Tadej Pogacar pointed to the sky when he crossed the finish line and he finished his post-stage interview by dedicating his victory to 19-year-old Italian rider Samuele Privitera, who has died following an accident during the first stage of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, an Under-23 event.

W ith a crushing seated attack, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) soloed to his third stage win of this year’s Tour de France on Thursday, and regained control of the yellow jersey.

The multi-ramped 13.5km ski station climb has hosted some barnstormer yellow jersey battles, most recently when Vingegaard and Wout van Aert turned the screw on Pogačar to romp to a victory that sealed the Dane’s first Tour de France win.