Tadej Pogacar extended his overall lead at the Tour de France to more than three minutes on Sunday with a convincing second straight stage win in the Pyrenees.
The Slovenian dropped the last of his rivals with five kilometres to go after five more Pyrenean peaks.
A valiant Jonas Vingegaard could only finish 1 minute and 8 seconds adrift in second, with Remco Evenepoel in third at 2min 51sec on the day.
As Pogacar crossed the line at the magnificent Plateau de Beille deep in the Pyrenees, resplendent in his yellow outfit, he had racked up a second straight iconic mountaintop triumph and a 14th Tour de France stage win aged just 25.
Another solo win! Relive the final KM of 🇸🇮@TamauPogi's 14th Le Tour stage victory.
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2024
Une nouvelle victoire en solitaire ! Revivez le dernier KM de 🇸🇮@TamauPogi pour sa 14ème victoire d'étape sur le Tour.#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/TeLhQVG2JW
The overall leader expressed surprise at Vingegaard and his team.
"Jonas did most of the work," Pogacar said after Visma hogged the front of the peloton most of the day.
"With today being the 14th of July you might have expected a French win, but Visma went at it very strong."
"I wasn't sure myself I'd be able to keep up the pace, but this year I've adopted a different approach and it seems to be working," said Pogacar, munching on a candy bar.
🎙️“When we came to the bottom of the last climb I was on the limit when Jonas tried to drop me but I could see he was also suffering. I saw he didn’t have the legs to go to the top so I tried myself” - 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2024
Hear from Tadej Pogačar after his Stage 15 win ⤵️ #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/T7S9xnVPxq
The Team UAE leader's audacious bid for a Tour de France and Giro d'Italia double in the same season seemed closer after a third stage win on this year's Tour lifted him comfortably clear.
The last man to win such a double was Marco Pantani in 1998. On his way to his French triumph, the Italian also won a stage ended on the Plateau de Beille.
Pogacar on Sunday ascended the mountain over four minutes faster than Pantani.
"That's a very good sign," Pogacar's team director Mauro Gianetti said.
There are two murderous mountain slogs to go in the Alps, where the weather will likely be much hotter, which Pogacar dislikes.
The final-day lottery is a fearsome 34km individual time trial on the corniche between Monaco and Nice.
For now, the sun shines on the Slovenian as he leads the two-time defending champion Vingegaard by 3 minutes 9 seconds with the young Belgian Remco Evenepoel on his first Tour de France third at 5min 19sec.
Evenepoel also looked happy with his day's work after he arrived for his debut Tour de France stating he was targeting the best young rider's jersey, which he looks good for now.
"I felt it was a mistake to try and follow them when they went. It was a race between them two," he said.
"I kept going at my steady rhythm. it was a good weekend for us."
'A BIG SMILE'
Evenepoel is third overall, five minutes clear of Mikel Landa, and leads the young rider category by six minutes from Carlos Rodriguez.
🎽 Jerseys after stage 1️⃣5️⃣ / Maillots distinctifs après l'étape 1️⃣5️⃣
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2024
💛 @TamauPogi 🇸🇮
💚 @GrmayeBiniam 🇪🇷
🔴⚪️ @TamauPogi 🇸🇮
👶 @EvenepoelRemco 🇧🇪#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/RGO3vK2MSR
Vingegaard and Evenepoel were both involved in a bone-breaking crash in March, and it remains to be seen how their stamina stands up in the third week. After Monday's rest day the race rushes back to the Alps, where tradition holds that the Tour is won.
Pogacar agreed with that Sunday.
"Only when I cross the finish line will I believe I have won," said the 2020 and 2021 champion.
The weekend crowds were well-behaved Sunday. A roadside spectator who threw crisps in the faces of Pogacar and Vingegaard on Saturday was charged with violent behaviour Sunday morning, after spending a night in the cells to sober up.
The Tour de France also stepped up protective measures to "limit health risks" with the reintroduction of the dreaded face masks due to a resurgence of Covid-19.
Monday is a rest day.
"We go into Monday with a big smile," said Pogacar.
The fans watching roadside or in armchairs also likely left with a smile.