Pogacar closes in on victory as O'Connor wins stage 18

Tadej Pogacar took a huge step towards winning his fourth Tour de France by racing clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard on the mighty Col de la Loze, as Ben O'Connor claimed victory on stage 18.

Pogacar, 26, powered clear of his closest rival in the final 500 metres to extend his lead over two-time champion Vingegaard to four minutes and 26 seconds with just three stages left.

He crossed the line one minute and 45 seconds behind Australian O'Connor, who went solo with 16km remaining.

Vingegaard was third over the line, followed closely by Britain's Oscar Onley - now just 22 seconds behind Florian Lipowitz in the final general classification podium place following an outstanding ride.

The queen stage of this year's race featured three iconic climbs, forcing riders to overcome more than 5,500m of elevation in 171.5km of racing.

All three ascents came under the hors categorie - the race's toughest mountains - with the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine preceding the Col de la Loze.

At 2,304m above sea level it represented the highest point of this year's race - and likely confirmation of Pogacar's latest triumph.