With victory at Le Lioran on Tuesday, another of the ghosts of Tour de France past was expunged by Tadej Pogačar. Not many remain, although the most nightmarish of all does still loom large.

Le Lioran was the scene of a defeat to Jonas Vingegaard two years ago, Pogačar suffering the double ignominy of attacking then being caught, and then being beaten in the sprint – two extreme rarities that, while they did little to derail his overall race, must have dented his pride.

And perhaps that’s why Pogačar was so keen to win in Le Lioran yesterday. He played down any suggestions of revenge, but, with a lead of nearly three minutes and with a tough stage to control through the Massif Central, there was no pressing need to go on the rampage. A stage win and more time on his rivals are, of course, worthy incentives, but it’s hard to avoid the feeling that Pogačar is at least partly fueled by a desire to assert his dominance in every possible way, including turning old wounds into badges of honour.

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And if we had that feeling in Le Lioran then it’s because last year’s Tour de France set this whole ‘tour of revenge’ in motion.

Featuring finishes at Hautacam and the Col de la Loze, Pogačar came face to face with two of the biggest defeats he has suffered at the Tour de France – both at the hands of Vingegaard – and in Mont Ventoux he returned to the mountain where he was dropped by the Dane for the first time.

Ventoux was where this rivalry really started back in 2021. Vingegaard was an unheralded support rider for Primož Roglič, but briefly and dramatically dropped the yellow jersey on one of the Tour’s most famous climbs. He wouldn’t cause him much trouble in the rest of the race, but we all know what happened in the subsequent years.

Hautacam came towards the end of the following edition in 2022, where Pogačar, who had already been rinsed by Vingegaard on the Col du Granon earlier in the race, suffered the rank humiliation of being dropped not only by one of Vingegaard’s teammates but the green jersey of Wout van Aert.

And the Col de la Loze in 2023 was, of course, where Pogačar uttered the immortal words over race radio: “I’m gone, I’m dead” as the lights went out on his yellow jersey hopes for a second successive year.

And so to 2025. Pogačar, back on top of the rivalry after his 2024 victory, went hell-for-leather on Hautacam on the first high mountain of the race on stage 12, and put more than two minutes into Vingegaard

With victory in the following day’s time trial, the Tour was effectively won, and Pogačar rode defensively on Mont Ventoux on stage 16, but the ease with which he brushed off Vingegaard’s attacks before skipping clear of him at the line was still a statement in itself. He didn’t win atop the Col de la Loze on stage 18, but he perhaps could have done, seemingly riding within himself as his dominance drew criticism and his enthusiasm waned. Either way, he still decisively dropped Vingegaard on the upper reaches of the climb to further underline his authority.

Which ghosts still remain?

So now that Le Lioran has been exorcised, too, what ghosts remain in Pogačar’s closet?

We’ve mentioned it already but the Col du Granon is the big one. It was, quite simply, one of the most spectacular Tour de France stages in history. Pogačar, a breakthrough winner in 2020 and a convincing winner in 2021, was expected to dominate again but Vingegaard and Primož Roglič worked him over between the Col du Télégraphe and the Col du Galibier, before Vingegaard left him for dead on the Granon summit finish. Pogačar, yellow jersey open, being passed by lesser riders, was a picture of suffering, and bled time all the way to the line.

Do not be surprised if the Tour de France organisers throw the Col du Granon back onto the route while Pogačar is still in his prime, as a sort of bait as well as a clear narrative arc.

Pogačar was also trounced by Vingegaard in an Alpine time trial between Passy and Combloux in 2023 – a defeat that was seismic in its proportions but perhaps not quite so memorable given it wasn’t a head-to-head on a major climb.

In a way, it might seem like Vingegaard’s and Visma-Lease a Bike’s physical and tactical brilliance in 2022 and 2023 interrupted what’s currently looking less like a rivalry and more like a Pogačar era.

In reality, they created the beast we see before us today. Pogačar, with a new coach and a desire to plug the holes in his armory, was re-born in 2024 and his level has been trending upwards ever since – it still is.

His rivalry with Vingegaard has been respectful but nevertheless carried an air of intensity, of little love lost between the two riders and their two teams. And after suffering such psychological blows, Pogačar has seemed hell-bent on turning the tables.

Call it revenge, call it redemption, but if we’re talking about Pogačar’s racing as a sort of personal crusade, then that’s only because he’s reached such a level of superiority that, in reality, he’s only racing against himself now.

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