Pogacar Turns the Race Into a Personal Stage: UAE Team Speeds Up Like a Storm, Causing Vingegaard and Lipowitz to “Turn Off” Right on the Top of the Toughest Pass of the Tour de France 2025 – Other Teams’ Plans Completely Collapse
Tadej Pogacar reminded the cycling world why he’s one of the sport’s most feared climbers during Stage 17 of the Tour de France 2025. What was supposed to be a calculated day for general classification contenders turned into a brutal demolition orchestrated by UAE Team Emirates, with Pogacar using the stage as his personal playground. In a shocking display of power and tactical precision, he left Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz gasping for air at the summit of the Col de la Loze, the most brutal ascent of this year’s Tour.
The chaos began midway through the stage when UAE Team Emirates took control of the peloton with a suffocating pace. Their domestiques were relentless, setting the tempo on the lower slopes and forcing rival teams into panic. Jumbo-Visma and BORA-hansgrohe, expecting a steady climb to manage their leaders’ efforts, were instead confronted by a storm. With each kilometer, UAE peeled off one rider after another until the road was laid bare for Pogacar to launch his assault.
And launch he did.
With around five kilometers to go to the summit of Col de la Loze, Pogacar rose out of the saddle and exploded off the front like a thunderclap. Vingegaard, already on the limit, tried to follow but cracked within seconds. Behind him, Lipowitz grimaced, attempted to hold the wheel, and failed miserably. In a matter of moments, Pogacar had created a gap that would grow to over a minute at the summit.
What made the move so devastating was its timing. UAE had timed the destruction perfectly, knowing the steepest gradients would coincide with fatigue from previous days. No one else stood a chance. Visibly demoralized, Vingegaard looked over his shoulder, saw no allies, and conceded the psychological battle right then and there. Lipowitz, who had previously been touted as a dark horse for a podium finish, vanished from contention.
The rest of the contenders scattered across the mountain. INEOS Grenadiers tried to salvage something, but their plan to launch Geraint Thomas as a decoy was rendered meaningless. Soudal–Quick-Step, caught off guard by the tempo, had Evenepoel completely isolated before the final 10 kilometers. Teams that had planned for a gradual grind found themselves caught in a hurricane of pure watts.
By the time Pogacar crossed the line, solo and triumphant, he had not only secured the stage victory but also reshaped the entire general classification. His lead over Vingegaard extended dramatically, and all other podium hopes were left in ruins. Fans erupted across the roadside barricades, while commentators scrambled to find superlatives that could match the Slovenian’s display of dominance.
This wasn’t just a win. It was a statement — loud, calculated, and brutally effective. Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates didn’t wait for the race to come to them; they seized it, bent it to their will, and left chaos in their wake.
With just a handful of mountain stages remaining, rivals will need a miracle to stop Pogacar now. But after what we witnessed on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, one must wonder: is he already unreachable? If today was any indication, the 2025 Tour de France may have just been decided in a single, devastating blow — one that will be talked about for years to come.
