Vingegaard isolated but unmoved by Pogacar's latest Tour de France onslaught

Graceful of pedal stroke and relaxed of demeanour, Jonas Vingegaard does not give the impression of a man feeling the strain on this Tour de France. On the Col du Val Louron-Azet on stage 17, he faced his most arduous test of the race to date without even a flicker of anxiety or sag of the shoulder.

Although UAE Team Emirates were down to just four riders after losing Marc Soler to illness and Rafal Majka to injury, Tadej Pogačar's squad put in their best display of the race on Wednesday, trimming the yellow jersey group to a minimum on the penultimate climb of the day.

For the final hour of the stage, Vingegaard had only Pogačar and the Slovenian's teammate Brandon McNulty for company. Vingegaard's own supporting cast, including the reliable Sepp Kuss, were distanced 4km from the top of the Col du Val Louron-Azet. The yellow jersey was isolated but seemingly unperturbed.

Then again, Vingegaard's strategy since divesting Pogačar of yellow on the Col du Granon has been straightforward, and it didn't change here, even when he was outnumbered two to one. Whether they came early or late, trailing Pogačar's every attack has been the central plank of his approach. The Dane rides this Tour as though heeding Claudius' warning about Hamlet: "Madness in great ones must not unwatched go."

"It's clear that in the finale, I was without a teammate and that wasn't ideal, but all I had to do was follow Tadej. I wasn't worried at any point," Vingegaard said.

"Of course, it takes energy, but you have to be ready because you never know when Tadej will attack. He often attacks when you don't expect it. That was the case today and it will be again tomorrow."

Vingegaard responded immediately to Pogačar's brief volley over the top of the Col du Val Louron-Azet before McNulty took up the reins again on the descent, past the artificial lake at Loudonville and all the way up the final climb to Peyragudes. Pogačar claimed the sprint for stage victory, peeling four seconds off Vingegaard's overall lead, but the Dane had every reason to feel he had won the day. With just one mountain stage to Hautacam remaining, he is still 2:18 clear of Pogačar atop the standings.

"If you have a problem, it's not nice, but other than that, I only had to follow Tadej," Vingegaard said of his afternoon behind the McNulty-Pogačar tandem. "I didn't need to follow Brandon McNulty if he attacked. Sepp Kuss was also super strong, he was one of the five best today. It was just that Brandon McNulty was one of the three best today. But I have confidence in my team. Sepp was still there when there were only five of us in front."

Impressive Bjerg

McNulty's display, which saw him distance men like Geraint Thomas, David Gaudu and Nairo Quintana, was probably the most impressive of his entire career, but riding a brisk tempo on tough climbs was always a part of his brief in Pogačar's service. The startling cameo from Vingegaard's fellow Dane Mikkel Bjerg at the foot of the Col du Val Louron-Azet was altogether more surprising given his characteristics as a rouleur.

"I have to say I was surprised when he started riding," Vingegaard said. "He was riding a good pace and I was thinking – well, I don't know how to say it. He really was impressive today. He did a great job. He was there when there were only twenty guys left."

Vingegaard kicked shortly after McNulty swung off on the steep ramps in the final 500m before Pogačar finally unsheathed his own acceleration shortly afterwards. It was sharp enough to claim stage victory, but not enough to slice much off Vingegaard's lead.

"I opened it up, but I think – well, I don't think, I know – that I'm less explosive than Tadej. That's why I tried to do a longer sprint, I think it suits me better," said Vingegaard, who was previously outkicked by his rival atop La Planche des Belles Filles on stage 7.

"In the end it was a hard day today. I think Tadej came with good attacks, but I was able to follow. He won the stage, but a finish like this doesn't suit me so well, it was a bit like La Planche des Belles Filles. I think a day like tomorrow, on Hautacam, will suit me better."

Hautacam

Hautacam is an evocative sort of a place for Danish cycling, as Vingegaard well knows. Indeed, the route of stage 18 brings the Tour along roads redolent of the ghosts of Denmark's cycling past.

In 2007, Michael Rasmussen won in yellow atop the Col d'Aubisque before he was removed from the race by his Rabobank team – the forerunner of Jumbo-Visma – that night after it was confirmed he had lied about his whereabouts to miss doping controls earlier in the season. Hautacam, meanwhile, will forever be synonymous with Bjarne Riis' stage victory in 1996, when he dropped back to eye up his rivals before formally ending Miguel Indurain's flagging hopes of a sixth successive Tour win.

Eleven years later, Riis confessed to doping to win that race, even if his name remains inscribed in the record books as Denmark's first and only Tour winner. If Vingegaard withstands Pogačar's inevitable offensive on the Aubisque and Hautacam, he is all but guaranteed to join Riis on the roll of honour.

"I remember watching the stage when I was really young," Vingegaard said when asked about Rasmussen's experiences in 2007. "But tomorrow it's not only the Aubisque, there's also Hautacam where Bjarne Riis, I think, won the stage. So I guess for Danish cycling, they are quite some important climbs."

Four days from Paris, Vingegaard remains the leader of the Tour and master of understatement.