At the Promenade des Anglais, the emblem of Nice struck by the brutal attack in 2016, the oldest seaside promenade in the world, surrounded by exotic villas and gardens, there ended another Tour for the history books, for the first time away from a Paris focused on the Olympic Games. There Tadej Pogacar was consecrated, relentless until the very last centimeter of his reconquest, a wild colt even in the tough final time trial starting from Monaco.
Another pending account settled. The Slovenian had not won a time trial in the Tour since 2021 in Laval, the same year he last conquered it. He knew well that it was his weak point and proved to himself that he could also improve to dominate. From start to finish, he dominated the afternoon on the French Riviera and crossed the finish line after 45 minutes and 24 seconds of effort and ecstasy (44.5 kilometers per hour) with his arms raised to break into a euphoric embrace with his teammates and staff from UAE Emirates. Easing off in the final meters, he outperformed Vingegaard by over a minute and Remco Evenepoel by 1:14, his worthy companions also on the podium.
For Pogacar, enjoying is competing, even though all the work is already done. "I get paid to win," he argues, although in the first kilometers of the time trial, during his triumphant ride on the roads he knows so well, from his place of residence to Nice, he encourages the crowd and asks for more by cupping his hand to his ear. It doesn't matter, his state of fulfillment is such, all the work he put in this winter on his time trial position after the injury in Combloux last year, that he dominates from dawn, setting the best time already at the Col de la Turbie (8.2 kilometers at 5.7%), extending his lead even further after the Eze wall, 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, 51 ahead of Evenepoel...
Another triumph celebrated in the streets of Nice, where he shows the camera one, two, and three fingers, representing his Tour victories, now just one away from surpassing Chris Froome, at 25 years old. He won six stages and the general classification in the Giro and just over a month later repeats in the Tour (the last to do so was Cavendish, a sprinter, in 2009). Not even the great Eddy Merckx achieved that. He now has 16 victories in the Grande Boucle. "I have been hearing for two years that we are living in the best era of cycling, and I agree. With Remco (Evenepoel), Jonas (Vingegaard), Primoz (Roglic), and others coming up, I think we can have a lot of fun," said the Slovenian, who set the next goal: "I want to be world champion."
It was also a Sunday of farewells, the historic Cavendish and his 35 victories in 17 Tours bidding adieu, Romain Bardet, who will always remember it with that yellow from the first stage in Rimini. A final time trial to pay tribute to the green jersey of Girmay and the polka dot jersey of Carapaz, heroes from small countries who made a big impact in the Tour.
And a conclusion where the Spaniards could not improve their positions in the general classification. Mikel Landa (seventh in the stage), despite a strong start in the time trial on the climb, ended up losing more time to Joao Almeida and finishes fifth. And Carlos Rodríguez, struggling, also did not gain ground on Adam Yates and finishes seventh, worse than a year ago.