Tour de France 2023 Stage 20 recap: Pinot denied as Pogacar wins and Vingegaard secures second triumph

He may have missed out on a third Tour triumph but he's swooped to a second stage win to draw a line under a tough final week.

“Today I finally felt like myself again. It was just really good from start to finish to feel good again after many days suffering and to pull it off at the finish. I’m super, super happy. Now can we continue? No, let’s go home!

“I was waiting for him [Adam Yates] to come back, and his brother. They were super good. Because I know him really well now – he led me out really good, so thanks to him it was a bit easier to prepare for the final, and less nervous. The team did such a great job today. The atmosphere in the bus every day has been so good on this team."

Asked what was the worst moment of his Tour, Pogacar said: “The most terrifying moment of the Tour was when Marc Soler looked back at me on the Col de la Loze with those scary eyes…”

What a performance from Thibaut Pinot today who dared to dream but was ultimately found out on the final climb. A nice tough there as compatriot Warren Barguil congratulates him over the line...

That was the Slovenian's second stage win in this year's Tour and the 11th of his career.

1. Tadej Pogacar
2. Felix Gall
3. Jonas Vingegaard
4. Simon Yates
5. Adam Yates +7
6. Warren Barguil +33
7. Thibaut Pinot +33
8. Pello Bilbao +33
9. Tobias Johannessen +50
10. Rafal Majka +50

That third place will see the Dane crowned winner of the Tour de France for a second year running tomorrow in Paris, with Adam and Simon Yates in third and fourth.

Jonas Vingegaard opened it up but his rival in white had too much on the final ramp and it's the Slovenian who punches the air after a second stage triumph, with Felix Gall pipping the yellow jersey for second place.

Simon Yates shakes his legs on the back of this quintet ahead of the final sprint... meanwhile it's his brother Adam who still leads Pogacar towards the home straight, with Vingegaard and Gall poised to pounce.

The road is going back uphill and it's Adam Yates who seems to be sacrificing himself so that his team-mate can end the Tour on a high with a second stage win.

The Australian is in the same group as Rodriguez, Johannessen and Majka. They have that trio of Pinot, Barguil and Bilbao in their sights. But the win today will come from one of the first five - with Pogacar surely with the advantage with his superior kick and the support of his team-mate Adam Yates.

So we have five riders out ahead now as we go under the 5km banner. This quintet has 36 seconds on the Pinot-Barguil-Bilbao chasing trio. Rodriguez is 48 seconds back.

Felix Gall doesn't seem very happy with the yellow jersey, with whom he exchanges some words after they come to the top of the climb about the summit. The Yates duo are just 10 seconds back now - and the addition of Adam will play into the hands of Pogacar. It seems like Gall is annoyed that Vingegaard is doing no work and instead just shadowing a man who is over seven minutes behind him in this phoney GC battle. And the Austrian has a point...

Felix Gall can no longer win the polka dot jersey but he's in stage-winning mode now. Over the top of the Platzerwasel he goes ahead of Pogacar and Vingegaard, who are tied at the hip. The Yateses are 15 seconds back, Pinot and Barguil at 38 seconds, then the Rodriguez group at 55.

The road still carries on uphill for a bit ahead of some rolling roads along a plateau en route to the finish. It's going to be a thriller.

The Spaniard is with team-mate Pidcock and Jai Hindley. But Pello Bilbao has just zipped clear with Majka in pursuit - and that's yet more pressure on Rodriguez's place in the top four/five (delete as appropriate).

Vingegaard, Pogacar and Gall have all won a stage on this Tour - which one of them will win two? They have 22 seconds on the chase group of both Yates brothers, Barguil and Pinot, with Rodriguez being paced by team-mate Pidcock at 40 seconds. Pinot and Bargiul are starting to feel the pinch now and they lose the wheel of the Yateses.

Simon Yates went clear amid all that drama on the front - he passed Pidcock and now has his brother Adam in pursuit as be bids to defend his third place. Carlos Rodriguez - who crashed earlier - has been dropped and so he may lose his fourth place to Simon Yates.

Gall puts in an acceleration just after the connection and he takes the Big Two with him. Pidcock and Barguil latch on but Pinot is now pedalling squared - who can blame him? - and the Frenchman drops back. Barguil and Pidcock are soon dropped by the fresher riders themselves, so it's down to just three...

Pinot is caught by Barguil and Pidcock, but they're not a trio for long because Pogacar, Vingegaard and Gall make the connection. We have six out ahead now - but it's about to blow apart again.