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Pogacar approached the 165.7-kilometre stage looking to erase the deficit from the previous day’s time trial but instead exacerbated his losses eight kilometres from the summit of the Col de la Loze.
By the time Pogacar crossed the line, Vingegaard’s advantage in the general classification had reached 7’35” – a gap that would have been worse if not for UAE Team Emirates teammate Marc Soler.
Soler was tasked with bringing Pogacar back to the pack while UAE’s Adam Yates fought for the podium, and though the two-time Tour winner was quick to thank his teammate, he could not explain his explosion on the Loze.
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“I don’t know what happened,” Pogacar told reporters after the stage was won by AG2R Citroen’s Felix Gall.
“I tried to eat as much as possible but it was like nothing would go into my legs, everything stayed in my stomach.
“I was feeling so empty after three and a half hours. If I didn’t have such great support around me, I was thinking I could lose the podium today.
“But I was fighting all the way to the finish line, and I am very grateful to my teammates for their support.”
The rare sight of Pogacar struggling on a climb was reminiscent of the Col du Granon in 2022, when Vingegaard moved almost three minutes ahead to all but seal his maiden Tour de France title.
But even that collapse paled in comparison to what the 24-year-old experienced at Courchevel, with the margin almost impossible to overcome with four stages remaining.
“Even the stage to the Granon was better,” he said. “Today was one of the worst days of my life on the bike.
“Marc (Soler) kept on encouraging me to keep on fighting and I hope I can recover and perhaps go for another stage win on Saturday. I have to keep fighting.”
Yates’ ninth-placed finish to the stage was the only bright spot for UAE, who now have two riders on the podium behind their aforementioned rival from Jumbo-Visma.
Head sports director Joxean Fernandez Matxin has now called on Pogacar to rest, recover and protect his place on the podium over the Tour’s final days, before adding: “all we can do is congratulate the strongest rider in this year’s race.”
