How Pogacar made 7.2 w/kg look easy in record-breaking Tourmalet ascent

UAE Team Emirates-XRG looked like they planned this in December. After a hot start to Stage 6 of the Tour de France, Pogačar’s team took control of the pace at the bottom of the Tourmalet. Pogačar’s competitors began falling away one by one, and it wasn’t long before there were only a handful of riders left. 

The harder the pace the better for Pogačar, the World Champion who is the out-and-out favorite to win the Tour de France. Visma | Lease a Bike had attempted to put riders into the breakaway, and when you see how the stage played out, you can see why. 

The Col du Tourmalet, one of the most famous climbs in the Tour de France, was positioned 56km away from the finish. Was it too far out to make a difference in the GC? 

Not for Pogačar, a rider who has soloed more than 100 kilometers to win the world’s biggest bike races. UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled the pace straight from the bottom of the Tourmalet. While the first few kilometers were draftable, the gradient steepened in the middle portion of the climb. 

This is where Pogačar would make his move. 

Isaac Del Toro did the final lead out for the World Champion, pulling so hard that no one was left on the pair’s wheels by the time Pogačar came to the front. The Mexican hung on for a moment, but then drifted back to the chaser in Jonas Vingegaard. 

There were still five kilometers to go on the Tourmalet when Pogačar attacked, and this is exactly the kind of effort that suits him. 

Pogačar pushed the pace all the way up and over the KOM, shattering the Tourmalet record by more than two minutes. The World Champion climbed the 17km ascent in just over 43 minutes at an average pace of ~6.4w/kg, but a closer analysis reveals how he got the winning gap on Vingegaard. 

Pogačar – Col du Tourmalet
Time: 43:10
Estimated Average Power: 410w (6.4w/kg)

At the bottom of the Col du Tourmalet, UAE Team Emirates-XRG pushed the pace at just over 6w/kg. It was difficult enough to put some pain in the legs, but Pogačar was simply riding in Zone 3. 

The pace became harder and harder as the Tourmalet ascended to over 2,000 meters above sea level. Not only was it extremely hot, but the peloton was also climbing up to high altitude. When Del Toro launched with 5km to go on the Tourmalet, Pogačar started pushing over 7w/kg. This was the attack that gapped Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Paul Seixas. 

But it was the Dane who came closest to matching Pogačar’s acceleration. 

Vingegaard was only nine seconds behind Pogačar for a significant amount of time, but in the final two kilometers of the Tourmalet, Pogačar opened the gap by another 20 seconds. 

We’ve seen both Pogačar and Vingegaard climb at 7.2w/kg for 10-15 minutes, but the difference on this stage was that Pogačar made it look easy while Vingegaard was beginning to crumble. 

Pogačar – Final 5km of the Col du Tourmalet
Time: 13:12
Estimated Average Power: 465w (7.2w/kg)

Crucially, the end of the stage was not at the top of the Tourmalet. 

In fact, there was still nearly 40km to go including a fast descent and false flat climb to the finish. Being the heavier (and fresher) rider with superior raw power, Pogačar extended his lead from 30 seconds to 2:38 by the finish. 

It was a dominant performance that many expected, but the time gaps are already mind-blowing. 

If Pogačar can repeat this type of performance during this year’s Tour, we could see another famous record fall on the Alpe d’Huez.