🎥 Pogacar glad Almeida didn’t quit, on a day he had time for other things: "So, how did it go in Austria?"

First, let's hear from Almeida, who suffered despite a quiet stage. "It wasn't easy, not at all. It was a tough day, and I suffered. But it wasn't too bad. Overall, it was an easy day, nothing special. Let's hope I have a better day tomorrow. I want to help as much as possible; I don't want to be useless in the peloton. I'm looking forward to supporting the team in any way I can," he said after the race on Eurosport.

The big question is whether Almeida will still be physically able to really support Pogacar because: “You feel every bump, and getting out of the saddle is painful, too. But that's part of cycling; I'm not the only one. We are all strong riders. Unfortunately, it's part of the job. I hope for better days, but it could have been worse.” Pogacar called his teammate 'a warrior' after the race. “João suffered with every small acceleration, but hats off to him for finishing the stage and not giving up. That's the true spirit of a champion.”

For Pogacar, it was a nice and easy stage while wearing the yellow jersey. “It was more relaxed. Sometimes, I hope for more straight roads because we often pass through hectic villages. But these stages are also beautiful, and today was a bit more easy. There was some stress in the final, but it was manageable,” he said. Pogacar stayed remarkably far behind in the final, where he usually is more at the front. He eventually crossed the finish line in 42nd place.

How calm was it? Well, at 93 kilometers from the finish line, Pogacar had plenty of time to talk to his team. They had clearly been instructed to keep him informed of the results in the Giro d'Italia Women. “Urska finished seventh in the Giro today,” Pogacar was told. He also heard that his fiancée is now eighth in the Giro GC. “And how did it go in Austria?” the GC leader asked afterward. His teammate, Isaac Del Toro, won a stage in the Tour of Austria for the third day in a row.

After the finish, there was a nice clip of Pogacar with his teammate, Tim Wellens, wearing his mountain jersey. His joking remark was not actually intended for television...