LE GRAND-BORNAND (France) Tadej Pogacar grinned and wriggled his head, his blond hair slick with sweat and rain, and his cheeks ruddy due to the mountain cold. He was determined to beat all his rivals at the Tour de France.The defending champion was even surprised when he stopped on the stationary bicycle.Oh, what an adventure. He couldn't wipe his smile of happiness from his face after such a wonderful day.Pogacar delivered a devastating blow on the Tour in the Alps' first day. After a tough eighth stage, cycling's precocious star took the yellow jersey.Pogacar began the day in 3 minutes 43 seconds behind Mathieu Van der Poel. Van der Poel completed the race in 20 minutes, despite completing five mountain passes. Van der Poel lost the lead he held for six days after fading fast during the final stage.Wout van Aert was still in second place, but he fell to 1 minute and 48 seconds behind Pogacar at the stage's start.Richard Carapaz was more than three minutes slower than Pogacar and slipped to sixth overall, five minutes behind.After proving himself to be an undisputed leader on the most difficult ascents, Pogacar secured his Tour title. On the fourth climb, Pogacar set out on his own, abandoning Carapaz, who was the last man to leave his side and a possible contender for his title.Pogacar was fourth on the 151-kilometer (94-miles) route from Oyonnax towards Le Grand-Bornand, just seconds behind Dylan Teuns.Teuns, a Belgian rider, was able to maintain a slight lead over Pogacar, who was pushing hard over the last peak before making the difficult descent to the finish.Pogacar saw an opportunity to change the race, and the field was almost all affected by the low temperatures and climbs in the rain.At the end, I felt great and so, before the final two climbs, I told my teammates, "Let's shake up the race," Pogacar replied.Continue the storyDo you want to shake it? It was crushed.Sunday's ride will be a second day in Alps. It involves a 145-kilometer (90 mile) ride through four passes, before reaching Tignes. The gaps mean that even top teams might be focusing on stage wins and the second or third spot on the podium.After a chaotic opening week, the peloton was not in good shape to last in the mountains. Friday's marathon 249-kilometer (155 mile) ride had left many riders in serious pain. Only a few riders were able to complete the longest stage of the Tour in 21-years.More pain was on the horizon.Many cyclists struggled right from the beginning, a sign of what was to follow. The pack was shattered by the short climb under constant rainfall as it entered the Alpine forest.Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, quickly fell behind. Primoz Roglic followed quickly and his Jumbo Visma group left last year's runner-up alone. Both Pre-race title hopefuls were unable to connect after taking tumbles the first week.Pogacar's devastating attack was timed until the category-one Col de Romme.Pogacar rode high while others were resting on the handlebars. He lifted his seat and pushed ahead to chase the breakaway riders.Pogacar showed again that he doesn't need any help from Emirates, riding the last 30 km up and over the category one Col de la Colombiere entirely on his own.Pogacar, the youngest post-World War II Champion at 21, made Tour history when he beat Roglic in the penultimate race. He also beat his compatriot with a blistering time trial.His performance on the Col de Romme et the Col de la Colombiere will be remembered as the moment that defined this edition, barring any dramatic changes of fortune.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apfsports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
