Everything is different immediately. Wednesday’s stage showed that the defending champion is significantly more comfortable. “It was incredible what Jonas did. I started to think that if I drop out at the Tourmalet, I can pack up and go home,” smiled the Slovenian star.
But that didn’t happen. “Fortunately, I had better legs this time and managed to get out quite comfortably,” continued Pogačar. At the same time, he was almost on his own. Vingegaard, on the other hand, could rely on the great work of his teammates Kelderman, Kuss and, last but not least, Van Aert. “We played great , exactly according to plan,” praised Sepp Kuss, head coach, in an interview with Eurosport.
“But it turned out that Pogačar is a fighter. Unreal what he showed,” he said in front of the leader of the SAE Team Emirates stable. He kept like the shadow of his rival’s rear wheel throughout the 6th stage. And he attacked less than three kilometers from the finish line. “When I felt that the moment was right, I tried . And it worked,” he rejoiced. “I feel much better than on Wednesday, it’s a relief,” he recounted.
Still, the Australian Hindley was replaced by Vingegaard in the yellow jersey. “But it’s going to be a hell of a fight all the way to Paris. We wanted to test Tadej, but he obviously felt a lot better than on Wednesday,” concluded the Danish defender
Pogačar closed the gap on him in the Tour standings to just 25 seconds. “The distance is perfect. It will be a great battle until the end of the Tour,” the 24-year-old Slovenian also believes. In addition, he has already recorded his tenth stage triumph at the Tour de France. All this during his four participations, and this year is far from over.
And so he can already see himself matching the record holders with 34 victories of Eddy Merckx and Mark Cavendish, who is riding his last year of the Old Lady this year. “I’m coming for you, Mark!” a laughing Pogačar told him. “No, I’m just kidding,” he added in a good mood.