Pogacar wins final time trial and the 2024 Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar followed in the wake of the late Marco Pantani, sealing the first Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double of the 21st century with victory in the final time trial in Nice

Pogacar now joins an elite club of double winners, but none have achieved this feat in the modern era. Over the two Grand Tours, totalling almost 7,000 kilometres, his accumulative lead has been well over 16 minutes, and he has spent 39 days as either Giro or Tour leader.

The last battle between the 2024 Tour’s top trio, Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, the outgoing champion, and debutant Remco Evenepoel, came on the corniche roads of the Cote d’Azur, but stuck to the script, with the Slovenian once again dominating the outcome.

In the time trial from Monaco to Nice, Pogacar beat Vingegaard by 1:03 and Evenepoel by 1:14 to win overall from the Dane, champion in 2022 and 2023, by 6:17.

Meanwhile, for some in the peloton, after 72 hours spent climbing mountains in the Southern Alps, the demanding 33.7-kilometre time trial was a bridge too far. Most were happy to go through the motions, with Pascal Ackermann letting slip that he had enjoyed his celebratory end-of-Tour pizza, before the stage, rather than after.

Unlike Ackermann, however, Pogacar was still hungry. The 25-year-old, even with the Tour already won, appeared as insatiable and invincible as ever and rode the time trial as if his life was at stake. Of course, he won, yet again!

The three stage victories taken by Eritrean Biniam Girmay, the first black African rider to enjoy such success in the Tour, led to his win in the green jersey points classification, while victory in the King of the Mountains classification, by the pugilistic Richard Carapaz, was the first by an Ecuadorian.

VIDEO: Stage 21 Highlights

Stage 20 Top 10

1  POGACAR Tadej 45.24,99 0.00 44.521
2  VINGEGAARD Jonas 46.27,25 1.02,26 43.527
3  EVENEPOEL Remco 46.38,13 1.13,14 43.358
4  JORGENSON Matteo 47.32,21 2.07,22 42.535
5  ALMEIDA João 47.42,95 2.17,96 42.376
6  GEE Derek 47.55,92 2.30,93 42.185
7  LANDA Mikel 48.05,87 2.40,88 42.039
8  TEJADA Harold 48.14,53 2.49,54 41.914
9  BUITRAGO Santiago 48.17,65 2.52,66 41.868
10  YATES Adam 48.20,21 2.55,22 41.831

Final GC Top 10

1  POGACAR Tadej UAE Team Emirates 83:38:56
2  VINGEGAARD Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike 6:17
3  EVENEPOEL Remco Soudal Quick-Step 9:18
4  ALMEIDA João UAE Team Emirates 19:03
5  LANDA Mikel Soudal Quick-Step 20:06
6  YATES Adam UAE Team Emirates 24:07
7  RODRÍGUEZ Carlos INEOS Grenadiers 25:04
8  JORGENSON Matteo Team Visma | Lease a Bike 26:34
9  GEE Derek Israel - Premier Tech 27:21
10  BUITRAGO Santiago Bahrain - Victorious 29:03

The King of the Mountains (KOM) classification - Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost)

The Points Classification - 

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty)

The Young riders General Classification - Remco Evenpoel (Soudal Quick-Step)