Tadej Pogacar was once again the strongest rider in the queen stage of the Tour de France, but the Slovenian was put to a tough test by Visma | Lease a Bike. In the end, it even cost Pogacar a fifth stage win.
"I wanted the stage victory, but my yellow jersey takes priority. When Visma | Lease a Bike pushed the pace hard on the Col de la Madeleine, I thought a stage win was possible," Pogacar commented to Sporza. "But maybe they went too hard, even on the descent. Still, I have to respect them because they tried."
Due to the relentless attack from the Dutch team, only a few riders initially remained up front in the valley after the Madeleine. "They attacked each other and there was no cooperation in the valley. I waited for my teammates, but it took a long time. And when we reached the foot of the climb, I thought Visma would ride faster to catch the breakaway."
But that didn’t happen, allowing O'Connor to take the win: "He did well. So the stage win was gone, but my legs felt good on the Col de la Loze and I stayed in yellow."
Still, Pogacar isn’t counting his wins just yet. "Today was the queen stage, and there’s another one tomorrow. Three more days to go and then I can go on vacation. But I have to stay focused, because even the final stage in Paris can still be dangerous."
