They booed him. Tadej Pogacar answered by putting more road between himself and every rider still capable of threatening his yellow jersey.
The Slovenian tore clear on the Col de Pertus and reached Le Lioran alone, 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel. Paul Seixas arrived 2 seconds later. Jonas Vingegaard, the rival expected to push Pogacar deepest into this Tour de France, finished 7th and surrendered another 44 seconds. His overall deficit now stands at 3 minutes and 36 seconds.
Le Lioran carried unfinished business. Vingegaard had chased Pogacar down and beaten him at the same finish in 2024. Pogacar returned on Bastille Day with stronger legs, a team built to control the race, and a clear memory of how quickly an advantage could disappear on these roads. This time, he left no sprint to chance. He attacked before the summit, committed fully to the descent, and never allowed the chase to reorganise.
UAE Tightened The Race Before Pogacar Struck
Stage 10 covered 166.6 kilometres from Aurillac to Le Lioran and packed 3,800 metres of climbing into 7 categorised ascents. Those figures only begin to explain the punishment. Riders spent the afternoon fighting for position on narrow roads, chasing repeated attacks, and trying to protect enough strength for the brutal final hour.
Javier Romo and Harold Tejada forced their way clear before Romo continued alone. The peloton eventually swallowed him near the Puy Mary, ending a committed 36 kilometre escape. Richard Carapaz attacked almost immediately and carried a 40 second advantage into the final 24 kilometres.
UAE Team Emirates never panicked. Pogacar stayed protected while other riders burned energy closing gaps, responding to attacks, and fighting through the pack. By the time the race reached the Col de Pertus, the group around the yellow jersey had been stripped down to the contenders who mattered.
Visma Lease a Bike briefly took control through Davide Piganzoli. The move appeared designed to position Vingegaard for an attack. Instead, the pace delivered Pogacar to the exact point where he wanted to strike.
Pogacar Shattered The Chase On The Pertus
Pogacar waited until the final kilometre of the Col de Pertus. Then he stood on the pedals and changed the race.
Vingegaard tried to respond. Evenepoel and Seixas fought to hold the wheel. Their shoulders began to rock as the speed rose, but the gap opened almost immediately. Pogacar swept past Carapaz, crossed the summit alone, and drove into the descent with roughly 15 kilometres remaining.
The chase never settled. Vingegaard took responsibility at the front, but Pogacar kept moving away. His advantage reached 30 seconds with 7 kilometres left. Up the road, the yellow jersey stayed low over the bike, picked clean lines through the bends, and carried his momentum into the final climb.
Memories of 2024 kept him pressing. Pogacar knew Vingegaard had erased a similar advantage on the same finish 2 years earlier. He refused to look back or trust that the stage was secure.
Evenepoel appeared beaten when he lost contact with the chase group on the final climb. The Belgian recovered, fought his way back, and produced the strongest finish among Pogacar’s pursuers. His late surge carried him into 2nd place and earned valuable bonus seconds.
Seixas followed in 3rd with another controlled ride. Vingegaard crossed 12 seconds behind Evenepoel and 44 seconds after Pogacar. On an isolated stage, that loss might appear manageable. Against a race leader already holding a substantial advantage, every second deepens the problem.
Time Is Running Out For Vingegaard
Vingegaard remains Pogacar’s closest challenger, but the road between them continues to widen. His deficit of 3 minutes and 36 seconds gives Visma Lease a Bike less freedom to wait for ideal terrain.
The Dane believes the longer climbs later in the Tour will suit him better. His argument makes sense. Sustained mountain efforts have often brought out his best, while Pogacar’s acceleration gives him a clear advantage on shorter, sharper ascents.
The standings do not offer Vingegaard much patience. He cannot keep conceding time while waiting for the perfect mountain stage. Visma must isolate Pogacar earlier and force UAE Team Emirates to spend its support riders before the final climb. The team also needs to create a less controlled race, one filled with attacks that demand repeated responses.
Evenepoel has moved firmly into the podium battle. Seixas continues to ride with the calm of a far more experienced contender. Their progress adds another tactical problem for Vingegaard, who can no longer focus solely on the yellow jersey without considering the riders closing from behind.
Pogacar faces the opposite situation. He can follow dangerous attacks, trust his team to manage the race, and choose the moment that best suits his power. Stage 10 showed how difficult that combination is to break.
Roadside Hostility Only Sharpened His Focus
A smattering of boos greeted Pogacar as he completed another commanding performance. Dominance can change the mood around a champion, especially when rivals appear unable to answer his strongest moves. Some spectators wanted resistance. Pogacar gave them another reminder of who controlled the race.
He did not pretend that he missed the hostility. Speaking after the finish, Pogacar said, “I have haters and haters gonna hate,” before adding that the booing gave his teammates extra motivation. His message was direct. The noise had not unsettled UAE Team Emirates. It had strengthened the group around him.
Pogacar also made clear that most spectators had supported the riders. He compared his response to the mentality of Novak Djokovic, another champion who has learned to perform while parts of a crowd cheer for his defeat.
That comparison explained the rider who had just conquered Le Lioran. Pogacar heard the jeers, recognised what they meant, and returned his attention to the road. UAE Team Emirates raced with the same focus. The team controlled the dangerous moves, ignored the surrounding noise, and delivered its leader to the decisive climb with enough strength to finish the job.
Stage 10 brought Pogacar another Tour de France victory and tightened his grip on the yellow jersey. The race is not finished. Heat, fatigue, crashes, and longer mountain stages can still tear apart even the strongest plans.
His rivals now face a problem larger than the time gap. They must find a way to break a rider who has the strongest legs, the deepest support, and no visible fear of hostility. At Le Lioran, the boos did not slow Pogacar. They followed him up the road as everyone else fell behind.
READ MORE – Tadej Pogacar’s Complete Tour Dominance Highlights Cycling’s Growing Financial Divide
FAQs
Who won Stage 10 of the 2026 Tour de France?
Tadej Pogačar won alone at Le Lioran, finishing 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel.
How far ahead is Pogačar of Jonas Vingegaard?
Pogačar leads Vingegaard by 3 minutes and 36 seconds after Stage 10.
Where did Pogačar make his winning attack?
He attacked in the final kilometre of the Col de Pertus, with about 15 kilometres remaining.
Who finished second and third on Stage 10?
Remco Evenepoel finished second. Paul Seixas took third, two seconds behind the Belgian.
What did Pogačar say about the roadside boos?
Pogačar said “haters gonna hate” and argued that the hostility gave his team extra motivation.
