He just cannot stop winning. Tadej Pogačar has made it two in a row at the Tour de Romandie, proving once again that he is the absolute master of the peloton.
The World Champion launched another perfectly timed sprint today to take down Dorian Godon and his own UAE Team Emirates teammate Finn Fisher-Black. With this second consecutive stage victory, Pogačar firmly cements his grip on the yellow leader's jersey as we head deeper into the race.
The day was not completely straightforward, though. A determined four-man breakaway tried their luck early on, with 22-year-old Jakob Söderqvist from Lidl-Trek leading the charge. While the escape group was ultimately doomed, Swiss rider Roland Thalmann made the absolute most of his time out front. He scooped up enough points over the local climbs to rip the King of the Mountains jersey right off Lenny Martinez's shoulders.
Meanwhile, the peloton was dealing with its own mysterious attrition. Just like yesterday when Oscar Onley had to bow out, pre-stage favorite Mauro Schmid abruptly abandoned the race early in the day. With rumors of a nasty bug sweeping through the bunch, simply surviving the week is becoming just as important as pure leg speed.
INEOS Sets the Trap, Pogačar Springs It
INEOS Grenadiers did the heavy lifting to reel in the breakaway, pushing a punishing pace to try and set up Dorian Godon for the finale. As the reduced pack hit the final climb in Vuillens, riders like Pablo Castrillo and Jefferson Alexander Cepeda tried to light up the race with late attacks, but the elite group snuffed them out in an instant.
It all came down to a chaotic, breathless sprint. Florian Lipowitz tried to jump early, forcing Godon to open up his engine at the front to respond. But you simply cannot leave the door open for Pogačar.
The Slovenian phenom effortlessly surged out of the slipstream alongside Fisher-Black, blowing past the Frenchman to grab another brilliant stage win. If anyone wants to take the yellow jersey off his back this week, they are going to need a miracle.