Vingegaard gives up another 44 seconds to Pogačar

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) lost another 44 seconds to his longtime rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on stage 10 of the Tour de France , coming away empty-handed in the face of the Slovenian's winning attack on the final climb to Le Lioran. Another difficult chapter for the Danish champion, who sees his dream of a third yellow jersey slipping further and further away.

Pogačar won by 32 seconds over the chasing pack, but Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crossed the finish line first among his rivals, while Vingegaard arrived a whopping 12 seconds later, last of the pack. The Dane had worked hard in the chase and in the final few hundred meters, he was running out of fuel to match the sprint of the other riders battling for bonus seconds.

Despite everything, Vingegaard retains second place in the overall standings, but the gap to Pogačar has now grown to 3 minutes and 36 seconds , with a margin of just 30 seconds over Evenepoel, third. This is a game-changer for fantasy cycling : Pogačar is now an almost obligatory investment, while Evenepoel could threaten second place in the coming weeks.

"When he attacked, I knew I had to go at my own pace. From there, I thought it would be a time trial to the finish, but luckily I found some help on the final climb," Vingegaard told the finish line microphones. "I think it was an acceptable day; it could have been much worse, that's for sure."

The hilly stage to Le Lioran looked set to yield a breakaway, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG refused to give up the battle for the overall standings, nixing every attempt at a breakaway to pave the way for their leader's attack on the final climbs. The climbs of the Massif Central, shorter and more taut than those of the giants of the Pyrenees or the Alps, are much better suited to Pogačar's explosive nature than those of Vingegaard.

Further complicating the Dane's day was Matteo Jorgenson 's crash in the final 30 km of the race, which deprived Vingegaard of one of his most reliable teammates. The Visma captain had to rely primarily on Davide Piganzoli , called up to the Tour almost at the last minute after performing well at the Giro d'Italia, but with a role far different from his usual one. When Pogačar attacked with 10 km to go, Vingegaard still had Piganzoli at his side, but he was unable to match the Slovenian's acceleration. The chasing group, however, limited the damage, keeping the gap under a minute.

Despite the less than rosy situation after ten stages, the two-time Tour winner appeared combative and confident: "I think my legs are improving, and I'm looking forward to the longer climbs. Let's hope for better weeks." A statement to keep an eye on for fantasy riders: if Vingegaard finds form on the big mountains, he could still be a protagonist of some crucial points-scoring days.

The question, however, remains open: can a 3'36" deficit be recovered in the Alps? Difficult, but in cycling, as we know, you never know. It's worth remembering that the last time the Tour crossed the finish line in Le Lioran, in 2024, it was Vingegaard who beat Pogačar in a two-man sprint. A distant memory now, which testifies to how much the balance between the two champions has changed in 2026.