Sunday 18th July 2021
Cavendish without a win in the tour final
Pogacar completes his frightening dominance
There was no longer any doubt about his victory, but he also had to arrive in Paris: Tadej Pogacar wins the Tour de France and defends his title from last year. The last stage on the Champs-Élysées ends in a mass sprint, in which Mark Cavendish missed a record.
The new Dominator Tadej Pogacar signed a couple of jerseys on the Tour d’Honneur and showed little tricks with his bike, sprinter Mark Cavendish missed the sole record at the end of the 108th Tour de France. While the second overall victory for the 22-year-old Slovenian was clear long before the last stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, “King Cav” wanted the final culmination: the 35th day win, with which he overtook Belgian legend Eddy Merckx and one Would have broken a decade-old record. But this time the Belgian Wout van Aert won in the magnificent center of the metropolis, it was his third stage victory. It was the first sprint defeat for Cavendish, who finished third.
On the last stage of the tour of André Greipel, who left at the end of 2021 and who also had to admit defeat in Paris, Pogacar was able to enjoy his triumph to the full. The yellow bearer laughed and joked with his seven teammates from UAE, together with the other Slovenes he sent a message in the TV picture to the injured rival and compatriot Primoz Roglic. “It’s a different league that he drives uphill,” said the German Nils Politt, which aptly summarizes the 21 sections. Even if Pogacar himself says: “I don’t see myself as a boss.” In 2021 it was.
Almost a year after the Slovenian party, when Pogacar Roglic stole the overall victory at the very end, the small sports nation can cheer for the next giant sporting coup. “Super-Pogi”, who consistently shone this time and was more than five minutes ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) and Richard Carapaz from Ecuador, won the yellow jersey as well as the white of the best young professional and the points of the best climber. Compatriot Matej Mohoric rounded off the Slovenian festival weeks with two more daily victories.
Pogacar, the all-rounder from Komenda, has shaped the tour this year like no one since Lance Armstrong, who was convicted as a doping sinner around 20 years ago. Belgium’s icon Merckx has already ennobled the double champion: “I see him as the new cannibal. He is extremely strong. I think he will win the Tour several times in the years to come.” Pogacar could also conquer the Tour crown more than five times, which is the record mark so far after all the winners that were subsequently deleted.
Greipel sprints again for victory as a farewell
In addition to his excellent and tactically flawless performance, the star of the UAE team also benefited from several lucky circumstances. Main rival Egan Bernal (Ineos) drove at the Giro d’Italia instead of the Tour in 2021, opponents Roglic and Geraint Thomas crashed early and were out in the fight for the yellow jersey in week one. So Pogacar actually drove two weeks from his solo trip in the Alps towards overall victory, which he garnished with splendid individual successes at the Col du Portet and in Luz Ardiden.
In addition to the very young Pogacar, the much older Cavendish was the second big star of this 108th edition. After some tough years, the Brit suddenly emerged from oblivion and won four out of five sprint finals. With the final coup in the magnificent center of Paris, he would have replaced record holder Merckx, so it remains at a 34:34. The 76-year-old had already put it into perspective: “You can’t compare that. I drove 2,800 kilometers in the wind alone, Cavendish six seconds.”
For veteran Greipel, who did not want to win the day on his eleventh tour, it was nevertheless a conciliatory farewell to the world’s greatest race. In the final, the 39-year-old Rostock finished fifth, achieved several top 10 places and bravely struggled over the passes in the Alps and Pyrenees. “I could still enjoy the last time I went up the Tourmalet and Mont Ventoux. The next time I’ll have an e-bike or grill sausages,” Greipel said on ARD.
The big German highlight in the three and a half weeks from Brest to Paris was provided by Bora-hansgrohe professional Nils Politt, who won the stage to Nimes with a furious escape. Time trial specialist Tony Martin had to give up after several crashes, the former fourth overall Emanuel Buchmann fell short of expectations after an illness during the entire race. There is now no break for the professional cyclists: After 3414.4 kilometers in France, a large part of the peloton is traveling directly to Japan, where the Olympic road race around Mount Fuji is on the program on Saturday.
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