Pogacar avenges 2024 defeat with dominant stage 10 win at Le Lioran, Seixas claims first Tour podium

A two-year reckoning on the slopes of Le Lioran

Fourteen months after Jonas Vingegaard pipped him on the line at Le Lioran, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) turned the 10th stage into a personal exorcism. The Slovenian attacked 16 kilometres from the finish on the Col de Pertus (4.4 km at 8.5%), shredding a chase group that included his Danish rival. Nobody responded. Richard Carapaz (EF Education Easypost), who had built a 50-second advantage inside the final kilometre of the climb, was swallowed in fewer than 600 metres. Pogacar crossed the line alone, collecting his third stage win of this edition and the 24th Tour stage victory of his career.

I had it in my head as well. I finished second two years ago, which is not a bad result, especially behind Jonas. I felt similar in my legs to two years ago in the final, but the result is different today and that's fantastic.

UAE's train and a general classification chasm

UAE Team Emirates ran a relentless pace-setting operation from the moment the day's breakaway was neutralised. Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt and Tim Wellens all took long turns on the front before Isaac Del Toro, Pogacar's young lieutenant, cracked in the finale. The collective drilling left the peloton shelled. Pogacar now leads Vingegaard by 3'36'' in the overall standings, a margin he had never held this early in any of his four victorious Tours. With five summit finishes remaining (the Markstein on Saturday, the Plateau de Solaison on Sunday, and three climbs in the final week including two ascents of Alpe d'Huez), the peloton appears increasingly resigned.

When we saw the breakaway went late and that Florian and Nils were feeling good, we decided to ride our own tempo. Even Tim had good legs again, so we went for it. We need eight riders with good legs, and today that was the case.

Paul Seixas: a 19-year-old among 'strong men'

The day's most resonant French performance came from Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM). The 19-year-old, who had never raced beyond eight consecutive days before this Tour, finished third on the stage, 34 seconds behind Pogacar. It was his first Grand Tour podium and lifted him to fifth overall, 59 seconds behind second place and only 13 seconds behind the new best-young-rider leader, Juan Ayuso.

Seixas was cushioned by his team throughout the stage. Nicolas Prodhomme guided him over the summit of the Puy Mary, while Tiesj Benoot, Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Matthew Riccitello kept him positioned before a treacherous descent that Seixas described as "an ice rink" because the tarmac was melting in the heat. In the final push, he stayed with Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, confirming his place among the podium candidates.

It was extremely hard to grab this third place on one of the toughest days. At the Tourmalet it was a climbers' stage. Today it was a stage for strong men, with shorter, more chaotic efforts. Managing to be present on both types of terrain is a very nice success.

Del Toro crumbles, GC reshuffles

Isaac Del Toro, the Mexican climbing prodigy who entered the stage second overall, was the most consequential casualty. Unable to follow the pace on the Col de Pertus, he lost 57 seconds to Seixas and slid out of the top three. Seixas now sits 29 seconds from the podium and 59 seconds from second-placed Vingegaard. His sports director, Julien Jurdie, declined to look beyond the immediate targets: "There were three important GC appointments this week. One today and the other two on Saturday and Sunday. We're not going any further for now." Mathieu Charpentier, the team's délégué général, added that "the roadmap is being respected."

What remains and what is vanishing

With 11 stages still to race, the Tour is tilting into a procession for the yellow jersey. Yet the fight for the remaining podium steps is intensifying. Seixas, Ayuso, Evenepoel and an off-song Vingegaard are separated by slender gaps that the Alps will test. Saturday's stage to Le Markstein and Sunday's arrival at the Plateau de Solaison offer immediate terrain for counter-attacks.