Tadej Pogacar, 22nd in the 17th stage (Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc – Courchevel) 7’37” behind the Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroën) admitted to having feared losing his place on the podium of the general classification dominated by Jonas Vingegaard sovereign during the queen stage (4th).
Speaking to France Télévisions, the leader of the UAE Team Emirates team explained: “I don’t know what happened. I arrive at the bottom of the last ascent completely empty. I ate a lot but it didn’t reach my legs today. I’m extremely disappointed that I couldn’t push as much as I wanted. (On his fall, at the 15th km) it was really bad luck, it was on the climb, the breakaway was forming, I was second or not far, and in front of me the rider slowed down , changed its trajectory and I touched its wheel. I do not know what happened. If I recover from today, I want to give my team a stage victory. We will try, whether it is for me, Adam (Yates), Felix (Grosschartner), Marc (Soler), we will try to do it so that there is also Adam on the podium with me. At the start of the last climb, I thought maybe I was going to lose my place on the podium, but I had the support of my team and I am still second. The Slovenian is in 2nd place in the general classification, 7’35” behind Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar is ahead of his teammate Adam Yates (3rd at 10’35”).
