Tadej Pogacar continues to close gap on Jonas Vingegaard after Tour de France stage 13

UAE Team Emirates rider reduces difference to nine seconds as Michal Kwiatkowski takes the stage win

Tadej Pogacar begins his breakaway from Jonas Vingegaard during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. AP

Tadej Pogacar continued to close the gap on Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard after a late, brutal uphill sprint in the finale of Friday's 13th stage at the top of the Col du Grand Colombier.

The UAE Team Emirates star, Tour winner in 2020 and 2021, stood on the pedals inside the last kilometre and launched a furious sprint, with Vingegaard holding his wheel before Pogacar dropped the Dane.

The Slovenian has now beaten Vingegaard in the last three mountain stages, and took third place on the day, 50 seconds behind Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski, the best of the breakaway riders.

Pogacar, who picked up four bonus seconds, trails Vingegaard by nine seconds in the general classification.

At the end of the stage Vingegaard was all smiles, while his Slovenian rival was po-faced despite his latest gain. The defending champion explained his mood by referring to the record books.

"In a final like this you can only be happy with how it worked out," said Vingegaard. "History has shown that the Tour rarely gets won by a few seconds. Maybe once or twice, maybe here too, who knows, but I don't think so."

For once Vingegaard also opened up about Pogacar after previously insisting he never thinks about him.

"It's a nice rivalry we have. He's one of the best, if not the best rider in the world and it's a nice fight we have going on," he said.

Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates set a blistering tempo from about halfway up the Colombier.

"We knew Team UAE would do this so we told some of the guys to forget about it and not get involved and this is what happened, so I think our tactics worked well," said Vingegaard.

"It might have looked like I was alone but I never felt like that, I felt my tactics worked." This is how I planned to do it, just held on, that's our tactics and it suits me fine."

Ineos-Grenadiers rider Michal Kwiatkowski won Stage 13. AFP

Pogacar looked wiped out for once, but was talking a good fight.

"It's a start, it was a good day, a small victory but it was worth it," said Pogacar, who unleashed his attack on the upper reaches of the 17km climb in the Jura mountains.

On the July 14 French national holiday, the fireworks started when Kwiatkowski broke away on the only mountain on the short stage for his second ever Tour win.

"That was like full gas racing from the start to the finish," said the 33-year-old Kwiatkowski.

Belgian Maxim Van Gils was the only other breakaway rider to hold off Pogacar as he zig-zagged over the line for second, his face a pale mask of pain.

In a carbon copy of last Sunday's finale to the Puy de Dome, Vingegaard limited the damage to take fourth place with Britain's Pidcock fifth, 1:03 off the pace.

Australian Jai Hindley cemented his third place in the overall standings by taking sixth place, a further two seconds behind.

He now trails Vingegaard by 2:51 but leads Spain's Carlos Rodriguez by 1:57.

Saturday's 14th stage is a gruelling Alpine effort over 152 kilometres ending in Morzine after a tricky descent from the punishing Col de Joux Plane, a 11.6km ascent at 8.1%.