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With the Stage 7 podium mirroring the overall leaderboard, Pogačar took two more seconds off David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), and leads the Frenchman by 12 seconds overall heading into tonight's (AEDT) 118.4-kilometre final showdown around Nice.
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) finished six seconds behind Pogačar on the stage and retained his third place overall. The 2022 Tour de France winner now sits 58 seconds behind Pogačar.
After a day of forced rest caused by strong winds, Stage 7 tested the peloton over a 142.9-kilometre route from Nice, finishing with a 15.7-kilometre climb up the Col de la Couillole.
The wind, the high pace, the climbs and some crashes saw a few riders abandon the race before the finish line. This included green jersey holder, and Stage 2 winner, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) who officially withdraw due to cold symptoms.
With the main action of the stage reserved for the final climb, the peloton bridged a gap to the day's main breakaway and set the scene for a fiercely contested showdown between the GC favourites.
Vingegaard attacked first with 5.7 kilometres to go, causing a prompt reply by Pogačar. 'The Pog' led the race for a couple of kilometres with seven seconds on the chasing duo of Gaudu and Vingegaard.
The Slovenian rider was then caught by his two main opponents; Gaudu tried a couple of attacks of his own, but the three riders entered the final 500 metres together.
Vingegaard launched the sprint but it was Pogačar who was the strongest on the stage, crossing the line first.
“Today was really hard. It was really warm - it even felt like the summer. We were all dead at the finish," Pogačar said.
"Ineos-Grenadiers forced the pace in the approach of the final climb, where we had a tough battle for the victory. Maybe I attacked too early, but I did not want to have too many riders in the front in the final: at the end, everything went as I hoped, so that’s perfect."
In addition to extending his overall lead, Pogačar now wears the green jersey of the points classification as well as the white jersey of the young riders classification.
"It was not a surprise in the last three kilometres it was just us three. I was focusing on not giving up when Jonas accelerated," Pogačar said.
"Maybe I’m just a little percentage better than Jonas today but he didn’t give up, he always came back and it was quite impressive. He’s growing as a rider and I think he’ll be in a better shape in July. Tomorrow’s finish is very unpredictable."
The final stage is 118.4 kilometres, starting and ending in Nice. It features three second-category climbs, the Cote de Levens, the Cote de Chateauneuf and the Cote de Berre les Alpes, and two first-category climbs, the Cote de Peille and the Col d’Eze.
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"Tomorrow we will face the most demanding stage of this Paris-Nice, but I am confident because the climbs will be more suitable for my characteristics and on roads I know well,” Pogačar said.
"Tomorrow, Gaudu is one of the dangers. My goal is not to let him go."
Tune in to SBS and SBS On Demand to watch the eighth and final stage of the Paris-Nice live and free from 11:05pm (AEDT).
