During the Pyrenees stage, including the Col de Peyresourde, it was a hand-to-hand combat on the steep slopes of the Col du Portet. After an early break was reeled in, Pogacar attacked. He was joined by Vingegaard and Carapaz. After the Ecuadorian had accelerated in the final kilometre, Vingegaard initially couldn’t go along. The Dane, however, managed to fight back and eventually crossed the line just behind Pogacar in second place.

Steven Kruijswijk had to abandon the Tour with illness symptoms, which means that Team Jumbo-Visma is down to four riders in the remaining stages.

Vingegaard was delighted with his performance. “What a day. Second in the stage and second in the general classification. I’m very happy with that. I think Pogacar, Carapaz and I were evenly matched today. Carapaz didn’t cooperate with us. When he accelerated in the final kilometre, I initially wasn’t able to respond his attack. But luckily I was strong enough to fight back and outsprint him on the line. I don’t think I could have beaten Pogacar. He is very strong and is in the overall lead for a reason. But I don’t regret my efforts. Hopefully I can survive tomorrow and then it looks good to finish on the podium in Paris.”

Sports director Grischa Niermann concurred and made a big compliment to his team. “I am very proud of how the team rode today. The boys were very strong again. It is of course a pity that we lost Steven due to illness, but it is admirable how the others have flipped a switch. Especially Wout and Sepp were of great value in the run-up to the final climb. Jonas has shown that he is a great talent for the future and has made big steps in his development as a Grand Tour rider in the Tour. We didn’t expect him to be able to do this already. The fighting spirit he has shown to fight back beyond Carapaz is good to see. But we are not there yet as another tough mountain stage and a time trial are yet to come. Anything can still happen. But today we have taken a big step in the right direction. With Jonas, and also with a talent like Tobias Foss, things are looking good for us for the future.”