In the final mountain stage of the Tour de France on Thursday, Team Jumbo-Visma helped its leader, Jonas Vingegaard, win the stage and add 1 minute and 4 seconds to his lead in the general classification.

Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates, who now trails Vingegaard by 3:26 in the GC, attacked in the first 40 kilometers. Durangoan Sepp Kuss, however, rode hard to lend Vingegaard a hand.

Pogacar attacked again, but was unable to shake Vingegaard.

On the final descent, Vingegaard had a little hiccup, but managed to stay on his bike. Pogacar then had a hiccup and crashed, but Vingegaard showed some sportsmanship and waited for the two-time defending champion to catch up.

On the stage’s final climb, Kuss helped Vingegaard on the first part. When Kuss dropped, Wout Van Aert stepped up. Van Aert was the strongest in the front group. After he had taken over the lead from the equally strong Kuss, the Fleming personally ensured that Pogacar could no longer keep up with the pace. Vingegaard took full advantage of the green jersey wearer's execution and finished the job.

Vingegaard rode alone for roughly the final 3.5 kilometers to win the stage and give himself a huge lead heading into the Tour’s final three stages.

“This is unbelievable. This morning, I told my girlfriend and daughter that I wanted to win for them, and I did. I am super-happy,” Vingegaard said. “It was a tough day, and I’m glad it’s over. The team was super-strong, and I want to thank Wout, Sepp, Nathan, Tiesj and Christoph. I won thanks to them. Tadej was strong and made some solid efforts on the Col de Spandelles. I was afraid he would attack again on the final climb because I was at my limit. Luckily I had Wout with me who was able to make the difference.”

Van Aert ended up finishing third, at plus 2:10.

Kuss scored another top-10 finish on Stage 18, crossing eighth (+3:09). Kuss is now 19th in the GC, trailing his teammate by 57:59. Kuss also scored eight points on the stage and now has 22, placing him 64th. Kuss has also scored three mountain points.

“We had a tactical plan all day, and it’s unbelievably nice it worked. The guys really did a great job,” said Jumbo-Visma sports director Grischa Niermann. “Wout is a great champion. We’ve heard that green and yellow can't be combined, but Wout has shown it can be.”

Van Aert virtually secured his green jersey on the Stage 17 for Jumbo-Visma on Wednesday. “This morning, I didn't know I could secure the jersey already. But at the intermediate sprint, there was no breakaway yet so that I could take the points quite easily,” Van Aert said. “I still have to stay on my bike and make it to Paris. If I can wear that jersey on Sunday night, I have achieved my goal. Of course, I would be very proud of that.”

Durangoan Quinn Simmons finished 107th for Trek Segafredo (+33:59) on Stage 18. Giulio Ciccone finished 38th to lead Trek Segafredo.

On Wednesday in the second Pyrenees stage of the Tour, Pogacar took the stage win, but Vingegaard finished second to hold onto the GC lead. Vingegaard gave up four seconds on the day and led by 2 minutes, 18 seconds afterward.

Vingegaard and Pogacar were the only ones who could follow the scorching pace of Brandon McNulty, Pogacar’s teammate, on the penultimate climb. On the Peyragudes, McNulty brought the two rivals to the line. Although Vingegaard launched the sprint, Pogacar won. McNulty crossed third for UAE Emirates.

“Of course I would have liked to win the stage, but a finish like this just suits him better,” Vingegaard said. “It was a fight today, and I am happy I could follow Pogacar and McNulty. It isn’t nice to be isolated on the penultimate climb, but I definitely can't blame the guys. They worked hard.”

Kuss finished 25th on the stage for Jumbo-Visma, crossing 9:24 after Pogacar.

Simmons finished 45th on the stage, 20:09 back. Simmons also moved up two spots in the GC to 65th on Wednesday (+2:40:25), but slid back to 67th after Thursday (+3:14:34). Simmons, the Tour’s youngest rider, is also in 10th in the youth division, which Pogacar leads. Simmons has also scored seven mountain points.

With three stages to go, Jumbo-Visma holds the yellow jersey, the green jersey and Vingegaard also secured the polka dot king of the mountain jersey with his second stage win of the Tour on Thursday.

Stage 19 will be 188.5 kilometers and is considered flat. Stage 20 on Saturday is a 40.7-kilometer time trial. The Tour will then conclude Sunday with a 116-kilometer flat stage that will finish in Paris.