Tim Wellens is one of the most reliable domestiques for world champion and leader Tadej Pogacar in this Tour de France, but on the VRT talk show Vive le Vélo, the Belgian champion revealed some inside secrets from the team’s inner workings.
For example, Pogacar was not happy that Wellens joined the 52-rider breakaway of the day. "Tadej doesn’t like it when someone is in the break. He prefers everyone to be close to him. This is because of the stats showing that he rarely wins when a teammate is up the road. But he has proven he can do it. Suddenly, there was a group of 50 riders up front and I was part of it. Ultimately, it was ideal that I was there. By the way, I deliberately avoided riding in the lactate zone so I could still be of help to Pogacar."
According to Wellens, his team leader was extra motivated for the stage to Hautacam. He could easily tell by one important detail. "He was wearing his white shorts. He had already talked about this stage before the Tour, and white shorts mean ambition,""
Also notable: within the UAE Emirates XRG team, everyone seems to have a strong bond. A story that Wellens confirmed during the broadcast. "There’s a really good atmosphere. Before the stage, it felt like we were in school—no one was listening to our team director on the bus."
But that doesn’t mean the riders celebrated Pogacar’s victories extensively. "Because Tadej wins so often, there’s no more big speeches. It’s no longer special, even though that’s not the nicest thing to say."
