training, and then we're off to Barcelona quite soon."

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Video credit: TNT Sports

His partner Urska Zigart had crashed heavily earlier in the week at the Tour de Suisse Women, and was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured jaw.

Pogacar's thoughts were already elsewhere by the time he stepped off the podium, but the victory completed a dominant week in Switzerland and served as another warning to his rivals.

With a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title now firmly in his sights, the world champion heads into cycling's biggest race carrying formidable momentum.

Martinez, meanwhile, was left to contemplate what might have been after coming so close to a memorable victory. Having attacked from Villars-sur-Ollon and committed fully to his effort, the Frenchman ultimately found Pogacar's strength impossible to resist.

"It was quite disappointing," he said. "If I'd held on for 10 seconds more, maybe I could have taken the win, but we tried absolutely everything. Pogacar was just too strong. I'm really happy with my shape at the moment, and I'm getting better day after day.

"This was a good race for me. Pogacar wins a lot of races, but all I can do is my best. He took a lot of time out of me on the final climb."

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