The mountain of legend called and the legendary Tadej answered. A terrible tear in the last kilometer on the climb to the Galibier and then the furrow dug in a crazy descent towards Valloire on the Danish nemesis: Pogacar has already gained 50 seconds compared to his arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard, his bellicose message has arrived loud and clear to the ears of the Tour. The Slovenian dressed in yellow, with the idea of not losing the precious jersey until the last bend in Nice on July 21, spoke hot on the heels of yet another feat: “I’m so happy, it was a dream stage and finishing it like this is incredible. We executed the plan we had studied to perfection. This victory gives me a lot of confidence: I knew I could do it, but in this way it’s special”, said the Uae Emirates captain. And it was precisely the super team at his side that was one of the keys to the “coup of the day: Pogi’s “support cast”, with the efforts of his teammates Ayuso and Almeida (who got angry 3 km from the summit in a dramatic manner with his Spanish teammate), was clearly superior to that of Visma. So Vingo was left alone surrounded by “enemies” at the decisive moment: “I don’t think it was a race in the opposite direction to last year: we don’t necessarily work to tire Jonas out. It’s just that I’m better now than in 2023 and it shows”.
DOMINATOR
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The confidence with which Pogacar moved at the right time and with which he surfed downhill is the result of a maniacal study of the route: “I knew this stage very well, I trained here for a long time: between Sestriere and Monginevro it’s like home… – continued the master of the Tour -. And then the bonus seconds at the top of the Galibier were very important to take: I had confidence, great legs and I had to try. Downhill I didn’t want to go too fast at the beginning and I pushed to the maximum only in the last meters: there was a lot of headwind and wet roads, I was a bit scared there, but if you know the route it’s easier”. Now looking at the general classification makes practical sense and puts the Slovenian in a good mood, less so Vingegaard: “Having 50 seconds from Jonas is great news – concluded Tadej -, I’m very happy with this form and how I feel on the bike, now let’s continue like this. The week will be difficult with the time trial, but now we have a good margin to defend”.
