Last Wednesday, Tadei Pogachar suffered a rare adversity at the Col du Granon. Illness was quickly ruled out, and a hunger pang seemed too simple. Some said his problem was the heat. Others claimed it was the altitude. Still others blamed the depleted team.

But Pogachar's attacks the next day in the Alpe d'Huez and on the road to Mende on Saturday revealed more grounds for concern for the Slovenian rider. In this Tour de France, Pogačar has more problems with Jonas Vingegaard than anything else.

The latest version of their duel took place in the finale of stage 14, on the slopes of the Croix Neuve above Mende. Brandon McNulty and Rafal Mayka, both of Pogachar's UAE Team Emirates, cut through the yellow jersey group at the base of this climb and made up a fierce pace.

But when Pogachar himself accelerated on the climb with less than 2km to go, Vingegaard was the only one to follow. The remaining podium contenders scattered on the hillside below, pedaling as if they were sinking into the melting pavement beneath their wheels.

By contrast, Pogachar and Vingegaard seemed to float above it all; since his first Tour win two years ago, Pogachar has routinely traveled to places no one else could reach. But every time he has that euphoria in this Tour, he looks back and realizes he has company.

With graceful pedal strokes and a calm expression, Vingegaard shadowed Pogachar's every acceleration as they rode through the Masih Santral on a sun-drenched afternoon. The pair finished with a nearly 20-second lead over the rest of the field. In the overall standings, Vingegaard is 2:22 ahead of Pogachar.

"He attacked well. I expected him to attack today, but I was able to stay with him and I'm glad I did," said Vingegaard.

"I don't think it was easy, 200 watts is easy, but what we did was not easy. But every time he attacked I tried to keep up with him, and I'm glad I did."

Vingegaard did not lose his composure as he addressed the press after the podium ceremony. When Pogachar joined the early attack outside Saint-Etienne, causing low-level panic in the peloton, Vingegaard calmly bridged the gap.

"Like I said before, I expected him to take every chance," Vingegaard said. But I was a little too far behind the pack to jump with him."

"But I managed it. But I managed it, and I didn't lose too much energy."

The undulations to Mende were Pogachar's last chance to put pressure on Vingegaard before the final rest day. In any case, Pogachar needed to find a solution to an increasingly vexing conundrum.

Vingegaard, on the other hand, is well ahead of its closest rivals. But while a Pogachar onslaught is unlikely to be avoided in the Pyrenees next week, summit finishes at Autacam and Peyragudo may tempt Vingegaard.

"I guess it depends on my legs," Vingegaard said. 'If I'm in good shape, never say never. Right now it looks like a big gap, but there's a long time trial at the end, so a lot can happen. Of course, if I get the chance, I can attack him."

Since Vingegaard's victory in Jebel Jais at last year's UAE Tour, he has been near Pogachar many times in the Basque Country, Tirreno-Adriatico, and of course this Tour.

"He's a great guy, a great bike rider. I have a lot of respect for Taddei. 'I race against him, but we live in different places. I don't have his phone number so you can see how much we've talked."

Still, in Mende as in Alpe d'Huez, Vingegaard responded to Pogachar's every thought. For at least the second week of the Tour, Vingegaard had Pogachar's number.