Job done,” Tadej Pogacar said with satisfaction after the first stage of the third week in the Tour de France. The Slovenian of UAE Team Emirates-XRG was able to respond to all attacks by the eager Jonas Vingegaard and even grabbed two bonus seconds on him in the sprint at the summit.

* 2018 was Pogacar's breakthrough year. He won the Tour de l'Avenir, a stage race for young riders often seen as a springboard for the Tour de France. He also won the mountains classification in that race.

The 26-year-old is well on his way to a fourth Tour de France title, pedaling himself into the rarefied air occupied by the sport’s all-time greats.

XRG stormed up the “Bald Mountain,” initiated by rival Jonas Vingegaard’s attack, and still managed to sprint two seconds clear of the Dane at the summit. With this blistering climb, Pogacar smashed the long-standing record of Iban Mayo.

Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre wins atop Mont Ventoux as Tadej Pogacar keeps yellow jersey - The 24-year-old claimed his maiden Tour de France stage victory to become the first French winner of this

By Julien Pretot MALAUCENE, France (Reuters) -Valentin Paret-Peintre kept his cool in a furnace of pressure and heat, delivering a thunderous victory atop the legendary Mont Ventoux to give France its first win in this year's Tour de France during a breathtaking Stage 16 on Tuesday.