Pogacar Wins 100th Career Race in Thrilling Finish in Rouen

ROUEN, France — Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates clinched his 100th career victory on Tuesday during stage four of the Tour de France, pulling ahead of race leader Mathieu van der Poel in the final sprint as they crossed the finish line in central Rouen.

Pogacar, the defending champion, demonstrated his dominance on the challenging finishing circuit, applying pressure on competitors Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel as the race prepared for its first time trial. After overtaking Van der Poel in the last few meters, Pogacar expressed that while all victories are “special,” reaching the milestone of 100 wins felt “super good.”

Both riders are currently tied on overall time, but Van der Poel retains the yellow jersey due to his superior stage results. “When I launched my sprint, my legs didn’t want to continue anymore,” said Van der Poel, acknowledging Pogacar’s strength on the course. “Tadej was the strongest today. It’s no shame losing to him on this parcours.”

Looking ahead to the 33km time trial around Caen, Van der Poel noted, “If we’re being realistic, tomorrow will be my last day in yellow.” Pogacar, however, is focused on Evenepoel, who he anticipates will perform well in the time trial after defeating him in a previous race. “Tomorrow is the race of truth,” Pogacar stated, indicating he intends to give his all.

The stage featured a scenic route with warm sunshine and beautiful landscapes as the cyclists crossed the Somme into Normandy. A four-man breakaway, which included Lenny Martinez, led at points but never surpassed a two-minute gap before the peloton closed in during the climactic finishing climbs.

Sadly, Jasper Philipsen, who had crashed out earlier in the race, was recovering from surgery, while his teammate Bryan Coquard faced scrutiny from fans and officials after receiving a yellow card for an incident during a previous stage, prompting his team manager, Cédric Vasseur, to criticize the decision.

In an unrelated incident, local reports indicated that a man was arrested near the stage finish after allegedly attempting to stab a police officer, resulting in injuries.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Anna Henderson of Lidl-Trek continued to lead in the women’s Giro d’Italia, successfully defending her position despite a crash near the finish in Trento.