🎥 “He knew exactly what was coming”; Del Toro and Pogačar’s post-stage chat caught on camera

UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed what was close to a perfect day on Thursday in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. Tadej Pogačar took the yellow jersey with a long solo attack, but for a brief moment it even looked as though he might take teammate Isaac del Toro with him over the Tourmalet after the Mexican’s lead-out. It did not quite come to that, although Del Toro still finished third.

There was a nice moment after the finish, where the TV cameras picked up the conversation between the UAE Emirates-XRG riders as they rode back down. “You were going really fast — at least, for you,” Pogačar told his teammate. Del Toro replied: “With that acceleration of yours, he did not even try,” referring to Vingegaard.

“No, of course not, because he knew exactly what was coming,” said Pogačar, who then made an admission that was cut short by the TV broadcast. “I was also suffering a bit myself. Really, if the top had been another kilometer further, then I would have...”

Del Toro eventually dropped back to Vingegaard and later to the chasing group, where he comfortably won the sprint for third place. “It was a beautiful day for the team. We are incredibly happy with the effort we showed today. I think that, at one point, I may have gone a little bit too hard,” he admitted, with a hint of guilt.

“In any case, the final result is that today’s mission has been accomplished. The team rode an incredible race today,” said the Mexican, who now also sits third in the general classification and is in the mix for the young rider competition.

“I am incredibly happy that I have reached this level. It was very special to ride so close to the top riders all the way to the finish. The race actually went a little better than I expected. I am proud and happy that, in my first Tour de France, I have already been able to deliver a performance like this, and I am also happy that Tadej was able to show how strong he is.”

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]