Last Sunday, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France for the second time after dominating the time trial and the steep mountain stages during the final days of the three-week race.
For the race’s first two weeks, Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, his main rival, sparred at the center of the ring. On Stage 5, Pogacar had an off day and lost time. Two days later, he rebounded and put the hurt on Vingegaard.
Back and forth it went. One day the cycling pundits wrote off Pogacar’s chances at winning a third Tour de France; the next day they wrote off Vingegaard’s chance of a repeat.
Still, everyone relished this new, epic rivalry between the two “big men” of the Tour. It was Andre Agassi v. Pete Sampras. Rafael Nadal v. Roger Federer. Everett v. Navratilova.
Until it wasn’t.
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