Tadej Pogacar dominates at Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar celebrates on the podium in Plateau de Beille, France, yesterday. Pic/AFP

Tadej Pogacar extended his overall lead at the Tour de France to more than three minutes on Sunday with a convincing second straight stage win in the Pyrenees. The Slovenian dropped the last of his rivals with five kilometres to go after five more Pyrenean peaks. A valiant Jonas Vingegaard could only finish one minute and eight seconds adrift in second, with Remco Evenepoel in third at 2min 51sec on the day. As Pogacar crossed the line at the magnificent Plateau de Beille deep in the Pyrenees, resplendent in his yellow outfit, he racked up a second straight iconic mountaintop triumph and a 14th Tour de France stage win aged just 25.

Chip-thrower arrested

Meanwhile, a roadside spectator who threw crisps in the faces of Pogacar and Vingegaard was arrested and held overnight in a police cell, according to French media reports. The incident, which was caught on film and swiftly did the rounds on social media, happened on Saturday as Pogacar was breaking away from the defending champion. The bare-torsoed spectator appeared to toss the potato chips into the faces of both riders with witnesses saying he was removed by police within five minutes of the incident.

COVID restrictions back

The Tour de France stepped up protective measures on Sunday, to "limit health risks" in the face of a resurgence of COVID-19, which has affected several riders in recent days. Masks must now be worn by everyone, including organisers, guests and journalists, who may be "in contact with the riders and members of the cycling teams" before and after the stages, said organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).

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