Tadej Pogacar is pleased that João Almeida remains in the race during this Tour de France. The Portuguese rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG crashed hard on Friday, breaking a rib and injuring his hand, among other things. Almeida had trouble braking, but fortunately, that wasn't necessary on day 8 of the Tour. The pace was so slow that Pogacar had time to focus on other things during the race.
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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: āYou 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.ā Pogacar called his teammate 'a warrior' after the race. āJoĆ£o 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.ā
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Read more below the video
Pogacar has time for Urska and Del Toro and jokes with Wellens
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For Pogacar, it was a nice and easy stage while wearing the yellow jersey. āIt 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,ā 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.
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...
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
š£ļøš” La conversación de Tadej Pogacar con su equipo en mitad de la carrera
š Le pregunta por su pareja, Urska Zigart, en el Giro y por los resultados del UAE en Austria...
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